Participant of “swine riot” fined

Aliaksandr Alikhver must pay a fine of 1,300,000 Belarusian rubles.

The administrative commission of the Biaroza district executive committee reviewed the case of Aliaksandr Alikhver on November 20 and issued him a fine of 1,300,000 rubles for keeping pigs in a protective zone with a radius of 5km of two small state pig farms Sashytsa and Khoiniki.

Alikhver doesn't agree he deserves a fine. He thinks the commission takes revenge upon him for his active participation in the “swine riot”.

The conversation lasted for 20 minutes, Aliaksandr Alikhver says. Aliaksandr wasn't allowed to show the documents relating to the case. Having heard that Aliaksandr has secondary education, members of the commission said he didn't have the right to criticise their lawyer. They warned he would be punished and said they didn't want to hear about his bankruptcy. If he had obeyed the authorities, he would have get compensation, but now he has to solve the problem of his pigs alone. The time given by the authorities for slaughtering pigs has expired, Viasna human rights centre reports.

The commission members advised not to spend his time and health on the struggle. Aliaksadnr began to speak about violations of the law, but they replied they had their own laws.

Sanctions against Alikhver began with annulling his permission for farming. The local authorities decided not to kill his 200 pigs and pay high compensation, but to issue fines to him.

The first meeting of the administrative committee took place on October 23. Some faults were found in the activist's case that delayed his punishment.