Amnesty International Condemns Arrest of Georgians in Belarus

Amnesty International issued a statement on August 31, in which it condemned recent arrest of two activists of the Georgian youth movement Kmara ? Giorgi Kandelaki and Luka Tsuladze ? in Minsk and demanded their immediate release.

?Amnesty International considers Luka Tsuladze and Giorgi Kandelaki to be prisoners of conscience. Amnesty International believes that the two men are being held solely for their political activities, to punish them for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, and that the administrative charge against them has been fabricated,? the statement reads.

The Belarus court has already sentenced the Georgian activists to 15 days of imprisonment for hooliganism.

The two Georgian citizens were reportedly arrested in Minsk on August 24 together with coordinator of the Belarus youth resistance movement Zubr, Vladimir Kobets. Kobets was released shortly after the arrest. He described detention as politically-motivated.

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