Court dismissed appeal of European March organisers

Civil cases judgeship of the Minsk city court dismissed a cassation appeal of the applicants for the European March.

Judge Inna Yablakava took the chair. She left unchanged the decision of judge of the Soviet district of Minsk Alena Murantsova. According to the decision, organisers of the European March, held in Minsk on 14 October last year, must pay 1,400,000 rubles (660 dollars) to Minskzelenstroi. It was the sum the suitor appraised “damage to the property of a legal entity”.

Material claims in suit were explained in this way: “15 October 2007, having come to work, workers of Minskzelenstroi Tsentr department found out that after the mass rally loan of 300 sq meters was damaged (trampled down) near Independence Avenue , a tree (linden) near the Svislach river – 1 item, bushes (spirea) on the district from Yakub Kolas square to Kalinin square – 27 items. An act of damage was drawn up.”

As it was already informed, the court of the Soviet district sustained claims of state-run road maintenance firm “Gorremavodor” of Minsk city executive committee. Judges Syarhei Barazna and Maryna Fyodarava required the applicants for the European March to pay more than 3,000 dollars. Taking into account Minskzelenstroi suit, a total sum of fines amounts to about 4,000 dollars.

Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the United Civil Party, told to the website ucpb.org he was going to “bring the situation to a logical conclusion” – to appeal to the Supreme Court of Belarus, then to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva. He counts to “enforce judges, who took consciously unlawful decisions, to pay for unlawful material suits”. “Only then the judicial system will become clear and judges will observe laws,” he said.

It should be reminded that defendants of the suit are Viktar Ivashkevich, Vintsuk Vyachorka, Yauhen Afnahel, Anatol Lyabedzka, Alyaksandr Milinkevich and Zmitser Khvedaruk.