Participant of last year's silent protest in Navapolatsk persecuted by road police
Yury Rudkouski was fined 105.000 rubles (about $13) for
participation in the silent protest action in Navapolatsk on 20 July 2011.
However, road policemen are still trying to draw him to account for alleged
running-down on their officer.
The matter is that after the end of the action Yury and his mother got into his
car, which was suddenly surrounded by men in civil clothes, who tried to open
the doors. The driver managed to block the doors, after which the strangers
tried to prevent the car from driving away. Yury managed to drive out of the
yard, but was stopped by the road police at the first crossing.
Afterwards the road police has thrice issued rulings under parts 1 and 4 of
Article 18.17 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, "Violation of
traffic rules which resulted in infliction of a light bodily injure to the
victim", and "Leaving the place of the road accident by the driver
who was its participant, in the cases when it is prohibited by legal
acts". There it is stated that he allegedly ran down on police officer
Barchuk and injured his knee.
Yury Rudkouski appealed against these rulings. Each time the court reversed them
rulings and forwarded the case to repeated consideration. Meanwhile, the police
summonsed neither the victim, nor his witnesses, to the trial.
On 27 March the activist received the fourth ruling, issued by the deputy head
of Navapolatsk District Police Department, lieutenant-colonel Uladzimir
Shendel. The ruling provides termination of the driver’s license for 2 years (1
year for each violation).
