Stefanovich: It is evident that there have been order to arrest Ivashkevich (Photo)

The policemen, who are called “witnesses”, have not even been invited to the court.

Axana Ralyava, the judge of Savetski district court of Minsk, has sentenced a well-known politician Viktar Ivashkevich, to 10 days of administrative arrest. He was detained during the Freedom Day rally.

The coordinator of “European Belarus” civil campaign Viktar Ivashkevich was taken to the court of Savetski district from the pre-trial detention centre in Akrestsin Street. He was tired, not shaven. At the moment when the administrative process began, the information about the verdict to the Belarusian Christian Democracy activist Iryna Hubskaya, was already known. She was sentenced to 3 days of administrative arrest. However, hopes of Ivashkevich’s friends, who came to the court to support him, that judge Axana Ralyava would to confine herself to sentencing him to a minimal term, failed. The court found Ivashkevich guilty of hooliganism, which allegedly took the form of uttering foul words in the street, and sentenced him to 10 days of arrest, Radio Svaboda informs.

Viktar Ivashkevich did not admit guilt, and negated the testimony of witnesses, policemen Birulya and Byazlyudau, who has not appeared in court at all. Ivashkevich insisted on inviting witnesses, however the judge was satisfied by reading out their written evidence, according to which Ivashkevich not only used foul words, but allegedly ignored the remarks of policemen.

As said by witnesses for Ivashkevich, no one admonished him.

“It happened immediately. They attacked me from the back, seized and dragged me into a police car. It happened not far from the Modern Arts Gallery, at about 6.20 p.m.,” a witness said.

A witness Ada Chalej said the same. As said by the lawyer Maryna Kavaleuskaya, Viktar Ivashkevich’s guilt had not been proved:

“I find it necessary to stress that the fact of administrative violation itself had not been proved, and witnesses who were at the scene, evidenced that no facts policemen were talking about, had happened in reality. That is why I ask to free Ivashkevich from administrative liability and to terminate the proceeding in the case.”

However, judge Axana Ralyava delivered a different judgement. She found testimony of policemen trustworthy, but has not believed the testimony of witnesses for Ivashkevich.

A human rights activist Valyantsin Stefanovich noted a certain peculiarity of administrative processes of recent times against opposition activists.

“It is evident that that they had an order to detain Ivashkevich precisely. They fulfilled the order, and then started to think about the grounds on which he was to be arrested. And they decided that he used foul language allegedly. Thus, the administrative article of hooliganism is used for political grounds again. They started to use this practice at a large scale in 2006, and started to use it again now. Besides, since December 19 an interesting tendency is observed: even witnesses who are policemen are not summoned to appear before court. Ivashkevich asked to summon these witnesses, Birulya and Byazlyudau, several times. The court did not respond. This vividly shows the nature of these courts.”