Belarusian lawyer receives five-day sentence for contempt of court :: Charter'97 :: News

Judge of Minsk`s Kastrychnitski District Court Natallya Revutskaya has sentenced the lawyer of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [BCDTU], Uladzimir Adynets, to five days of administrative arrest in accordance with Article 166 of the Code of Administrative Offences - "Contempt of Court".

Adynets was supposed to represent the interests of a private company worker in court on 4 September. However, on the date of the court hearing the worker fell ill and was not able to come to court. He warned the judge and his representative [Adynets] of this. Adynets did not come to court either, as he was not authorized to defend the plaintiff in his absence. In connection with this, an administrative offence report was filed with reference to Adynets. The lawyer stood trial on 16 and 17 October. Adynets will serve his sentence in the remand centre in Minsk`s Akrestsin Street.

The BCDTU leader, Alyaksandr Yarashuk, who was recently found guilty under the same article [and spent 10 days in the remand centre] and was defended by Adynets, believes that the lawyer`s arrest has no legal grounds: "The arrest of the BCDTU lawyer is yet another chink in the chain of the violation of trade unions` rights," he said.