Hrodna: human rights defenders get fined 4.5 million rubles for a photo on the web
Human Rights Day action in Hrodna
On 5 January the Leninski District
Court of Hrodna considered administrative cases against the Hrodna
human rights activists Uladzimir Khilmanovich, Viktar Sazonau and
Raman Yurhel.
Their "guilt" was that they had
photographed themselves with portraits of Ales Bialiatski and
brochures of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10
December, the Human Rights Day.
The Hrodna police considered
it as an unauthorized picket. On 18 December they drew up "reports
of questioning" on the activists, and on 19 December they were
familiarized with "accusation reports". All three cases
were amalgamated in one court process, led by the judge Vital
Liatsko. The trial lasted for about 2.5 hours. No evidence of guilt
was presented, no witnesses were summonsed – the whole accusation
was grounded only on the police reports and insinuations.
The
judge delivered the verdict without announcing a break. Each of the
activists was fined 1.5 million rubles, which gives a total of 4.5
million rubles – a record fine for a photo in the Internet!
