Trial over Mahiliou activist Valadar Tsurpanau to continue today

16.01.2008 Tags: administrative prosecution, entrepreneurs, freedom of peaceful assembly

https://spring96.org./en/news/19875 2008 2008-01-16T13:10:32+0200 2008-01-16T13:10:32+0200 1970-01-01T03:00:00+0300 en The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

The trial over Mahiliou activist Valadar Tsurpanau will continue today in one of Mahiliou courts. The activist is charged with organizing entrepreneurs’ rally on January 10th.

About 500 Mahiliou residents participated in the protest action in Mahiliou on January 10th. On January 14th Tsurpanau was summoned to Lenisnki district police department of Mahiliou as a witness. However, the police immediately took the activist to court. Valadar demanded to hold the trial in Belarusian language, or an interpreter. He also wanted to be represented by a lawyer. The judge satisfied his petitions and postponed the trial to January 16th, 3.30 p.m.

The authorities continue to prosecute participants of the entrepreneurs’ protest action which was the biggest one recently. Yesterday the police detained entrepreneur Ales Taustyka near his house in Minsk. Centralny court of Minsk sentenced him to 15 days of arrest.