A Minsk court Thursday handed down a 15-day "administrative arrest" sentences to main opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich and fellow oppositionists Communist leader Sergei Kalyakin, Labor Party leader Alexander Bukhvostov, and Vintsuk Vyachorka, who heads opposition Belarusian People's Front.
Opposition groups Wednesday organized a 3,000-strong rally timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the world's worst nuclear accident, which affected much of the country. Protesters held Ukrainian and EU flags, and chanted "Long Live Belarus!" and "Freedom!" and expressed support for Milinkevich.
Although the demonstration went ahead with official permission, police later said it deviated from the approved route and was therefore unauthorized.
Presidential elections held March 19 in the former Soviet republic that saw Alexander Lukashenko reelected to a third term with a massive 83% of the vote were condemned as undemocratic by international monitors. Milinkevich, the leading opposition candidate, trailed in a distant second with just over 6% of the vote.
The opposition said the poll was rigged, and pledged to continue protests.
