Prosecutor’s Withdraws Protest against Court Verdict on Shydlouski’s Case

Miensk Savietski borough prosecutor withdrew his cassation protest to the board of civic cases of Miensk City Court against the verdict of Miensk Savietski borough court on Aliaxiei Shydlouski’s case. “This trial is an indicator that shows the attitude of the Law machinery to ordinary citizens who suit against influential bodies and persons”, -- says the lawyer of PA HRC “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich.

It’s a pity that prosecutor’s office that is to monitor the legality of court decisions, evades from its duty and can’t guaranty legal equality of citizens.

Of course, prosecutors have the right of withdrawing their protests, but it happens very rarely. The editor of “Sovetskaya Belorussiya” Paviel Iakubovich is quite influential person, his edition has the largest circulation in the country.

We should remind that in October Miensk Savietski borough prosecutor’s office submitted a cassation protest to the board of civic cases of Miensk city court. In this protests it is stated that the court decision could by no means be considered as grounded and objective as the court didn’t take into consideration all circumstances and fact. The protest will be considered collegially, by three judges.

On October 17 Miensk Savietski borough court turned down a suit against state-owned newspaper “Sovetskaya Belorussia” and its editor-in-chief Paviel Iakubovich. Aliaxiei Shydlouski sued “Sovetskaya Belorussia” for spreading untrue information defaming him.
On 8 May 2002 the newspaper informed its readers that Aliaxiei Shydlouski had left his wife with a kid, when he was twenty. The newspaper said, he was convicted to imprisonment for alimony evasion. However, Shydlouski has never been married and has never had children. He was convicted for political graffiti. The article "Face with a Touch of Mind", published in “Sovetskaya Belorussia” by it editor Paviel Iakubovich, had a biased nature and was devoted to the report on human rights situation in Belarus, made by the US State Department. Iakubovich obviously aimed at discrediting not only Aliaxiei Shydlouski, but other prisoners of consciousness in the eyes of the broad public.