The case of Zmitser Lupach was recently heard in the court of the Hlubokaye district. He was tried for a story about the monument in honor of the Komsomol.
At the end of last year, journalist Zmitser Lupacha story about a monument to Komsomol erected in Hlubokaye.
The police opened an administrative case. They interviewed two witnesses: Svyatlana Palidavets and Alena Mayorava. Only Svyatlana appeared in court, Alena did not come, citing illness.
At the beginning of the court hearing, Zmitser asked to conduct it in the Belarusian language, since it was the Day of the Native Language. The judge did not satisfy the petition, citing the fact that there are two state languages in Belarus. He did not allow to take pictures, either.
A witness, Svyatlana Palidavets, who works as a teacher, told the court that she would no longer give any interviews to journalists in order to avoid problems.
Zmitser Lupach said he did not consider himself guilty. Nevertheless, the judge Andrei Tarasevich punished the journalist with a fine of 35 basic units, which amounts to 892 rubles 50 kopecks.
This is the first trial of a journalist held in 2019. Last year, Zmitser was tried nine times.
