Vitsebsk: Opposition Activist Barys Khamaida Is Fined 5,5 Million Rubles

On 20 March, after the declaration of the preliminary results of the presidential election, the public activist Barys Khamaida went out to the center of the city with the poster ‘Those who outstay everything will be saved!’ These were words from St Mathew’s Evangel, but the police of Vitsebsk Chyhunachny Borough Board of Internal Affairs considered it as ‘expression of public and political interests’, as they wrote in the detention report. The judge of Vitsebsk Chyhunachny Borough Court Iury Urban agreed with it and fined Mr Khamaida 5 580 000 rubles for unauthorized action. On 1 April Mr Khamaida was released from jail, where he had to serve 7 days of arrest for organization of picket that took place on 25 March, Freedom Day. He is not going to pay the fine.