Arrests and big fines for actions on Day of Native Language

Participants of a street action dedicated to the Day of Native Language, stood trials in the Tsentralny district court of Homel.

It should be reminded that on February 21, members of the organizing committee on creation of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party and other public activists tried to hold a flash mob. They appeared on a main street with posters on their chests “Native Language” crossed with a stamp “forbidden”. The participants of the action had red-green bands on their mouths. The activists were going to draw public attention to problems of the native language.

Seven participants of the action and two independent journalists – Aleh Razhkou and Dzmitry Karamzin – were detained by people in mufti and guarded to the Tsentralny district militia department of Homel.

Judge of the Tsentralny district court of Homel Alena Tsalkova found Alyaksandr Vyartseika guilty in violation of article 23.34 (violation of order of holding of a mass event), he was fined 20 basic units (700,000 rubles). A. Vyartseika explained he hadn’t taken part in the action, but was passing by.

Judge Maryna Domnenka accepted a motion of journalists Aleh Razhkou and Dzmitry Karamzin on participation of a lawyer in the trial. They were going to make a contract with the lawyer and asked to postpone the trial till February 24.

Maria Tulzhankova, detained on February 21, filed a petition on conducting the process in Belarusian or participation of an interpreter in the process. “By laying flowers to the monument to Kiryla Turauski we wanted to draw attention to problems of the Belarusian language. Going by the fact that even a judge can’t speak the state language, this problem really exists,” M. Tulzhankova said at the trial.

Deputy dean of the Philological Faculty of Homel State University Alena Paluyan was invited for the trial as an interpreter.

M. Tulzhankova said at the trial she and her friends had decided to mark the Day of Native Languages and lay flowers to the monument to Kiryla Turauski, but had been detained by people in mufti and guarded to a militia department. The girl got a fine of 50 basic units (1,750,000 rubles) for participation in the unauthorized event. The same measure of punishment was used against Vasil Takarenka.

Youth activist Kanstantsin Zhukouski was sentenced to 7 days of arrest for participation in the picket. He said at the trial that he had been inspired to take part in the street action with reports on the Belarusian television, telling about the day of Native Language on February 21.

“I watched TV and thought I should mark this day, so I decided to lay flowers to the monument of Kiryla Turauski. I took my red-green handkerchief, which I usually use for its intended purpose, and put it on my mouth in order not to infect passers-by or not to infect myself with a flue, and walked with flowers to the monument. But I was detained by people in mufti and got in a bus. I thought they wanted to give me a lift to the monument, because it was cold, I thought the authorities had already liberalized and drop oppositionists. But I was taken to the militia department instead,” the activist told about his detention.

At the trial, K. Zhukouski filed petitions for returning of his red-green handkerchief, confiscated by militia, for intended use and for feeding him before guarding to the detention center. “According to human rights, every person has a right for health, and you violate this right, I haven’t eaten anything for the whole day in the court,” the activist stressed.