Kulakou’s Trial: Witnesses Have Got Amnesia, And Judge – Fine

Today, the judge fined the activist of European Belarus Leanid Kulakou $ 426.

On May 25, activist of European Belarus Leanid Kulakou’s was held at the Pervamaiski district court of Minsk. He was accused of being involved in two rallies: the “National Flag Avenue” rally on May 14 and in the constitutive meeting of the Belarusian National Congress on May 15. The police drew up two protocols on administrative violations at a time – for participating in an unsanctioned rally and disobeying lawful demands of police, the Human Rights Center Viasna reports.

Judge Dzmitry Tsykal considered the case. The witnesses, riot police officers, pleaded they could not remember anything, confused in their testimonies and chorused, that they had megaphoned the warning to clear the area, but they could not remember what Kulakou had shouted or held in his hands.

Leanid Kulakou reminded the judge of the criminal responsibility and asked:

“You are judging me for holding a white-red-white flag. And if people go to defend their country with this flag, will you judge them all, too?”

– That’s besides the point, – the judge answered and fined Kulakou 40 basic units – Br 8.4 million ($ 426).

Coordinator of the European Belarus civil campaign Maksim Viniarski, who attended the trial, told human rights activists that the administrative cases of Nina Bahinskaya (judge Sviatlana Cherapovich), Pavel Palcheuski, Yadviha Biazliudava (judge Yarmolenkau) were also considered at that court.