Defender Of Kurapaty From Vitsebsk Decided To Boycott Court Decisions

Administrative proceedings to collect a fine for the defense of Kurapaty have been initiated against Mikalai Kachurets.

On September 18, the Compulsory Enforcement Department of Pershamaiski District of Vitsebsk initiated administrative proceedings against Vitsebsk activist Mikalai Kachurets in order to recover an administrative fine of 24.50 rubles from him in favor of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, Vitsebsk Viasna reports.

Mikalai Kachurets received a copy of the decree on initiating administrative proceedings only on October 2.

Mikalai says that until this day he knew neither about the fine, nor about the executive proceedings against him that had begun two weeks earlier. He believes that he was fined 24.50 rubles for his participation in the Kurapaty watch on July 6, when traffic policemen drew up a report against him.

“Most likely, this is a fine for an alleged violation of traffic rules. But I don’t intend to pay it, I will not do it, because I didn’t violate anything,” – Mikalai Kachurets says.

On the same day (October 2), the activist received a letter from the Barauliany executive committee. The activist was informed that they had “received materials against him on an administrative offense under Article 15:24 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus“ (violation of the rules for the use of forest land). As such, they demanded from him to visit the village executive committee “without fail” on October 1 and give explanations.

Article 15:24 of the Code on Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus provides for a fine of 4 – 20 basic units.

“The materials on an administrative offense” under this article appeared during the Kurapaty watch on July 6, when Mikalai Kachurets, along with other activists, installed large crosses in Kurapaty. Mikalai recalls that the police took down his personal data then.

Obviously, he did not give any explanations in Barauliany on October 1.

We also remind that recently, the chairman of the Vitsebsk regional court overturned the decision on punishing Mikalai Kachurets for his single picket on Freedom Day. On the 100th anniversary of the Belarusian People’s Republic, the Vitsebsk resident held a picket with a white-red-white flag near the monument to Alherd in Vitsebsk. He was detained, spent a night in the temporary detention facility and was fined 735 rubles by the Kastrychnitski district court.