Brest: prosecutor to be punished for failure to come to trial?

On 3 January the judge of the Brest District Court Mikalai Sianko did not grant the solicitation of the counsel Pavel Alesik about changing the restraint to the civil activist Vital Koush (in the photo) to a written undertaking not to leave. At the same time, the judge was unable to start the court proceedings concerning Koush's case due to the absence of the prosecutor.

As stated by the judge, the prosecutor hadn't informed about his inability to take part in the sitting, that's why some measures would be taken to punish him for the absence without a good excuse. The next sitting was appointed on 15 January.

Bear in mind that 28-year-old Vital Koush is charged with assisting some Indian citizens in the unlawful crossing of the Belarusian-Polish boundary by a rope in May 2012. On 1 September the law machinery held a special operation, as a result of which Mr. Koush was forcedly detained near his village house before the eyes of his family.

In autumn 2012 the Indian citizens were found in India. They made a video address, in which they stated that the Belarusian police had subjected them to torture and ill-treatment, as a result of which they had to give false testimonies.

Vital Koush is a civil activist. He was a member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, participated in a number of electoral campaigns in Belarus as an election observer, took part in peaceful actions of protest.