The Court Judgment: From 3 to 4 years in prison for the participants in the peaceful rally on 19 December

The participants in the peaceful act of protest against the falsified results of the elections on 19 December 2010 in Minsk have received sentences ranging from 3 to 4 years in a "harsh regime" prison.

The October District Court of Minsk found Dmitrii Drozd, Ales Kirkevich, Pavel Vinogradov, Andrei Protasenya and Vladimir Homichenko guilty of participating in the so-called riots in Minsk on 19 December 2010, and fixed for them the penalty of imprisonment, for a period ranging from 3 to 4 years in a “harsh regime” prison.

As the correspondent of “Interfax-West” has reported from the courtroom, Kirkevich and Vinogradov were sentenced by the court to imprisonment for a term of 4 years, to be served in a “harsh regime” prison. Drozd, Protasenya and Homichenko were sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment, to be served in a “harsh regime” prison.

It was previously reported that the state prosecutor had addressed a request to the judge of the October District of Minsk to condemn the accused Vinogradov and Kirkevich to 4 years imprisonment, with the punishment being served in a “harsh regime” prison. He asked that the defendant Drozd be sentenced to three and a half years, Protasenya and Homichenko to three years.

In addition, the state prosecutor asked that the defendant Homichenko (“earphone”) be given compulsory treatment for alcoholism at the place of punishment.