Russia’s embassy files note of protest to Belarusian MFA

The diplomatic mission protests against 7-day arrest of Russian atomic physicist Andrei Ozharovsky.

The embassy of Russia received preliminary information about the incident on October 9. The note was filed to the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 12 to find out the details of the incident.

We remind that the court of the Astravets district of the Hrodna region accused coordinator of Ecodefence ecological group (Moscow) Andrei Ozharovsky of hooliganism and sentenced him to 7 days of arrest on October 9.

Andrei Ozharovsky was detained in the town of Astravets, where he arrived to take part in public consultations dedicated to a preliminary report on environmental impact assessment of the Belarusian nuclear plant. He was guarded to a local militia department, where he was seized 94 copies of printed materials titled “Critical Opinions on the Preliminary Report on Environmental Impact Assessment of the Belarusian Nuclear Plant”.

The coordinator of Ecodefence ecological group based in Moscow was guarded to a local militia department before beginning of the consultations. He was seized 94 copies of printed materials titled “Critical Opinions on the Preliminary Report on Environmental Impact Assessment of the Belarusian Nuclear Plant”. According to Ozharovsky, he wasn’t spreading the printed materials at the moment of detention. “I have them in a package, I planned to hand them out during the consultation,” the ecological activist told in an interview to BelaPAN. “Militia officers in mufti and a man Svirid, who introduced himself as an officer of the broad of directors of the nuclear plant, came up to me, he told me he banned me to bring critical reviews of the nuclear plant construction in the room.”

There were seven witnesses for prosecution, among them five officers of the law-enforcement agencies and two volunteers, and three witnesses for defence at the trial.

According to the court decision, the witnesses for prosecution said that during the consolation on environmental impact assessment in the concert hall in the center of Astravets, Ozharovsky “demonstrated provoking behaviour towards the people nearby and officials. He threw a package with printed materials and tried to burst into the hall, but his disruptive behaviour was stopped.” The court thinks “the public order was violated, the offender behaved in a rude manner for a long time – about 15–20 minutes.” The court didn’t doubt in “fairness and reliability” of the witnesses for prosecution.

“The intentional actions of the offender could hinder the environmental impact assessment consultation in Astravets and demonstrated disrespect for the society,” the court verdict says.

The court disputed the evidence of defence, as “the evidence were given with an aim to help the offender to avoid responsibility or mitigate the responsibility for the committed offence. The witnesses didn’t see the incident, they are friends of the offender.”

The court decided that “this person must get administrative arrest with the aim of correcting the individual and preventing him and other persons of committing new offences in the nearest time.”