Activists, detained at memorial action, levied with huge fines. Their things got “stolen” from police safe
Anastasiya Shuleika and Yury Khodus, detained during
the solemn opening of the memorial sign "River of Memory" at the
entrance of the Kastrychnitskaya metro station in Minsk on 11 April, were
sentenced to pay huge fines.
Following the detention, Anastasiya and Yury were guarded to the Leninski
District Police Department of Minsk and charged with using obscene language in
public (Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations, disorderly
conduct).
On 12 April they were tried at the Leninski District Court of Minsk. The trials
were held during the afternoon breaks, to prevent the interested public from
attending the hearings. Judge Maryna Zapasnik levied Nasta Shuleika with a fine
of 2 mln rubles (about $247) and Judge Mikhail Khoma levied Yury Khodus with a
fine of 1.5 mln rubles (about $185).
All personal belongings of Yury Khodus and Nasta Shuleika “disappeared” from
the safe of the police station. When they came to get their belonging back
after the trial, the duty policeman just said that the things had been taken
away by KGB officers, and refused to explain how they could be returned.
Thus, Khodus and Shuleika have lost their passports, a student record book,
mobile phones, keys from the car and the apartment and other personal
belongings, including shoelaces. At present the activists keep phoning to city
police station #1 where the things had been stored and to the Leninski District
Police Department, trying to find about the fate of their belongings.
