Siarhei Kavalenka

Siarhei Kavalenka (Belarusian: Сяргей Каваленка, born January 16, 1975) is a Belarusian political activist and member of the Conservative Christian Party sentenced for 2 years in prison after placing a white-red-white flag (i.e. the former Belarusian flag) on top of a Christmas tree in Vitsebsk in 2010.

Siarhei Kavalenka after his long term hunger-strike in a cage in a court room

Flag placing in Vitsebsk
White-red-white flag paced by Siarhei Kavalenka on top of a Christmas tree in Vitsebsk.

On January 7, 2010, Kavalenka climbed atop a Christmas tree in the centre of his native Vitsebsk and placed the historical Belarusian white-red-white banner on top of it. The white-red-white banner has been used by the Belarusian independence and pro-democracy movement since 1917 and has been the official flag of Belarus in 1918 and from 1991 to 1995. It is now widely used as a symbol of the opposition to president Alexander Lukashenko.

The court gave Kavalenka three years of suspended sentence.[1] The trial got wide coverage in independent Belarusian media. Human rights groups stated that the court's decision has been politically motivated.[2] Nasha Niva, a major independent newspaper, placed Siarhey Kavalenka among the most notable people of Belarus in 2010 as the Hero of the Year.[3]

Prison sentence
Siarhei Kavalenka after his long term hunger-strike in a cage in a court room

In late 2011 Kavalenka was again arrested and accused of violating the conditions of his suspended sentence. As a protest against the arrest, on 19 December 2010 he started a hunger strike. The hunger strike was interrupted by force-feeding on 16 January 2012.[4]

Siarhei Kavalenka after his long term hunger-strike in a cage in a court room

On February 24 Kavalenka was sentenced to 25 months of prison by judge Elena Zhuk and prosecutor Dmitry Lutov.[5]

gollark: Just demote him to helper.
gollark: Well, that ruined my dramatic reveal.
gollark: Oops, does that not work?
gollark: ++magic py```python@bot.listen("on_message")async def bee_you(msg): if msg.author.id == 319753218592866315 and msg.channel.id == 319753218592866315: await msg.add_reaction("🐝")```
gollark: I do not see how this is not lying.

References
  1. "Апазіцыянер Каваленка атрымаў за сцяг на елцы тры гады ўмоўна". Telegraf.by. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  2. "Сяргей Каваленка | Свабоду палітвязьням!". Palitviazni.info. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  3. "Чалавек года — Мікалай Казлоў - Наша Ніва (тэкставая версія)". Pda.nn.by. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  4. "Салiдарнасць «Сяргей Каваленка ў крытычным стане»". Gazetaby.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-30. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  5. Радыё Свабода. "Вырак Сяргею Каваленку — 2 гады 1 месяц калёніі агульнага рэжыму". Svaboda.org. Retrieved 2012-07-17.

See also
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