Sentences to Atroshchankau, Malchanau and Novik remain the same
The Minsk
City Court left standing the sentences pronounced to Aliaksandr Atroshchankau, Aliaksandr
Malchanau and Dzmitry Novik imprisoned for participation in the post-election
protest action in Nezalezhnasts
Square in central Minsk on 19 December 2010.
The chamber consisted of Chair Kamisarau and Judges Kamarouskaya and Hrypach,
informs RFE/RL. Atroshchankau and
Novik’s lawyers— Vadzіm
Mushynskі and Andrei
Sankovіch asked to
cancel the sentence.
Mushynskі referred to
the fact that Atroshchnkau’s guilt was not proved. He reminded about the video
where Atroshchankau was shown in the crowd not far from the entrance to the
House of the Government not doing anything to enter the building.
Lawyer Sankovich noted that Novik had not been accused of having done damage to
the House of the Government although it was mentioned in the sentence.
The lawyers also noted that the court did not use the articles allowing it to
pronounce a lighter or postponed sentence to the convicts. They asked to change
the sentence because of it. Prosecutor Maladtsova claimed that there was enough
evidence and asked to keep the sentence.
"Evidently, court’s decisions depend on some political motives of the
Belarusian regime. It proves that the system remains a system and that there is
no sense hoping for reduced sentences”, commented Chair of the Belarusian
Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak.
Speaking about the recent “reduction” of some sentences, the human rights
activist expressed a thought that it was not a systemic decision.
