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16 December 2020, 11:24 UTC
Belarusian authorities are attempting to cover up the killing of a peaceful protester by police by bringing serious criminal charges against a key witness, Amnesty International said today.
Alyaksandr Kardyukou was with his friend and fellow protester Henadz Shutau until moments before the latter was shot by plain clothes police on 11 August, after a peaceful rally in the western city of Brest. Now Alyaksandr is charged with the attempted murder of a police officer, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Alyaksandr Kardyukou is being prosecuted solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights, and to justify the extrajudicial execution of Henadz Shutau.