Judicial conveyor: arrests and fines

Detained participants of July 13 silent protests stand trials in Belarus.

Viasna Human Rights Centre reports about 13 trials in Minsk. Two persons were fined 10 and 20 basic units (one basic unit is 35,000 rubles), the rest got from 3 to 10 days of administrative arrest.

Syarhei Krukouski was arrested for 8 days following a decision of the Savetski district court (judge Anhzlika Mazouka). Ales Krot was sentenced to a 15-day arrest, Illya Zinkevich got 10 days of arrests. Ivan Amelchanka will stand trial on July 15.

Andrei Tsimashenka was arrested for 5 days (the Savetski district court, judge Dzmitry Paulichenka). Alyaksandr Busel got 10 days of arrest (judge Anzhalika Mazouka), Syarhei Khilyazhau – 10 days of arrest (judge Dzmitry Paulichenka).

Pavel Khadzinski and Maksim Yuzefovich will be tried in the Tsentralny district court of Minsk. Vitaly Strui observed how detainees were guarded to the Pershamaiski police department of Minsk and got detained. Having spent the night in a police department, the guy was fined 350,000 rubles by the Pershamaiski district court.

On July 14, judge Artsimovich sentenced Dzmitry Kaptsyuh to 7 days of arrest for July 6 silent protest action in Vileika.

In the morning of July 14, the court of Salihorsk began to consider the administrative cases against participants of yesterday’s silent protests Ivan Shyla and Andrei Tychyna as well as businessman Aleh Bakht.

As a saligorsk.org correspondent reported from the courtroom, Andrei Tychyna was accused of swearing (article 17.1 - disorderly conduct). Judge Raby punished the guy with 9 days of arrest. It should be noted that the youth activist had served previous 13-day arrest for protests on June 29 and was released a day before a new detention.

Trial over Young Front member Ivan Shyla was postponed until July 15, because the activists said he needed a lawyer. The case will be considered by judge Burautsou.

Another “silent” protester, businessman Aleh Bakht, was fined 10 basic units (350,000 Belarusian rubles) by judge Yahor Barysenka. The businessman, like other detained persons, was accused of using obscene language.

Raman Vasilyeu, who was detained at the protest action yesterday, was tried today in Zhodzina. The court sentenced the guy to a 3-day arrest for violation of article 17.1 of the Administrative Code.

According to human rights activist Svyatlana Lapitskaya, a witness of the detention, Raman did not show resistance to policemen. But as human rights activists were told in a police station yesterday, he was accused of disorderly conduct (disobedience to police).

Four people detained yesterday at the protest action were left in a police station for three hours and then were released. No reports were drawn up against them.

About 100 people were detained on Wednesday, human rights activists say. Reports for violation of article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences (disorderly conduct) were drawn up against them. The detained are traditionally accused of swearing.