Liabedzka finds candidate for EU visa ban list

Valery Kalinkovich, a “political killer” from the Supreme Court, may be added to the EU visa ban list.

Deputy chair of the Supreme Court Valery Kalinkovich refused to declare illegal the decisions of the district and city courts against UCP leader Anatol Liabedzka, the press service of the United Civil Party (UCP) reports.

The Savetski district court brought the UCP leader to administrative responsibility in absentia for handing out “leaflets titled 'Principled position of the United Civil Party and followers on privatisation of state property' to passers-by” on December 19, 2012. Anatol Liabedzka was not summoned for the trial.

The UCP leader applied to the city court to appeal against the decision, but the court decision was upheld. The Supreme Court upheld the decision too.

According to the reply of the Supreme Court, the Savetski district court, which fined Anatol Liabedzka on January 15, 2013 for picketing, and the Minsk city court, which upheld the decision, acted within the law.

The Supreme Court says about the claims of the UCP leader: “The arguments that you acted within the norms of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and international treaties of the Republic of Belarus and were brought to administrative responsibility on no grounds have been found invalid.”

Kalinkovich refers to the evidence by two police officers, the footage and a leaflet with information about the UCP's position towards privatisation of state property.

“The administrative sanction was imposed on you in accordance with the law, taking into consideration your actions and personality, in accordance with part 1 of article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences. There are no grounds to sustain your appeal and cancel the court decisions,” Kalinkovich wrote in reply.

“Who is Kalinkovich?” Anatol Liabedzka reacts to the decision. “Some may say he is a lawyer, perhaps with academic degrees and titles. Some may say he is a deputy chair of the Supreme Court. For me, he is just a candidate for the EU visa ban list. I am not saying it because I am in bad mood. I have to say it. How should I react to the official reply written on headed notepaper and signed by the deputy chair. The sense of the answer is that 'judges' Paulichenka, Putsila, Kamisarau and Verameichyk acted within the law when they took a decision to punish Anatol Liabedzka for handing out information fliers near the Kamarouski Market. This decision is illegal and absurd. Are there other ways to explain to the deputy chair of the Supreme Court that he is a 'political killer'and not a judge?”

On February 2, 2012, Valery Kalinkovich upheld the decision of the Partyzanski district court of Minsk against former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov.