Entrepreneur Harbachou Fined after Justification
The court of Barysau region, which earlier acquitted Viktar Harbachou, the leader of the campaign ‘For free development of entrepreneurship’, has reopened the case on petty hooliganism charges. Thus, the court cancelled its decision, BelaPAN was informed by V.Harbachou.
‘On January 10 policemen rang at my door. My mother opened. As I was absent, they asked her to sign the summons to the court. She refused. They told that I am to appear in court on 12 January, at 4 p.m., he said.
When V.Harbachou called to the court, he was told that a decision had been taken to annul the conclusion of 8 January. Harbachov came to the trial and was fined 700 000 rubles (about 326 USD). This money has already been collected by his friends and colleagues.
In the morning of 8 January V.Harbachou was detained at a railway station in Barysau (Minsk region). There an unknown man pestered V.Harbachou and his 13-year-old son, trying to start a fight. When policemen approached the participants of the incident, he ran away.
The same day the trial over Harbachou started. He was charged with petty hooliganism under Article 17.1 of the Administrative Code. Initially the case was to be tried by the presiding judge of Barysau district court Yury Kobets. However, Kobets refused to try the defendant referring to personal acquaintance with him. That’s why the trial was held by Judge Mikalai Kananchuk. Harbachou was acquitted for absence of crime in the act.
But according to him, ‘prosecution won’t stop’. V.Harbachou couldn’t take part in the rally of marker vendors, as according to him he was ‘blocked’ by policemen who were on duty near his apartment. ‘It is obvious that they want to isolate all most active members of entrepreneurs’ movement, so that nobody of us could be present on January 21’, V.Harbachou said.
The decision to hold another protest rally of entrepreneurs who disagree with Decree #760 has been adopted at the meeting on 10 January. The meeting had more than 3 000 participants.
