Chairman of Mahilioŭ Regional Court turns down supervisory appeal by Ryhor Kastusiou

On April 17, Ryhor Kastusiou, deputy head of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, received a reply to his supervisory appeal from Chairman of the Mahilioŭ Regional Court concerning a fine of 25 basic units (3,750,000 rubles) imposed on him for participating in "unauthorized" public events in the town of Svislač near the monument to anti-Russian uprising leaders Kastus Kalinouski and Romuald Traugutt and a memorial cross in the village of Jakušoŭka on October 26, 2014.

Chairman of the Mahilioŭ Regional Court Ihar Proshka found no grounds for cancellation of an earlier court ruling by the Škloŭ District Court, which punished the politician by a fine, as well as a later decision of Judge Mikalai Hladki of the Mahilioŭ Regional Court, who upheld the decision.

"The administrative penalty was imposed according to the nature of the offense, the circumstances and data which characterize you as a person,” writes Ihar Proshka.

Ryhor Kastusiou sent his supervisory appeal back on February 23.

In his complaint, the BPF deputy chairman asked the Chairman of the Mahilioŭ Regional Court to quash the decision of 23 December 2014 and to close the administrative case due to lack of elements of an offense. In addition, the politician asked to issue a particular decision to Judge Barantsava of the Škloŭ District Court and Judge Hladki of the Mahilioŭ Regional Court because of apparent violations of the law.

The memorial action was held in Svislač on October 26, 2014. It was attended by opposition activists from different regions of Belarus.

The event was watched over by police officers in plain clothes mufti and a cameraman who recorded the meeting. A number of participants were later punished with heavy fines.