Dzmitry Myadzvedz sentenced to three years of personal retsraint

Myadzedz is accused of armed resistance and violence directed against several policemen. It is said that he tried to make his way through the police and was booting. It is claimed that Myadzvedz used metal rods and bottles, reports the human rights centre “Vyasna”.

10-10. The victims are in the front row – 6 members of special police troops. The trial has begun.

10-15. The court is deciding who the victim is. Everyone has agreed that the members of special police troops are the victims. Prosecutor Mazouka is making a speech. Judge Alena Rudnitskaya is interrogating Dzmitry Myadzvedz. He refutes his guilt.

10-25. Madzvedz’s evidence:

I met a business acquaintance at 10 p.m. at the railroad terminal. My son was in Serabranka with friends and I came to meet them at the bus stop in Independence Square and to go home.

We met. I saw a lot of people in the square. My son wanted to find out what was going on and to look for his friends in the crowd. I insisted on going home. Then I agreed to approach the monument to Lenin with him to find his friends.

I noticed that the door was broken but I did not see any people nearby. Then policemen with shields appeared. A fight stared. Some guy fell down and I approached to help him stand up. Then the crowed walked over me.

I heard some hits. I protected myself with my arms but was hit on the head anyway. I could not leave because there were a lot of people. I fell down.

10-30.The prosecutor asks: How did you protect yourself?

Myadzvedz explains: I covered myself with my arms to prevent the baton hits coming from all directions.

Somebody helped me get out of there. I met my son and tried to leave. But all the ways were blocked. We returned to the monument to Lenin where we were detained and made to get in the police car.

Prosecutor: Were you active?

Myadzvedz: I wasn’t, I just protected myself from hits with my arms.

Prosecutor: What were the others doing?
Myadzvedz: I could not see them because I was protecting myself from hits.

Prosecutor: Did you resist the police during the detention?

Myadzvedz: We got in the police car peacefully.

The lawyer has started asking questions to the defendant.
10-36. The victims are being interrogated. Alyaksei Sakach born in 1983, policemen of the special regiment, says he does not know the defendant.
He says that he did not see anything – his helmet became misted, he was being hit. He cannot say what objects were used to beat him. He does not remember anyone who beat him.

The next victim is being interrogated – Andrei Palavinkin born in 1983. He says he was working in the Square in plain clothes on December 19. He says that people were shouting out “mottoes” but cannot recall any of the mottoes. He says that he had a portable radio transmitter and was hit from the back. He saw a man running away when he turned back.

11-00. Palavinkin is being interrogated by the lawyer.

11-05. The next victim is a special regiment policeman– Dzmitry Lyavitski.

Lyavitski says that there are no discrepancies in his today’s and earlier evidence. He said that he received bodily injuries occasionally – somebody fell down and got under his shield. Everything was occasional. People were simply trying to leave. It happened when people were being made to get in special transport.

11- 25. The next victim, Syarhei Masalski, has informed that he was trying to divide the crowd into two parts and saw some people attacking members of special police troops with fire extinguishers.
11-35.One more policeman is being interrogated – Vital Pilipeika. He claims that he saw a man with a spade handle. People were hitting him on the shield and legs and somebody used a fire extinguisher on him. He claims that he saw the crowd throwing armature.

11-40. The last victim, Yahor Karavai, is being interrogated. He heard people shouting out mottoes and insulting policemen. I was hit on the head from the back once and I was not hit anymore,- he says. I went to the doctor - I had a haematoma.

11-50. The victims have left the court room. However, three new victims have been invited.

11-58. Alyaksei Kashtalan, deputy commander of the special regiment is being interrogated. He says that people were aggressive and broke the panes in the House of the Government. He saw some people using fire extinguishers and hitting policemen with spade handles and fishing poles. The lawyer has asked if he knows the defendants and the policeman has confessed that he doesn’t.

12-05. Ruslan Volkau is being interrogated. He has explained that he could hear noise and people breaking panes. He was hit on the leg but does not remember anyone and does not know the defendant.

12-10. Yuryi Dzemіdovіch is the third victim. He saw the crowd with flags and could hear people breaking panes. Stocks and trash were thrown at us. We were hit on the legs. I felt like people were going to start a massacre. I had fat lips because by helmet’s visor was broken, informs “Vyasna”.


12-25. The victims have left. A representative of the state prosecution, Lepesh, is being interrogated. He says that windows and the door were broken. The damages were 14 million 48 thousand 150 rubels. The damages were paid on February 21. That is why the state prosecution is not going to demand a compensation, informs “NN”.


12.33 Rest.
14-11. The last five victims appear. They are the same people who testified against Breus and Gaponov.
The judge has not asked them to show their IDs and has not asked them about their education.

Bulavatski, born in 1984.

“We had been patrolling the Palace of the Republic since 2 p.m. I do not know what was going on in the square – we were in the car. The crowd headed for the House of the Government. People were hitting and booting us on the shields. The crowd were aggressive and were throwing plastic bottles at us.”

«We were ordered to divide the crowd in two and we made the most aggressive people get in police vans. They resisted and tore off my helmet, they punched me”.

He cannot recall the man who punched him. But he remembers some of “the aggressive people”.

14-31. Dzmіtry Skarahod , born in 1975.

The evidence is almost the same. He got to know about the events with the help of a portable radio transmitter, and then the team headed for Hertsen Street. Then the pogrom started – people were breaking panes in the House of the Government.

Kudravets, born in 1979. Claims it is the first time he has met Myadzvedz.

He describes the same things – bad language, policemen being dragged by their uniform. He was beaten with a stick and a metal rod. Injections were given to him in the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ hospital. He does not remember who hit him.

He repeats that he has never seen Myadzvedz before.

Zіnkevіch, born in 1975.
He says that people threw ice and wooden handles at him. He mentioned a fire extinguisher too. He felt bad and went to the ambulance nearby where he received first aid.

He cannot describe Myadzvedz’s actions.

14-43. Komar, born in 1970. He saw the aggressive crowd. Somebody hit him on the top of the head from the back and his helmet was half torn off.

He did not see Myadzvedz.

14-47. All the 15 members of special police troops have been interrogated. The interrogation is over.

Witnesses are being interrogated. Witness Aleh Dudarchyk born in 1975 is being interrogated. He detained Madzvedz in the square.

He says that Myadzvedz actively participated in the action. The popele were leaving the House of the Government. He did not resit the detention but kept shouting out anti-state mottoes. There was no physical resistance.

15-00. Hrysenka is the next witness. He saw the defendant. Myadzvedz was among the encircled people and he got in the police van on his own.

Myadzvedz has asked where he was detained. The witness says that lots of people were detained near the House of the Government. He has not specified anything else.

15-16. The judge is enumerating the objects found in the square. Madzvedz’s flat was searched on December 30.

No suspicion objects were found during the search.

15-32. Questions to the defendant.

Photos of the City Executive Committee taken from near the House of the Government were found in his cell phone.

Myadzvedz: I could not see anything when I approached the monument, I just took a few pictures without any purpose.

Prosecutor: You arrived in the square at 10 p.m. but the first phone call was made at 20.42. No phone calls were made after that.

The lawyer has presented the petition of his work group and a testimonial. The second petition: his wife has taken a maternity leave and a credit in “Priorbank”. His colleges have given a very good testimonial. They have noted that if Myadzvedz is jailed, numerous companies will refuse to sign contracts with them.

15:42. Video from the square has been demonstrated.

The video was muted, the sound was turned on later but it was impossible to comprehend anything.

The video stopped and Lukashenka appeared on the screen. The audience laughed.

Madzvedz saw himself in the video – he was trying to protect his face with his arms there.

15:55. The positions of the two sides are announced.

The prosecutor says that the defendant has not pled guilty but his guilt has been proved with the help of the evidence (presented by the interrogated victims).

Myadzvedz is accused of participation in an unauthorized action. He is accused of a preliminary agreement and it does not matter that the victims have not recognized him.

The fact that the defendant was trying to protect himself is not true because policemen hit him only once and it was done for defence.

Prosecutor: The defendant had a chance to leave the square but he did not use the opportunity that is why the crime has been proved. The aggravating circumstance: the agreement was malicious. The prosecutor demands (taking the petitions into account) to jail him for 4 years in a top-security prison.

Lawyer: The third accusation has been pronounced today.

The preliminary agreement mentioned by the prosecutor as an aggravating circumstance was not mentioned during the last hearing on March 1. The accusation cannot be proved. Furthermore, most of the accusations are wishful thinking.

"Armed resistance" – weapons are needed for it. According to the law, sticks and spades are not weapons.

That is why there was no armed resistance.

Wasting of doors and windows – at first it was said that there were “damages”. Then the word was changed to “wasting”.

No repairs can be conducted after wasting.

He cannot be punished for presence only. Every person has to be responsible for their own actions. The investigators are unable to find out who injured the policemen; a preliminary investigation has to be conducted.

Speaking about the assault of the House of the Government, it is necessary to use article 292.

16:25. Myadzvedz – last plea:

I would like to say that when I was in the situation, there was no aggression. The video shows that I was warding off – but I was hit on the head twice and there was one bruise. I was arrested near the monument when I wanted to get away from that nightmare. It was impossible to leave and I headed for the car.

Speaking about the damages – I cannot be responsible for the people who broke panes when I was 20 metres away from the threshold.. I am a peaceful person and I had great plans - new construction technologies and creation of cheap accommodation. I cooperated with one of the best known Russian architects. I wanted to use his techniques.

The accident was a nightmare.

The court has taken a break to discuss the sentence.

The sentence will be pronounced at 6.30 p.m.

Photo by: Nasha Niva