Businessman sentenced to 15 days of detention :: Charter'97 :: News

Today leader of the democratic movement “Haradzenski Vybar” (“Hrodna’s Choice”) Zmitse Ivanowski was sentenced to 15 days of arrest for organizing a protest in which he had not taken part. On Monday in Hrodna at Lenin Square about 60 businessmen gathered. They wanted to express their protest against mandatory introduction of cash registers at the markets of the city. 15 representatives of the organization were invited for the conversation to the city executive committee chairman, who unambiguously told that he couldn’t reverse decisions of the government. Essentially, neither protest nor conversations have succeeded. However, leader of the “Hrodna Choice” Zmitser Ivanowski was convicted, for the third time for this year.

In the court during the consideration of the case it was found out that on Friday the prosecutor’s office warned Ivanowski as the leader of the “Hrodna Choice”, for disseminated leaflets with the call to the businessmen to gather at Lenin Square. On Saturday a report was drawn up against him.

The court found that Ivanowski had not been handing out leaflets, and after the recording of the meeting was watched, it turned out that he had not taken part in the protest as well.

However, judge Vikoryja Kulakowskaya charge the leader of the Hrodna Choice with the call upon the participation in unsanctioned rally.

Zmitser Ivanowski told in the court that he was handing out other leaflets with the call not to come to Lenin Square, and showed them to the judge. However, this detail had not been taken into consideration by the court.