The trial over activists of the civil initiative Partnerstva is to continue on Monday, July 31 at 10 a.m. in the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that by an ecologist Valery Dranchuk, a father of Partnerstva activist Tsimafei Dranchuk.
In response to charges of Belarusian side against a Latvian diplomat (second secretary of Latvian embassy in Minsk has been charged with pornography distribution), Foreign Ministry of Latvia headed by Artis Pabriks reminded that he is still waiting for explanations of the Belarusians concerning the unsanctioned search held on July 25 in the night in the apartment of the diplomat. It’s a gross violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention, NovoNews was told in the Foreign Ministry. Earlier Pabriks stated that the event in Minsk was not a search, but an attack, and not only against a diplomat, but against Latvia”.
Moscow police released the member of the Union of Right Forces Oleg Kozlovsky, detained during a protest near the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow. An activist was questioned, a report of his detention was drawn up, and he was released without any consequences. Now another detainee, a member of Yabloko party Andrei Malitsky is going through the same procedure. Interfax was informed about that by a deputy of municipal assembly of Levoberezhny district of Moscow, Natalya Shavshunova, who was released earlier.
Enira Branitskaya and Tsimafei Dranchuk have given evidence in the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk, where the trial over the leaders of an unregistered organization Partnerstva had started. Then the court made a break. Two more accused, Mikalay Asrejka and Alyaksandr Shalajka, are to give evidence after the break, the BelaPAN informs.
As the press service of the Union of Right Forces informs, riot policemen detained participants of the picket in support of members of the Belarusian civil initiative of elections observation Partnerstva. The picket was held in front of the Belarusian Embassy on Moscow (Marosejka Street, 17). Members of the URF Natalya Shavshukova, Oleg Kozlovsky, representatives of the movements Oborona, Rossijskie Radikaly Georgy Numanov and Dmitry Zlotnikov are among the detainees.
Today a trial over activists of the civil initiative Partnerstva – Alyaksandr Shalajka, Enira Branitskaya, Mikalay Astrejka and Tsimafei Dranchuk – has started in the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk. They are charged with violation of a “political” Article of the Criminal Code of Belarus “Organising or leading a public association, a religious organization that infringe on a person, rights and duties of citizens”.
“There are no grounds for making the trial over Partnerstva activists a closed one. This extreme measure is used in order to defend interests of the participants of the process. Activists of the Partnerstva are charged with a crime which is not considered a grave crime. It is ridiculous to think they might pose a threat to somebody. I think that it’s a closed trial because the authorities want to conceal the fact that in reality there hadn’t been any crime committed by them. That is why we do not have any hope that the trial would be fair. Charging people who were preparing to observe the elections looks absurd from the point of view of the law. The attempts to drag in charges of infringement of citizen’s rights to receive truthful information look very unconvincing. Such trial simply cannot be imagined in a democratic society,” a well-known human rights activist, one of the heads of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak told to the Chater’97 press center, commenting on the beginning of the trial over activists of the civil initiative of elections observation Partnerstva.
The trial of the activists of civil initiative on the election observation “Partnership” has started today in the Central district court. The trial of Tsimafei Dranchuk, Enira Branitskaya, Mikalai Astreika and Aliaksandar Shalaika is held at a closed court session. Even EU Ambassadors are not allowed in the hall. Nevertheless, father of one of the political prisoners, ecologist Valery Dranchuk deems that the actual trial of the “Partnership” activists has already been held. “In my view, the trial has already been held. A cruel and foul trial, when out children were grabbed on February 21 and have been kept in detention ever since. When they were labeled with grave crimes, when the public opinion was manipulated with TV reports about their crimes,” - Valery Dranchuk told the press center of Charter’97. The full text of the interview with the father of a political prisoner is available below.
This Thursday the representatives of the Vitsiebsk municipal organizations of the BNF Party and UCP celebrated the anniversary of the Declaration of state sovereignty adopted by the Supreme Council of the BSSR on July 27, 1990.
Family members of Alyaksandr Kazulin, who have come today to the detention center in Valadarski Street to meet with him, were told that there was no such person in the prison.
A local entrepreneur and public activist Dzyamyan Frankouski has been sentenced to two days of administrative arrest by the district court of Horki. He was punished for untimely paying of a fine of 20 basic units for distribution of the newspaper “Narodnaya Volya”. On July 26 in the morning Mr. Frankouski was taken to the court and arrested there, belngo.info reports.
As the press service of the Young Front has found out, on Independence Day, July 27, Artur Finkevich was held in a hostel all the day and not allowed to go out. When Artur wanted to go to the canteen, he was escorted by two officers, as if he was a dangerous criminal.
On July 27 an authorized meeting “For Freedom!” dedicated to the 16th anniversary of adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Belarus was to take place in Brest. However on July 25 in the evening it was informed that Brest city executive committee banned the meeting. The alleged reason was leaflets distributed in the city with the agitation against the regime “aimed at destabilization of the situation in the city and in the republic”. However, despite of the announcements on local radio and TV every hour, discouraging from attending the meeting, at 5.30 p.m. about 250 democratic activists gathered near the stadium “Budaunik”. People carried national and party flags. Volunteers of the campaign “For Freedom!” presented roses with white-red-white ribbons to women. Badges “For Freedom” were handed out.
On July 27 seven young activists were detained in Salihorsk. They were taking part in the protest on Independence Day. As the Radio Svaboda was informed by a leader of the Women’s movement of Salihorsk Larysa Nasanovich, they were painting on the pavement in front of the city executive committee trees, a sun, houses… Policemen decided that they were disturbing public order. Paval Batueu, Hleb Sandras, Ivan and Illya Shyla were among the detained.
July 27 is the 16th anniversary of adoption of the Declaration of Independence of Belarus. Belarusian students of Kastus Kalinouski scholarship programme have gathered in front of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw and congratulated representatives of the Belarusian diplomatic mission headed by Pavel Latushka.
Young activists of Mahilyou sent to the sky balloons with white-red-white ribbons in the center of the city. Policemen detained participants of the rally.
A closed trial in the case of activists of the civil initiative of elections observation “Partnerstva” has started in the Tsentral court of Minsk. Tsimafei Dranchuk, Mikalay Astrejka, Enira Branitskaya and Alyaksandr Shalajka have been taken to the court already. Ambassadors of the European countries, well-known politicians, including the leader of the democratic forces Alyaksandr Milinkevich, have arrived, however they were not allowed to enter the building of the court. Journalists cannot attend the session of the court as well. the court of Tsentralny district is cordoned off by policemen and riot policemen in uniform and in mufti.
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