11 March – Continuation of Trial over Organizers of European March Rally

On 11 March, at 10 a.m. the trial over the organizers of the European March rally, held on 14 October 2007, will take place at Savetski district court of Minsk. It will be already the second attempt of the judge Siarhei Barazna to hold a successful trial and read the verdict, as on 25 February the hearings were suspended because of the illness of one of the defendants.

Commenting on the upcoming trial, one of the action organizers, chairman of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka, said: ‘As a law-obedient man I am not going to play hide and seek with the court. Besides, the trial which can put the beginning to a wave of financial claims of different economic subjects to politically active citizens interests me as a lawyer. That this is a part of preparation of the power structures to 25 March is doubtless, as well as the authorities can possibly lighten the political stranglehold with the simultaneous increase of economic and financial repressions.’ 

There appears a natural question: which countermeasures can e taken in the situation when the courts will start granting the suits of different subjects of state economy? The Belarusian politicians have many times voiced their opinion about this. ‘The international organizations must decide on freezing the foreign accounts of the Belarusian subjects of economy close to the ruling clan and use these means for compensating the sums on claims against activists of parties and public organizations.’