Baranavichy entrepreneur fined for charity lunch
Baranavichy entrepreneur Mikalai Charnavus was sentenced
by the court of the city of Baranavichy
and Baranavichy district to a fine of 3 million rubles.
He was charged under Par. 2 of Article
23.34 of the Administrative Code
of Belarus – "organizing and holding an unauthorized mass event".
Mikalai Charnavus attempted to
explain to Judge Aksana Sarahkman that the charity
lunch was meant for people outside his
workplace on their request. Simultaneously, he collected 307 signatures for students’
free travel in public transport. This was what people asked him to do during the election campaign, when Charnavus ran for the House
of Representatives. Despite all
the arguments, the Judge ruled that the charity lunch and the gathering of signatures
was to be considered as a mass event,
which needed approval by the
authorities.