August, 15 is the birthday of the Belarusian political prisoner, chairman of the All-National Strike Committee of Vendors, member of the Council of Civil Initiatives “Free Belarus” Valery Levaneuski. He turns 42 today. Family and relatives, activists of the All-National Strike Committee, the steering committee, the press center of the Charter’97, the Council of the Civil Initiatives “Free Belarus”, colleagues and friends, businessmen and vendors wish him health, courage in his struggle for freedom and democracy in Belarus, and also a quick release.

The additional information

Valery Levaneuski (Russian: Левоневский Валерий Станиславович, Belarusian: Валеры Станіслававіч Леване́ўскі, Polish: Walery Lewoniewski) - Belarussian political and social activist, former political prisoner. Amnesty International recognizes him as a prisoner of conscience

On 7 September 2004, he was sentenced to two years in prison for publicly insulting the president of Belarus (A.Lukashenko). The judge decreed that a leaflet which Levaneuski had distributed prior to demonstrations on 1 May 2004 in particular contained a text:

“come and say that you are against ’somebody’ going on holiday skiing in Austria and having a good time at your cost”

Since Alexander Lukashenko is known to have spent his holidays in Austria, the judge decide that leaflet contains a public insult to the President.

On 16 September 2004 European Parliament calls on the Belarus authorities to release immediately Valery Levaneuski and all other imprisoned political opponents of the regime.

Valery Levaneuski - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Official site (English)

Official site (Russian and English)

Official Site 2 (Russian and English)

Charter 97