Vaukavysk: fines to participants of action in support of Mikalai Autukhovich

On 8 June the judge of Vaukavysk district court Sviatlana Lantsevich fined participants of the action in support of the political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich that was held on 16 May. The head of Hrodna oblast UCP organization Yury Istomin was fined 700 000 rubles (about $252) under Article 23.34, part 3 of the Administrative Code. The members of the UCP Zmitser Bandarchuk, Andrei Ihnatsiuk, Aleh Kalinkou, Mikhas Ladushka and Alexandra Vasilevich and the head of Civil Forum Pavel Drachou were fined 70 000 rubles ($25) under Article 23.34, part 1. The trial of Vital Huliak was postponed because of his absence.

Bear in mind that the police officers who detained the action participants weren’t even summoned to the court. There were only two representatives of Vaukavysk district executive committee: the head of its youth department Aliaksei Kupta and the man who was shooting the action on the video – Aleh Kurylik. These officials acted as witnesses, thought they admitted it themselves that they had signed the police reports not on the day of the detention, but at some later time.