Young Political Activists In Belarus Threatened With Draft

Leading activists from Belarus's unregistered Young Front organization have been officially warned that they might be drafted into the armed services.

Zmitr Hvedaruk and Paul Kuriyanovich tell RFE/RL's Belarus Service that on December 30 and December 31 they were forcibly brought by Minsk city police to the Military Commission Center, where they were issued the draft warning.

Both activists are university students.

Belarusian law allows young people to finish their studies before beginning mandatory military service.

Hvedaruk and Kuriyanovich say the warning is politically motivated and an effort to intimidate them into stopping their opposition activities.