Journalist Uladzimir Laptsevich appeals judge's actions
On 19 April Uladzimir Laptsevich, a
journalist with the BelaPAN information agency, lodged a claim with the
Chair of the main justice department of the Mahiliou Region Executive
Committee, Aliaksandr Maimusau. He appeals actions of a judge of the Leninski
District Court of Mahiliou Lanchava and an answer of the Chair of the court,
Kuzhaleva, to him.
Mr. Laptsevich demands to punish Judge Lanchava for violating the terms of
executing the court case against him and provoking a scandal in connection with
his demand to familiarize with the case.
The matter is that on 28 March the journalist had been sentenced to 7 days of
arrest. At 5 p.m. on 1 April he was released from jail. This was the last day
when he could appeal the court verdict. That's why the activist immediately
went to court to familiarize with the case and was there at about 5.30 p.m.
However, there he was told that the case materials hadn't been numbered and
filed yet and the report hadn't been signed.
According to Uladzimir, the judge proposed him to familiarize with these
materials. However, he reminded her that according to Article 11.8, part 3 of
the Process-Executive Code of Administrative Offenses the case was to have been
completed within three days after the announcement of the verdict. The judge
told him to wait for the finalization of the case. Then, at 5.45 she demanded
that he wrote a statement for familiarization with the case, which he did
immediately.
At 5.55 he insistently asked to be familiarized with the case, but the judge
stated that the office ours were coming to an end. She presented him the
finalized case materials only after a row. However, the inventory of the case
materials was absent.
As a result, the activist filed a complaint with the
Chair of the Leninski District Court. The official answered that the case
materials had been presented to him.
“I didn't complain about the failure to present the case to me. The essence of
my complaint was that the case was given to me only after a scandal, and that
the terms for the case execution were violated,” commented Uladzimir
Laptsevich. “The judge artificially protracted the time not to give me a chance
for appealing against the court verdict in the due term. As a result, I started
familiarizing with the case and taking photos of it only at 6 p.m., after the
end of the working hours at courts.”
Human Rights Chronicle
