Trial over political prisoner Barazenka: spontaneous protests and regime’s provocatipons (Photo, video)

A trial over political prisoner Alyaksandr Barazenka started in the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk on December 8.

Most politicians and human rights activists were not allowed to enter the court room. The room was filled by students of the Belarusian Agrarian Technical University, who were taken to the court compulsory.

Leaders and activists of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Andrei Sannikov, Zmitser Bandarenka, Zmitser Barodka, Pavel Yukhnevich, Yauhen Afnagel, a deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Viktar Ivashkevich and Vintsuk Vyachorka, the leader of “For Freedom” movement Alyaksandr Milinkevich, the chairman of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka and others came to the trial. Many human rights activists and journalists, foreign embassies representatives and accused in the Process of Fourteen came there too.

However, just a few persons managed to enter the court building. Riot policemen let BATU students enter the court. It is not clear why it had been decided to pack the courtroom. There was a professor with the students; he didn’t allow journalists to talk to them.

The professor who brought the group of students to the court, snatched a camera from the hands of radio Svaboda reporter and hindered work of mass media in all possible ways. “The camera should be seized from him, and the footage deleted. If it would appear on the web, there will be a great scandal!” he explained to a policeman.

In the courtroom Alyaksandr Barazenka was placed to a cage, as is he was a dangerous criminal. The oppositionist applied for releasing him from the cage, however judge Natalya Vajtsekhovich denied the motion.

Barazenka denied guilt and declined to give evidence.

Witnesses against the defendant testified. Their testimony was conflicting. As “Nasha Niva” informed from the court room, deputy top office of Minsk traffic police Padbyarozkin stated that participants of the protest rally of entrepreneurs allegedly had anti-state symbols and banners, and also used foul speech. But he didn’t recognize Alyaksandar Barazenka.

Traffic policeman Dzeravyanka almost didn’t answer to questions, saying he remembers nothing.

The director of the shop “Lasunak” situated near the State department store, Mrs Filipenkava, said that on December 10 the benefits of the shop was less then usual, but she personally didn’t see the meeting and the demonstration.

Meanwhile, several dozens of young activists gathered near the court. They were holding a big banner “Freedom to Barazenka!”, a white-red-white flag and portraits of the prisoner of conscience. They shouted “Long live Belarus!”, “Freedom to Barazenka!”

The solidarity action near the court lasted for more than three hours. Slogans “Long live Belarus!”, “freedom!” were heard not only in the court room, but in the whole quarter. Near the court building oppositionists made a firework to show support to Barazenka.

At 5 p.m. the trial finished. It is to continue tomorrow at 9.30 a.m.

As Radio Svaboda informed, when leaving the court, A. Barazenka’s mother asked the leader of the student’s group who occupied the whole court room, “whether he has conscience”. As an answer, he pushed the women to shoulders forcefully. After the blow the woman fell into the arms of her husband. Seeing indignation of people, the professor ran to policemen complaining, but they refused to step in. Then the policeman started to utter threats to journalists and called the mother of the political prisoner “mean thing”.

However, Alena Barazenka says that she hoped for a just verdict, at least for a fine, though there is little hope for that. “Then other activists should be acquitted,” he notes reasonably. By his letters it is clear that Alyaksandr carries himself well, Alena says. He makes jokes. “He wrote he has changed three cells. He jokes that he cannot get used to fellow cellmates. He gets used to one of them, and then he is transferred to others. But he writes that it’s impossible to break him down no matter how hard they try,” Alena Barazenka said.

An activist of the “European Belarus” civil campaign Alyaksandr Barazenka was arrested on October 27 in a building of the Investigative Committee of Preliminary Investigation of the city police department of the Minsk city executive committee, where he had been called in for questioning. The oppositionist is one of the figures of the Process of Fourteen, a criminal case, instigated on article 342 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus against participants of a peaceful rally of entrepreneurs, held in Minsk on January 10, 2008. It is remarkable that he was arrested just after the European Union lifted sanctions against high-ranking Belarusian officials.

Photo by Radio Svaboda

BATU studets taken to court were hidding faces from cameras