None of the accused pleads guilty
(The material is being updated)
The trial of 10 participants of January street manifestations is taking place in Minsk Central District Court today. None of the accused wants to plead guilty. Witnesses are being interrogated at the moment.
15.58: Witness claims that Kim used his right hand but the accused is a lefthander
The interrogation of witnesses continues in Minsk Central District Court. Two witnesses who had been dressed in plain cloths in the crowd of demonstrators said that they “had been accompanying” Kim from Kastrychnistkaya Square. They thought he was “doing some coordinating actions”. One of them said he saw Kim beat a policeman with his right fist. However, Andrei Kim is a lefthander.
15.29: Kim was holding … a gramophone in his hands during the action
A witness said that Kim was holding … a gramophone in his hands during the street action. The statement made everyone chuckle. An admonition to Mihail Pashkevich and Tatstsyana Tsichkevich was added to the protocol because of that, reports Radio Liberty.
14.41: Andrei Kim is giving evidence
Andrei Kim has started giving evidence after a break. The guy said he had seen Sychou (the victim) for the first time in the police office. He also added that he had not beaten anyone. In his turn, Sychou has claimed that Kim hit him in the face once when young people were trying to break through the line of driving inspectors not far from the State Supermarket. Andrei Kim refutes it, informs “Nasha Niva”.
12.53: Half of the accused refuse to give evidence
Half of the accused refuse to give evidence referring to their constitutional rights. The others do not want to plead guilty and say that the police and the city authorities are responsible for the events that took place in January.
12.06: Special police troops force the support group back from the building of Central District Court
Special police troops have forced the support group back from the building of Minsk Central District Court and made the people head for Trastsyanetskaya Street.
Meanwhile, none of the defendants has pled guilty. They are accused according to the evidence of witnesses, photos and videos, reports “Nasha Niva”.
11.21: The accused made an appeal concerning the Belarusian language
This is what a human rights defender Alena Tankachova told ERB:
"The accused sent an appeal for the hearing to be conducted in Belarusian and asked for an interpreter from Russian into Belarusian if the legal proceedings could not be performed in Belarusian. They are standing firm. Obviously they know they are right.
Unfortunately, Andrei Kіm is locked in the dock… Looking at his confident behavior we can guess that he is going to go through the hearing calmly and efficiently".
However, “Nasha Niva” reports that the appeal for an interpreter and legal proceedings in Belarusian has been declined because “it was aimed at delaying the hearing”.
10:28: The trial of 10 participants of January street manifestations has started in Minsk Central District Court today.
About 70 people including representatives of Embassies, journalists and human rights defenders are in the court room.
Interestingly, some people involved in the case were not allowed to enter the court room, reports “Nasha Niva”. The thing is they were wearing white shirts with inscriptions “I love Belarus” at the front and “Freedom of meetings, street manifestations, demonstrations and pickets is guaranteed by the state. Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus” on their backs. They were demanded to take off those shirts and were allowed to enter only after that.
Representatives of the OSCE, Embassies of the USA, Czechia and France, famous democratic activists Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Pavel Sevyarynets, Alyaksandr Makayeu, Anatol, Shumchnaka, Mikola Statkevich, Lyavon Barshcheuski, Ales Byalyatski and others have come to attend the trial.
09:04: 10 Participants of January protest actions to stand trial in Minsk today
10 participants of a street protest action that took place in Minsk on January 10 will stand trial in Central District Court of Minsk today.
Andrei Kim, Mihail Pashkevich, Alyaksei Bondar, Uladzіmіr Syarheeu, Artsem Dubskі, Ales Straltsou, Andrei Charnyshou, Anton Koipіsh, Mіhaіl Kryvau and Tatstsyana Tsіshkevіch will find themselves in the prisoner’s box. Kim will be locked in the dock while the others will be sitting in the court room.
Alyaksandr Berazenka, Pavel Vinahradau, Mihal Subahc and Maxim Dashuk (a minor) will not stand trial today. They have not managed to read the case papers in time so their hearing has been postponed. The date of their trial has not been announced yet.
Andrei Kim will stand trial according to two articles of the Criminal Code – besides the entrepreneurs’ action, he is accused of having beaten a driving inspector during the meeting that took place on January 21. He may be imprisoned for 6 years only according to the second article. Kim has been kept in the confinement cell in Valadarski Street since January 31.
Judge Illyina decided to unite both cases against the youth activist because the prosecuting official had requested it, reminds “Nasha Niva”.
The trial of 10 participants of January street manifestations is taking place in Minsk Central District Court today. None of the accused wants to plead guilty. Witnesses are being interrogated at the moment.
15.58: Witness claims that Kim used his right hand but the accused is a lefthander
The interrogation of witnesses continues in Minsk Central District Court. Two witnesses who had been dressed in plain cloths in the crowd of demonstrators said that they “had been accompanying” Kim from Kastrychnistkaya Square. They thought he was “doing some coordinating actions”. One of them said he saw Kim beat a policeman with his right fist. However, Andrei Kim is a lefthander.
15.29: Kim was holding … a gramophone in his hands during the action
A witness said that Kim was holding … a gramophone in his hands during the street action. The statement made everyone chuckle. An admonition to Mihail Pashkevich and Tatstsyana Tsichkevich was added to the protocol because of that, reports Radio Liberty.
14.41: Andrei Kim is giving evidence
Andrei Kim has started giving evidence after a break. The guy said he had seen Sychou (the victim) for the first time in the police office. He also added that he had not beaten anyone. In his turn, Sychou has claimed that Kim hit him in the face once when young people were trying to break through the line of driving inspectors not far from the State Supermarket. Andrei Kim refutes it, informs “Nasha Niva”.
12.53: Half of the accused refuse to give evidence
Half of the accused refuse to give evidence referring to their constitutional rights. The others do not want to plead guilty and say that the police and the city authorities are responsible for the events that took place in January.
12.06: Special police troops force the support group back from the building of Central District Court
Special police troops have forced the support group back from the building of Minsk Central District Court and made the people head for Trastsyanetskaya Street.
Meanwhile, none of the defendants has pled guilty. They are accused according to the evidence of witnesses, photos and videos, reports “Nasha Niva”.
11.21: The accused made an appeal concerning the Belarusian language
This is what a human rights defender Alena Tankachova told ERB:
"The accused sent an appeal for the hearing to be conducted in Belarusian and asked for an interpreter from Russian into Belarusian if the legal proceedings could not be performed in Belarusian. They are standing firm. Obviously they know they are right.
Unfortunately, Andrei Kіm is locked in the dock… Looking at his confident behavior we can guess that he is going to go through the hearing calmly and efficiently".
However, “Nasha Niva” reports that the appeal for an interpreter and legal proceedings in Belarusian has been declined because “it was aimed at delaying the hearing”.
10:28: The trial of 10 participants of January street manifestations has started in Minsk Central District Court today.
About 70 people including representatives of Embassies, journalists and human rights defenders are in the court room.
Interestingly, some people involved in the case were not allowed to enter the court room, reports “Nasha Niva”. The thing is they were wearing white shirts with inscriptions “I love Belarus” at the front and “Freedom of meetings, street manifestations, demonstrations and pickets is guaranteed by the state. Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus” on their backs. They were demanded to take off those shirts and were allowed to enter only after that.
Representatives of the OSCE, Embassies of the USA, Czechia and France, famous democratic activists Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Pavel Sevyarynets, Alyaksandr Makayeu, Anatol, Shumchnaka, Mikola Statkevich, Lyavon Barshcheuski, Ales Byalyatski and others have come to attend the trial.
09:04: 10 Participants of January protest actions to stand trial in Minsk today
10 participants of a street protest action that took place in Minsk on January 10 will stand trial in Central District Court of Minsk today.
Andrei Kim, Mihail Pashkevich, Alyaksei Bondar, Uladzіmіr Syarheeu, Artsem Dubskі, Ales Straltsou, Andrei Charnyshou, Anton Koipіsh, Mіhaіl Kryvau and Tatstsyana Tsіshkevіch will find themselves in the prisoner’s box. Kim will be locked in the dock while the others will be sitting in the court room.
Alyaksandr Berazenka, Pavel Vinahradau, Mihal Subahc and Maxim Dashuk (a minor) will not stand trial today. They have not managed to read the case papers in time so their hearing has been postponed. The date of their trial has not been announced yet.
Andrei Kim will stand trial according to two articles of the Criminal Code – besides the entrepreneurs’ action, he is accused of having beaten a driving inspector during the meeting that took place on January 21. He may be imprisoned for 6 years only according to the second article. Kim has been kept in the confinement cell in Valadarski Street since January 31.
Judge Illyina decided to unite both cases against the youth activist because the prosecuting official had requested it, reminds “Nasha Niva”.
