Blogger Piatrukhin Fined For Addressing Police Officer "In Importunate Manner"

Piatrukhin intends to bring the policeman to criminal responsibility for abuse of power.

Judge of Leninski District Court of Brest Aliaksandr Semianchuk decided to fine blogger Siarhei Piatrukhin 30 basic units (Br765) for violation of the article on "petty hooliganism" (17.1 of the Administrative Code), the Viasna Human Rights Center writes.

The reason for drawing up the report was the alleged insult of the deputy head of Leninski district police department of Brest Mikalai Samasiuk. At the trial, Samasiuk explained what exactly he was insulted with. It turned out that the blogger asked Samasiuk, who was on duty at the time, to file a complaint about an administrative offense. Mikalai Samasiuk considered such behavior of Piatrukhin unacceptable and called the riot police.

Siarhei Piatrukhin, in turn, said at the trial that Samasiuk, taking advantage of his official position, had been using administrative resources for personal use. Therefore, Piatrukhin intends to bring the policeman to criminal responsibility for abuse of power.

As a result, Judge Aliaksandr Semianchuk sided with Siarhei Samasiuk and found Piatrukhin guilty of committing an administrative offense.

Siarhei Piatrukhin was detained during the march on Sunday, June 2. At the intersection of Savetskaya Street and Mayakovsky Street, two people in camouflage pushed him into a car and took him away in an unknown direction. Mikalai Samasiuk, acting head of the Leninski district police department of Brest, was present during the kidnapping. Later, the blogger managed to inform that a protocol under Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences (petty hooliganism) had been drawn up against him. The next day, Piatrukhin filed a petition in court requesting the opportunity to get acquainted with the case file and sign a contract with his lawyer. Judge Semianchuk satisfied the request and the court was postponed until June 10.