Is Iryna Makavetskaya Guilty in Disrespect to Court?

Iryna Makavetskaya is the correspondent of Narodnaya Volia newspaper in Homel region. At 10 a.m. on 2 December at Homel Chyhunachny Borough Court there started the open trial about which the journalist wanted to report. In the very beginning of the trial the head of the court Tatsiana Ardynets ordered Makavetskaya to leave the court hall. The journalist refused to do it saying she would obey only to lawful demands of the court. As a result, Ardynets had to call the police, who detained Makavetskaya, took her to Homel Chyhunachny Borough Board of Internal Affairs and composed a protocol of violation of article 166 of the Code of Administrative Violations. This article provides fine or up to 15 days of jail as punishment.

According to Makavetskaya, the protocol the police composed as a result of the incident was full of lies:

-- The real conflict, when the judge shouted at me it is for her to decide whom to admit to the trial. It is written there that I burst into the judge’s office and interfered with her work, -said Makavetskaya.

According to the journalist, among the witnesses of the incident there was Yuliya Marchanka, daughter of the well-known Homel businesswoman, head of Belarusian Free Trade Union of private entrepreneurs of Homel Tatsiana Marchanka. She was the accused at the trial to which Makavetskaya wanted to get on 2 December 2004. The incident was also witnessed by Yuliya’s advocate. However, the police protocol mentions as witness a representative of the opposite side of the trial, head of the juridical board of Homel Chyhunachny Borough Tax Inspection Andrey Krawtsow.

The judge on administrative cases of Homel Tsentralny Borough Court Yaraslaw Paremski rejected the solicitation of Iryna Makavetskaya to interrogate judge Adrybets and also refused to question the main witness Yuliya Marchanka who was on the leave of absence at the time. “The law doesn’t free judges from the functions of witnesses and the time allows waiting till Yiliya Marchanka returns. That’s why I can speak of biased attitude of judge Paremski to me”, -- said Iryna Makavetskaya.

Makavetskaya believes that the judge deserves a criminal case to be brought against her for interference with professional activity of journalist.

According to belngo.info