Mikalai Statkevich: Palchys Should Be Awarded For Protecting His People

The blogger performed the state’s function for protection of the citizens from the Russian propaganda.

The sentence to creator of the website 1863x.com, blogger Eduard Palchys will be pronounced tomorrow, on October 28, at 10 a.m. in the Minsk city court.

Assistant to Chairman of the Minsk city court Anastasia Shylviash has informed to the press-center of the Belarusian Association of Journalists that the sentence will be pronounced in public although the whole trial was held in the closed regime. Every citizen over 18 might attend the sentence pronouncing.

Leader of the Belarusian opposition Mikalai Statkevich has told Radio Racyja about his prognosis with regard to the sentence to Eduard Palchys:

- I think Eduard should not be under trial in the first place.

When Russia started its aggression against Ukraine, respectively, all federal media switched to the combat war propaganda mode. A war propaganda is not based on any moral principles. It aims at creating the image of the opponent, which must be destroyed, in the society. This is the goal of the propaganda during the war, and it has fallen on the heads of not only Russians, but also Belarusians, through the Russian television.

And when it started, the state had to protect its citizens, because we are not at war, and occupy a seemingly neutral stance. Or at least allow the broadcast of Ukrainian channels to balance, so that people would listen to the position of not just Russia, but Ukraine as well.

- Besides, it was announced that one Ukrainian TV-channel would start broadcasting in Belarus…

- However, it never happened. So, an unknown blogger Eduard Palchys started performing the state’s function of protecting Belarusians from the Russian informational aggression. If the authorities failed to do it by themselves, they could have quietly awarded the guy for what he did. Instead of that, they obeyed and did what Moscow said. This is totally wrong. I am convinced there is no incitement of national hatred in the blogger’s texts. Palchys was just protecting his people, nothing more.

- Do you agree with the people who say Palchys will be released in any case, as the authorities need no political prisoners now?

- The point is, all this is happening in Moscow’s sight. In Russia, where the Belarusian citizen was arrested, he would have been in jail long ago. They are very zealous when it comes to supporting such people. Thus, the Kremlin will closely monitor what the final verdict against Eduard Palchys will be. And the verdict could be different…

Eduard Palchys has been under investigation from January 2016. He was detained in Russia, and then extradited to Belarus. Palchys is accused of "inciting hatred" on the grounds of racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic or other social affiliation (Art. 1, Art. 130 of the Criminal Code), as well as in "the manufacture and distribution of pornographic materials" (Art. 343 of the Criminal Code).

During the trial of the blogger, the Belarusian patriots held daily actions under the walls of the Minsk city court, demanding to release Eduard Palchys.