Judgement on trial of 14 can be delivered today

Arguments of the parties will be heard today at the trial of 14. Participants of the protest action of entrepreneurs Paval Vinahradau, Makism Dashuk and Mikhas Subach stand trial today. Lawyers don’t exclude the sentence will be read today. Earlier 9 people were fined and put under restraint and youth leader Andrei Kim was imprisoned for two years.

During the presentation the arguments Dzmitry Lukyanau, prosecutor of the Tsentralny district of Minsk will say what punishment he wants for three accused on the case of 14.

It should be reminded that trial over Paval Vinahradau, Mikhas Subach and minor Maksim Dashuk began on 26 May. Witnesses for the prosecution were heard at the trial. Directors of GUM department store, Lasunak shop, Tsentralny supermarket and shared taxi park said they hadn’t seen the accused before and had no financial claims to them.

Traffic militia officers, except for Maksim Padbyarozkin, deputy head of the Minsk traffic militia, said they had never seen the accused before and hadn’t noticed any violations of public order by demonstrators on 10 January. Representatives of Minsktrans enterprise said public transport worked normally, and passengers hadn’t complained, Radio Svaboda reports.

14 opposition activists are involved in the case on participation in protest actions of entrepreneurs. 10 of them have been already convicted. Youth activist Andrei Kim is sentenced to one and a half year in penal colony by the Central district court of Minsk. Other participants of the trial of 14 – Alyaksei Bondar, Artsyom Dubski, Mikhal Kryvau, Mikhal Pashkevich, Ales Straltsou, Ales Charnyshou, Tatsyana Tishkevich are sentenced to correctional labour without sending them to penitentiary institutions. They must charge the state 20 per cent of their wages. Anton Koipish and Uladzimir Syarheeu are fined of 100 basic units. The judgement was read by Alena Illina.

It should be reminded that about 5 thousand entrepreneurs attended the protest action on 10 January. They blocked off Independence Avenue protesting against discriminative decrees of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.