Court in Belarus to hear case connected with arson attacks

MINSK (Itar-Tass) - The Zavodskoy (factory) District court of
the capital of Belarus on Wednesday begins to examine a criminal case
connected with attempts at setting fire to a number of office buildings,
including the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Minsk. Three activists
of the anarchist movement will be in the dock, the Belarusian human
rights center Vesna (spring) reports.
According to information from human rights campaigners, the defendants
are accused of "making a number of attacks (on buildings) and committing
arsons". The information refers, in particular, to attacks on the buidings
of the Russian Embassy, the branch of the Belarusbank, the Shangri La
casino, the office of the Bank of Moscow-Minsk, the Federation of theTrade
Unions of Belarus, and other ones. One of the activists is accused of
breaking into the website of the Novopolotsk city executive committee.
Under the provisions of Belarus legislation, they will face punishment in
the form of deprivation of freedom for a term of up to 12 years.
The attack on the Embassy of the RF to the Republic of Belarus was
made late in the evening of August 30, last year. Unidentified attackers
hurled two petrol bombs over the fence into the Embassy grounds. A Russian
Embassy car burned up as a result of the arson attack