Trial of Ales Bialiatski, day 2 (updated)
The trial of the
Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, vice-President of the
International Federation for Human Rights Ales Bialiatski continues at the
Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk.
During the first day of the trial the prosecutor read the accusation. The court
started questioning Bialiatski. Today the court will question witnesses,
including friends and relatives of Ales Bialiatski.
The trial is led by Judge Siarhei Bandarenka, with participation of prosecutor
Saikouski and counsel Zmitser Layeuski.
***
The lawyer asks to attach the charter of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” to
the case. The judge granted the motion. The counsel prepared print-outs from
the websites of the organizations which are mentioned in the bank information.
The print-outs tell about activities of these organizations. Russian
translations are attached. The judge attached these materials to the case. The
counsel also brought to the trial a book in Swedish. The book includes an essay
by Bialiatski, the honorarium for which was transferred to his bank account and
is mentioned in the bank papers. The lawyer solicits for the attachment of the
book “Build Bridges…” (Vilnius,
2010, published by the Human Rights Center “Viasna”) and the “Manual for the
organization of human rights schools” (Oslo 2008, Minsk 2009). Yesterday
Bialiatski explained that the received money was also spent on the publication
of these books and they were a fruit of “Viasna”s activities. The judge granted
the motion. (Nasha Niva)
***
The questioning of the accusation’s witnesses starts. Leanid Chauko, Deputy
Chairman of the humanitarian activities department of the Presidential
Administration, is questioned first.
The second witness is Anzhalika Sobaleva, an officer of the tax inspection of
the Pershamaiski District of Minsk. She says that she has known Bialiatski as a
taxpayer since 2008. Sobaleva doesn’t know about the testimonies of other
witnesses during the preliminary investigation. The lawyer asks why her answers
are identical with answers of her chief, and draws the attention to the fact
that even the grammatical mistakes in the both testimonies are the same. The
woman says that not all graphs of bank documents were considered during the
check-up, only the sums of transfers, which were counted as Bialiatski’s
income.
Bialiatski asks her about inscriptions in foreign languages in graphs of the
bank documents. She answers that she can see where the money came from, but
cannot read it correctly. She thinks that the inscriptions in the graphs are
names of banks.
The following witness is
Natallia Pashkouskaya, head of the board of the SWIFT international payment
system of the National Bank of Belarus.
Pashkouskaya looked through the account statements provided by banks of Lithuania and Poland. According to her, these
documents don’t correspond to international standards – they can only
correspond to the standards of a concrete bank. She couldn’t tell anything
about the addressee of the money transfers. “I cannot give any concrete
testimony, I can only comment SWIFT-messages”, she said.
Then the court questioned Tamara Shamkuts, deputy head of the tax inspection. She
explained that she had issued decisions concerning acts of audition of
Bialiatski’s income and stated that all income, received from abroad, is liable
to taxation, unless the taxpayers have documents that provide them with tax
benefits. If financial means are received by taxpayers for somebody else, they
need to provide the appropriate documents, agreements and errands.
***
Human rights defender Barys Zvoskau is questioned next. He is asked whether he has
any bank accounts abroad. He said that he doesn’t have any at the moment and doesn’t
remember if Bialiatski transferred any money for him. Zvoskau also reminds the
court when his interrogation was conducted during the investigation. It is
stated that 8,000 Euros was transferred for Barys Zvoskau. He denies it, and states
that such information is untrue and fabricated.
The following witness is Andrei Paluda from Bialynichy. He says he knows
Bialiatski, gives his testimony in the Belarusian language. He answers the bulk
of the questions asked with one sentence: “I have the right not to testify
against myself according to Article 27 of the Constitution”. However, Mr. Paluda
confessed receiving from Bialiatski financial means for human rights activities
and reporting to Bialiatski about the results. He says that it was neither his,
nor Bialiatski’s profit. (Nasha Niva).
Human rights defender
Tatsiana Raviaka says she has known Ales Bialiatski for 20 years and worked
with him in Maksim Bahdanovich museum and at the Human Rights Center “Viasna”,
has friendly relations with him.
She states that she didn’t receive any money in “Viasna”, but received financial
means for human rights activities from Bialiatski. She refuses to tell the sums
and to speak about foreign bank accounts. The prosecutor shows her a print-out
with her surname. “The spelling of the surname differs from the spelling in my
passport. Maybe it’s someone else?” assumes Tatsiana.
The questioning of Viktar Sazonau from Hrodna begins. The human rights defender
also refers to Article 27 of the Constitution which gives the right not to
testify against oneself. Sazonau says he didn’t receive any reward for his work
in “Viasna”, just money for human rights activities. “Neither Bialiatski, nor I
received any profit from this money”, says Mr. Sazonau.
Witness Aliaksei
Kolchyn, an entrepreneur from Mahiliou, a member of the Mahiliou Human Rights
Center, is interrogated. He refuses to tell anything about foreign accounts,
financial transfers and journeys abroad with Ales Bialitski. The prosecutor
shows him Xerox copies of receipts signed by Kolchyn. The latter refuses to
explain anything, referring to Article 27 of the Constitution. Bialiatski’s
counsel declares a protest, saying that the way the receipts were acquired is
unknown.
The following witness is Bialiatski’s wife, Natallia Pinchuk. She refuses to
testify referring to her right not to do it.
Alena Laptsionak is
interrogated. At first the police refused to let her in the court hall, as she
was wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “Freedom to Bialiatski!” Alena has
known Bialiatski since 1987. “We have engaged in human rights activities
together,” said Alena. At the end of her testimony she took of her blouse, under
which there was the T-shirt. The public met this performance with applause.
The judge decided to postpone
the consideration of the documents which were requested from the border control
committee and the tax inspection on solicitation of the defense. They will be
considered as soon as the prosecutor receives them. The interrogation of
witnesses is over, the accusation is reading aloud the case materials.