Belarus Updates: The Latest Charges of "Organising Riots"

Charges have been filed against Iryna Khalip, journalist and wife of detained Presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov. 

Khalip's father said Khalip was visited by her lawyer on Wednesday and Thursday. The lawyer reported that Khalip had been interrogated again and had been charged with organisation of and participation in mass riots.

Natallia Radzina, the editor of the Charter97 website, has also been charged with organisation of the protests on Election Day, 19 December, and will be detained for two months while investigations are conducted.

Radzina was arrested in Charter97's offices at 4 a.m. on 20 December.

The maximum punishment for organisation of riots is 15 years in prison.

The state security service KGB, apparently looking for photojournalist Julia Doroshkevich, have raided her apartment and detained her husband Paul Yuhnevich, an activist of "European Belarus".

Belarus Updates: Security Forces Raid Opposition Offices and Homes

1210 GMT: Viasna has updated its list of opposition candidates and prominent political detainees facing charges of "organising riots" and "hooliganism":

1. Vladimir Neklyaev  - presidential candidate
2. Andrei Sannikov - presidential candidate 
3. Ryhor Kastusiou - presidential candidate
4. Aliaksandr Atroshchankau - Press-Secretary of Sannikov's election headquarters
5. Ales Mikhalevich - presidential candidate

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