Hrodna: Trials in absentia without opportunity to file appeals

Court in Hrodna began to use a new practice – hearing administrative cases in absentia.

Copies of court decisions are sent to defendants too late to exclude even a theoretic opportunity to appeal against verdicts.

Young Front members Ales Kirkevich and Veranika Velihor have suffered from the innovation, Viasna human rights centre reports.

Ales Kirkevich received a copy of the court decision after a trial on October 27.

The postmark shows it was sent two weeks ago, on November 11. Judge Vitaly Lyatsko held the trial in absentia and fined Kirkevich 45 basic units (1,575,000 rubles) and Velihor 25 basic units (875,000 rubles).

The court ruling reads Kirkevich and Velihor have been summoned to court two times and “attempts were made to guard them to court by force”. “Police reports say they were not guarded to court.” In real case, the activists did not received summonses to appear in court and words from the court ruling seem absurd to them.

We remind that Ales Kirkevich and Veranika Velihor were detained on the night of September 17 when they were distributing information materials ahead of the public action scheduled for September 21.