On May 12th , administrative cases under Article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences – participation in an unauthorized mass event heard in Mahiliou courts. The people on trial werejJournalists and public activists. Most of them were tried for participation in a meeting with bloggers from the “Country for Life” on May 5th at Vitsebsk avenue in Mahiliou. Some of them are accused of meeting with bloggers on the same day in front of the Hippo trade center and for having gathered under Mahiliou temporary detention center after the arrest of blogger Siarhey Tsikhanouski.
The trial of human rights activist and journalist Aliaksandr Burakou started on May 11th. At the request of the deputy head of Mahiliou Regional Department of Internal Affairs Burakov took two drivers of the blogger Siarhey Tsikhanouski together with their belongings and drove them under the TDF, and then home. The human rights defender is charged with “2 minutes of active participation in an unauthorized mass event”. For this, on May 12th, judge of Leninski district court of Mahiliou Viktoryia Palyakova sentenced Mr Burakou to 10 days of arrest. Before leaving for the TDF, Aliaksandr managed to write a complaint against the judge, noting that he did not agree with the decision.
The case of Andrei Bodzileu, coordinator of the campaign “For Healthy Mahiliou”, article. 23.34 was considered by the judge Dzianis Kichyhin. Andrei has been in the TDF since May 9th, he was taken away for participation in the meeting of the motor home “Country for Life” on May 5th at Vitsebsk avenue in Mahiliou.
“I am accused of filming the meeting on the phone. I’m wondering what kind of violation it is — to record using a mobile phone. I think the authorities are afraid that people have started to express their discontent. Therefore, repressions and intimidation of people have started,” said Andrei Bodzileu under the judge’s office.
Human rights activist and blogger Aliaksandr Burakou wrote a complaint to the regional court immediately after the decision.
On May 12th, the Mahiliou court considered the case of freelance correspondent of Belapan Ales Asiptsou. He was detained for participation in a meeting with bloggers from “Countries for Life” near the Hippo trade center in Mahiliou. Ales Asiptsou was on hunger strike all three days in the detention center. At the trial, he initially refused to have a defense lawyer.
We will update the information.
On May 12th, the court heard another case for participation in the mass event — the cameraman and blogger Mikhail Arshinski. He was already given 10 days of arrest on May 11th, but was tried for the second rally.
Volha Vasilyeva/Belsat.eu
