Mahiliou: Democratic Activists Sue Road Police

The hearings on a civil case brought on the suit of the public activists Yury Darashenka, Aliaksandr Karaliou and Aliaksei Paulouski have started at Leninski district court of Mahiliou. The activists accuse the policemen Aliaksandr Syrayezhkin, Tatsiana Martynava and Yauhen Zhylinski of insult of their honor, dignity and business reputation.

The plaintiffs demand from the road policemen public apologies, 2 million rubles as compensation of the moral harm and public reading of the court verdict to the staff of the road police.

The suit was caused by a statement of the police officers that had been voiced during a trial of the activists in April 2007. In their testimonies the policemen said that they had heard the detained activists saying: ‘When the power changes we’ll hang the police on lamp posts’.

At the present trial the policemen called the pretensions of the public activists groundless. The senior inspector Tatsiana Martynava that passage about hanging the police on lamp posts was not meant to insult the activists.

The plaintiffs disagreed with this. Predictably enough, the judge Valiantsina Lapatsina took the side of the police and found the suit groundless.