In June, Artur Sviridovsky hung out a white-red-white flag outside the school. A young resident of Belorussky Ostrovets also removed the current state red-green flag from one of the offices. He was arrested a moment later. He spent over 3 months in prison. The trial took place behind closed doors.
The white-red-white flag is a historical national symbol not recognized by the current Belarusian authorities. This flag is used by opposition supporters.
The Viasna human rights center, banned by the authorities, reports that since August last year, that is, since the start of protests after the presidential elections, 4,690 criminal cases have been initiated in Belarus. At the moment, human rights defenders have granted the status of political prisoners to 805 persons.