Brest Court Recognized Zianon Pazniak's Books As Extremist Literature
Two Zianon Pazniak’s books were recognized as extremist literature by the court in Brest. On April 20, the court of Maskouski district considered the case following the application filed by the Brest Customs.
As the website charter97.org previously reported, in September Zianon Pazniak’s books were seized from the executive secretary of the Conservative Christian Party – the Belarusian Popular Front Aliaksandr Chakholski at the customs office Brest Tsentralny on the border with Poland.
The books were seized from Chakholski on his return from Poland, where he had purchased them. They were sent to the expert committee of Brest region to examine the information products for extremism elements. According to the Commission of October 26, there are signs of extremism in the books.
Chakholski didn’t accept such a decision and impeached the examination done by representatives of pro-state public organization. First, he tried to appeal the decision of the expert committee in the court of Leninski district of Brest and to return the books. February 23 the court rendered the expert committee meeting competent and did not find the reason to return the case for follow-up revision.
“Obviously, this is a political case, a political order. The expert opinion is useless. In fact, for seven months of the competition we have proved that the expert committee consists of persons involved. We have found out that all of them are members of White Russia,” – Ales Chakholski told Euroradio.
Judge of the court of Maskouski district of Brest Tatsiana Harhadze granted the Brest customs’s application. The Good Photographs and The Defence Of Kurapaty. Peoples’ Memorial were recognized as extremist literature.
Chakholski intends to appeal the court’s decision.
The book “Good Photographs” is a collection of photographic essays on the photographs from Europe and America in the period from the middle of the XIX century to the present day. The book “The Defence Of Kurapaty. Peoples’ Memorial” is a collection of articles, memoirs, materials and photographs dedicated to the topic of Kurapaty defence (Kurapaty wooded area is a memorial site, the mass burial place of Stalin-era purges’ victims).
