Vasily Pafiankou: It's mockery of trial (Video)

The authorities don't want the people standing for the truth, Belarus and its people to be at liberty.

Former political prisoner Vasily Parfiankou was found guilty of violating the rules of preventive supervision (article 421 of the Criminal Code of Belarus) and sentenced to a year in a maximum security correctional facility and compulsory treatment of alcohol addiction. The court decision was delivered on December 5 by Leanid Yarmolenkau, a judge of Minsk's Pershamaiski district.

Vasily Parfiankou gave an interview to BelaPAN news agency before the verdict was pronounced:

“It is a mockery of trial. Our country doesn't have an independent judicial system. The court decision wasn't made in this building. They emphasise that I am an alcoholic and receive treatment in the so called medical and labour centre. But the case doesn't contain results of a test saying how many permilles of alcohol I had when I was committing the offences 'under the influence of alcohol', as the report says.

The lawyer explained contradictions in the evidence of policemen and paid attention to absence of results of medical tests.”

Vasily says he has no hopes for the future, but he has no fear, because he got used that the authorities don't want the people struggling for the truth, Belarus and its people to remain at liberty. “They try to isolate me from society to reduce the number of active people. The same happened to Uladzimir Yaromenak, who was sentenced to imprisonment,” the activist noted.

Parfiankou was taken into custody in the courtroom.