Business starts to resist
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17:10, — Politics
Organisers of demonstration of entrepreneurs, held yesterday in Minsk center, had trials today.
Leaders of the initiative “For Free Development of Enterprise” Viktar Garbachou and Viktar Kryval were sentenced to 15 days of arrest each, Viktar Kalei – to 10 days. The Court of the Central Minsk District accused them of active participation in an unauthorised event. The detained ahead of the action Alyaksandr Tsetsura and Alyaksandr Makaeu were arrested for 10 and 7 days. They were unlawfully accused of “minor hooliganism.”
Democratic activist Alyaksei Kashkarou was arrested for 15 days. The sentences were given by judges Yasimovich, Samaseika, Bychko, and Kozak.
Leader of entrepreneurs Makaeu will have another trial – in Leninski District Court at 11 a.m. on 12 December. Some days before the demonstration he was detained in the office of Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions. Leaflets to the demonstration were confiscated, and a report on “minor hooliganism” was drawn up against Makaeu. He will be guarded to the court right from the prison.
As Alyaksandr Makaeu said to the Charter’97 press center before the trial, “Entrepreneurs shouldn’t go to negotiations while people, who defend their rights, are in prison.”
It should be reminded that 1.000 entrepreneurs took to Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk yesterday. They protested against Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s decrees, which will ruin their business from 1 January. The participants of the action adopted a resolution and brought it to the House of Government.
Anatol Paulovich, Chairman of the Standing Committee for Industry, Fuel and Energy Complex, Transport, Communication and Businesses came out to speak with entrepreneurs. He offered them to meet and discuss the situation in the nearest days. He guaranteed the participants of the action wouldn’t be detained and could take part in this meeting. But after the demonstration all its organisers were detained.
“On 10 December chairman of the commission at the “house of representatives” Anatol Paulovich guaranteed there would be no repressions against action organisers, but our people were detained and sentenced. Today he is speaking about negotiations on 19 December, and denied he had given us guarantees, though I personally asked him about it. So, who will we speak with and what about? They are just deceiving us, so positive results of such meetings are hardly to be expected. Moreover, our people will still be in prisons on this day,” Alyaksandr Taustyka, one of the leaders of entrepreneurs’ movement, said to the Charter’97 press center.
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