Activist of 'Speak Truth' Aksana Samuilava fined 350,000 rubles

The opposition activist was detained while handing out the Svobodnye Novosti Plus newspaper near the Liftmash plant on 19 May. The plant’s chief security officer Shulau and two guards took 15 copies of the paper from the girl and forced her to go to the office of the plant’s administration. Aksana had to spend here about an hour and then was passed to the police.

The girl recorded the traces of beating the next day and filed a claim. However, the defendant said at the trial it was he who had been beaten. According to Shulau, a strong built man and former policeman, the girl beat him in presence of two security officers.

'I was fined for I had allegedly beaten him', Aksana Samuilava told Salidarnasts. 'They said I was running after Shulau, punching him in his back to return my 125 copies of the newspaper. He had scratches, deep 10 cm long scratches. No of Shulau’s witnesses said I had beating him. They just said I was pulling his shirt.' Nevertheless, the judge took the side of the defendant.

Strangely enough, policemen are always 'beaten' by civil activists in our country, but aren't ever punished for using physical force against anyone.