Mikhas Subach: “I don’t think I am guilty, but I don’t count on acquitting judgement”

Arguments of the parties are heard today at the trial of 14. Participants of the protest action of entrepreneurs Paval Vinahradau, Maksim Dashuk and Mikhas Subach stand trial today. Entrepreneur Mikhas Subach said in an interview to the Charter’97 press center he didn’t wait for a harsh sentence.

– Judging from the logic of the process, the maximal punishment that can be delivered is a fine. Of course, I don’t think I am guilty, but acquitting judgement is hardly possible.

– What impressions do you have of the yesterday’s process?

– In general my impressions are positive. It was pleasant that all witnesses for the prosecution, except for Padbyarozkin (deputy head of the Minsk traffic militia – note of Charter’97) said the truth that they saw us for the first time, they didn’t lie that we allegedly had used foul language and beaten people. Representatives of GUM department store and of other organisations said they had no claims to us. In my view, the process is calm, if compare it with the one in April, though it doesn’t mean the sentence will be fair.

– Mikhas, why did you come to October Square on 10 January?

– I am an individual entrepreneur, I have been carrying on my own business for some years, I had some employees, so decree 760 affected me directly.

– If you had known about such a scenario before, would you have taken to street in protest?

– I don’t regret anything. I would have come to the square again. we didn’t violate any laws, we just came to express our opinion, it is guaranteed by the Belarusian Constitution,

– Does it have any relation to the general position of the individual entrepreneurs and small business in the country?

– Certainly. It’s very hard to work in Belarus because of constant checks, innovations, laws, decrees that worsen our position. We don’t ask anybody, but create employment, pay taxes. We’d like the state help us, as it is in other countries, but they don’t allow us to work normally, put a spoke in our wheel.

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.

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.

Lawyers at the process don’t exclude the judgement can be delivered today.