Vital Rymasheuski fined for "groundless call to police"

Former presidential candidate, co-chairman of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Vital Rymashevski was fined 16 basic units for participation in a picket near the Kamarouski market.

February 2 near the market BCD activists collected signatures for nomination of Maryna Khomich as a candidate for a local council. As reported by Mr. Rymasheuski, participants of the picket were insulted and provoked by people in mufti. The strangers filmed them on video and exercised psychical pressure. Vital Rymashevski believes that they were representatives of law enforcement agencies.

February 7 Vital Rymasheuski was summoned to the Savetski District Police Department and informed that he was fined 16 basic units, more than 2 million rubles.

According to Vital Rymasheuski, he was punished for "groundless call to the police". Vital Rymashevski does not refute that he called the police to the place of the picket, where the people in mufti hindered the picketers to collect signatures. However, the police patrol didn't come to the place of the picket, though in the report of the administrative violations it is written that a patrol came there.

“According to the new legislation, the police received the right to consider such administrative cases on their own. They considered the case very quickly, without listening to witnesses on my part. The decision was taken directly by Chairman of the Savetski District Police Department. This confirms the political persecution of people by officers of this agency, as recently Anatol Liabedzka has been seizaed near the Kamarouski market for collecting signatures and sentenced to a fine. Today's fine is the continuation of psychological pressurization, an attempt to intimidate activists. It is even more outrageous that this takes place during the elections to local councils.”

Vitaly Rymashevski intends to appeal the decision in court.