Court in Minsk fines participants in entrepreneurs’ rally

On March 10, the Court of Minsk’s Centraĺny district fined several opposition activists for their involvement in a rally staged on February 22 to protest new trading rules for market vendors.

Maksim Viniarski and Leanid Kulakou, both activists of the European Belarus movement, were fined 10.5 mln rubles each.

Opposition leader Viachaslau Siuchyk was also fined 10.5 mln rubles.

Pavel Vinahradau and Pavel Seviarynets did not appear in the courtroom, so their charges were probably heard in absentia.

The trial of Nina Bahinskaya was put off to a later date.

Another activist involved in the protest, Pavel Siarhei, has been summoned to the court on March 15, where he will probably stand trial on similar charges (Part 3, Art. 23.34 of the Administrative Code).

In addition, on March 9, Judge Natallia Vaitsakhovich punished Aliaksandr Abramovich from Barysaŭ by a fine of 3 million 150 thousand rubles for participating in the same protest.