Trial over Yury Zyankovich Rescheduled for May 17 :: Charter'97 :: News

A trial over the member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Yury Zyankovich has been rescheduled for May 17 at 5 p.m. The Charter’97 press-center has been informed by a human rights activist Uladzimir Labkovich. The trial over the politician’s case has been postponed on appeal of the lawyer, Alyaksandr Halieu, who hasn’t been able to attend the court of Savetski district of Minsk today. Zyankevich’s case is to be considered by Judge Axana Relyava, who had been blacklisted by the EU for delivering politically motivated verdicts.

One of the organizers of the rally the Path of Chernobyl-2007 (Charnobylski Shlyakh), a member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Yury Zyankovich, was detained in Minsk on May 16. A report was drawn up against him for violation of the Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code (“Violation of public order during mass rallies”).

“The report has been drawn up basing on evidence of traffic policemen who state that “the Path of Chernobyl” column of protesters when moving from Yakub Kolas Street along Surhanau Street stepped on traffic area and interfered with the traffic,” Yury Zyankovich said.

Yury Zyankovich is charged with the fact that demonstrators had to march on traffic area on April 26 while moving along Surhanau Street where construction works were taking place. Actions of policemen are totally illegal. March of 10,000 people on sidewalks of Surhanau Street was unsafe and dangerous for life and of the Charnobylski Shlyakh demonstrators. “I explained policemen of Savetski police department that I asked protesters to walk on sidewalks. Besides, my complaint against the ruling of Minsk city executive committee for changing the route of the protest march the Path of Chernobyl-2007 still stays in Minsk city court.
Moreover, sidewalks of Surhanau Street were under repair, it was dangerous for people’s health and even life to march there, and demonstrators had to walk on traffic area.