Andrzej Pochobut’s trial to continue on Friday (ONLINE)

16.05. The trial will be resumed at 10.a.m. on June 17. The judge has explained the postponement by the fact that it was necessary to make the accusation more accurate. The experts who conducted a linguistic expertise of Pochobut’s statements have been interrogated toady - head of the regional ideology department Pavel Skrabkou, department press secretary Victar Zhaleznyakovich and head of the Russian philology department of Hrodna University Alyaksei Nikitsevich. Pochobut’s defence will introduce 15 witnesses on Friday. According to the lawyers, the journalist has caught cold but he is in a good mood.

14.43. The number of people near the building of the court has decreased greatly, only journalists and UPB activists are still there. There are three suspicious young men among them – they are trying to overhear the conversations. Aksana Pochobut has recognized one of them – he drove her away from the building and tried to take away her bag together with the police. The present are trying to photograph the people in plain clothes.

14.37. Aksana Pochobut (very anxious):  "The judge does not want to invite any witnesses for the defence and has not allowed Pochobut’s third lawyer to take part in the hearing, only witnesses for the prosecution are allowed. The territory of the nearby hospital is encircled to prevent people from approaching the building of the court. Yana Pochobut is celebrating her 11^th birthday near the court”. Wife Aksana and the children – Yana and 1.5-year-old Yaryk  – have not been allowed to enter the building.

14.20. Andrzej Poczobut has been delivered back to court. The present saw him being led to the building with bowed head in the backyard.

13.05. Andrzej Poczobut has got in the police car. He will probably be driven away to have dinner. The present kept shouting “Freedom!”.

A break has been announced until 2.30 p.m. Lawyer Alyaksandr Brylau has left the building but is withholding comments. He has only noted that the trial may take a few days.

13.00. A police car has approached the building. The present have approached to see who will go out.

12.30. There are about 100 people near Lenin District Court now.

11.35. Dozens of people are waiting near the court. A break is expected to be announced at 1 p.m. and Andrzej Poczobut’s lawyer will go out of the building.

11.25. Human rights activist Ales Byalyatski has noted in a live interview with Euroradio that “Pochobut’s case” is notorious in Europe. Politicians and human rights activists are worried about it. “The case is considered to be a new turn of repressions directed against the civil society in Belarus which is not directly connected with the events of December 19”, - said Ales Byalyatski.


11.10. Acting chairperson of the Union of Poles not recognized by the Belarusian authorities Anzhalika Arehva has informed Euroradio that she is still unable to leave for Lenin District Court where Andrzej Poczobut  is standing trial. She is “guarded” by a police woman. Ms.Arehva does not know anything about her husband’s whereabouts. Ihar Bantsar was detained by the police in the morning.

10.50. BAJ chairperson Zhanna Litvina has given a live interview to Euroradio and noted that “Poczobut’s hearing should be interpreted in the context of everything that has been happening to Belarusian journalists for six months”. She has reminded that the newspapers “Narodnaya Volya” and “Nasha Niva” are still in for closing down.  

"Andrzej Poczobut  is a strong-willed person… He should probably be ready for a severe sentence”, - said Litvina.

All independent journalists express solidarity with Andrzej, she noted.

10.30. The present members of the Union of Poles have started saying “Our Father” and singing songs.

10.20. Journalists of Hrodna Province TV have appeared near the building of Lenin District Court, however, they are not wearing their badges. They are making videos from afar.

10.10. Alyaksandr Milinkevich has arrived and is giving an interview to numerous journalists.

 

9.58. It has become known that Anzhalika Arehva has brought her daughter to her husband’s parents – Ihar Bantsar has been detained by the police today. A policeman has arrived there and refused to allow her to leave the house explaining it by the fact that she will be interrogated today. Anzhalika Arehva has informed Euroradio that she thinks that it has been done to prevent her from approaching the building of the court where Andrzej Poczobut is standing trial today.

 

The Polish consul has not been allowed to enter the court.

 

9.49. Poczobut’s wife Aksana and children have arrived. She wanted to enter the court “so that they would tell her that the hearing is closed”. However, the security guards have not allowed her to enter.


About 50 people have gathered near Lenin District Court.

 

9.38. More people have arrived. A group of members of the Belarusian Association of Journalists headed by their chairperson Zhanna Litvina has arrived. Andrzej Poczobut’s father Stanislaw Poczobut has also come.

There are no policemen wearing the uniform near the building except for the security guards. Men in plain clothes are present; some of them have video cameras.

 

9.25. About 20 or 25 reporters and many Polish journalists have gathered near the building of Lenin District Court in Hrodna. One of the reporters tried entering the building - he was not allowed to do it.

The trial coincided with his oldest daughter Yana's birthday - she turns 11 tomorrow. 

It will be a closed trial. Even the relatives of the accused will not be admitted. Regional public prosecutor's office demanded this. Poczobut's colleagues, members of the "Union of Poles" in Belarus and the journalist's friends will wait for the trial's results near the court building. 

Let us remind you, Poczobut was accused of slander and insult of the state leader. The general public prosecutor's office found grounds for this in his articles, published by "Gazeta Wyborcza", in Poczobut's column at the web-site "Belarusian Partisan", and in one of his posts at LiveJournal. The journalist faces up to 4 years of imprisonment.

Banners "Lukashenka, release Poczobut!" appeared at the Belarusian-Polish border in support of the arrested journalist. They can be seen at border-crossing terminals in Kuznitsa, Bobrowniki and Terespol. Automobiles with identical streamers will go around the streets in Wroclaw and Warsaw.