Pavel Sapelka: No chances for a just verdict to Autukhovich

The lawyer of Mikalai Autukhovich states that the Supreme Court has picked up the slack of investigation and won't acquit the political prisoners.

The lawyer of Mikalai Autukhovich, Pavel Sapelka, does not hope that the court would deliver a just verdict to his client. Pavel Sapelka told about that on April 17 during the pleadings in the Supreme Court, BelaPAN informs.

As stated by Sapelka, it became clear for him "from the first days of the trial".

"Unfortunately, the court has picked up the slack of investigation and limited the side in search for proofs of their clients' innocence", - and won't exculpate the political решение окончательное и обжалованию не подлежит.jngbcrfprisoners.

"I could have written protests against the actions of the court, but I haven't done that, I didn't wage a grievance as the decision of the Supreme Court is final and cannot be appealed. A complaint in the exercise of supervisory powers is usually answered by formal replies," he added.

We remind that the Supreme Court is studying the criminal case of Mikhail Autukhovich, Uladzimir Asipenka, Alyaksandr Laryn and Mikhail Kazlou. The three former of them are charged with prepration of a terrorist attack against Deputy Taxes and Duties Minister Vasil Kamenka and a former chairman of Hrodna regional executive committee Uladzimir Sauchanka. Autukhovich and Asipenka are also changed with organsing an arson of the house of the former head of Vaukavysk police department Syarhei Katsuba in 2004. Police colonel Kazlou, a former head of the Department for Organised crime control of Hrodna region, is charged with knowning the plans of the terrorist attack and not preventing them.

On April 16 Prosecutor Eldar Safarau offered to sentence Mikalai Autukhovich to 20 years of imprisonment in a colony with a reinforced regime and seizure of property, Uladzimir Asipenka and Alyaksandr Laryn -- to 11 years in a colony with a reinforced regime; Mikhail Kazlou - to 3 years of colony with a ban to take high positions.

Laywer Sapelka has also said that during investigation of case of Autukhovich and Asipenka workers of investigation agencies made a number of actions which had element essential to the offence. The matter concerns psychological and moral pressure on witnesses with the aim to frame Autukhovcih, Sapelka explained. "These actions have formal elements of a crime," the lawyer said.

As said by him, "vaccum" had been created around Autukhovich during investigation.

"All witnesses were intemidated, the defence had no possibility to access materials of the case, complaints of the defence were not studied in substance. However, some persons gave materials of the case to a German expert Martin Finke, who visited Minsk on June 8-10, 2009, and who made a scandalous report that there were no violations of the law in the case. Materials of Finke's report are absent in the case. It means that either his conclusion had been made without studying the materials of the case, or the case was read by anyone at all who desired that except the defence," the lawyer said.

As said by him, the lawyer of witness Navumovich was threatened by "troubles" by investigator Klachko."But the lawyer didn't yield to the threats, and Navumovich hasn't defames Autukhovich or himself. He refused to give evidence to investigators," Sapelka noted.

"The state accuser stated that no violence was used against Navumovich. However placing a person in prison on groundless charges is a violence, isn't it? Besides, the state accuser says that no tortures were used against the detained. According to the international laws, cruel, inhuman humiliating, treatment is set equal to tortures. A witness Paremskaya, a lonely woman, was thrown into prison with antisanitary conditions for 10 days. She had no one to bring sanitary items to her. Isn't it a torture? A witness Ulanau, who had nothing to say in the case of Autukhovich, a sick person broken after the death of his daughter, was also placed in the remand prison for 10 days," the lawyer stated.

He indicated that during the court many witnesses of accusation confirmed facts of psychological and moral coercion on them by investigators with the aim to defame Autukhovich. "To my mind, these actions have formal elements of a crime," the lawyer said.