Minsk City Court rejects appeal by Tatsiana Reviaka

The Minsk City Court considered today an appeal by human rights defender Tatsiana Reviaka lodged to contest a three million rubles fine handed down on her on August 6. As a result, Judge Aliaksei Bychko upheld the decision of Savetski District Court, dismissing the complaint.

Tatsiana Reviaka says she did not hope the court ruling would be cancelled, however, she took the opportunity to once again demonstrate the absurdity of the sentence. The human rights defender views today’s consideration of her appeal by the Minsk City Court as another step towards submitting a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee.

In her appeal, Tatsiana Reviaka stressed that the Law "On Mass Events" runs counter to the Constitution and restricts the rights prescribed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

On August 5, Viasna activists staged a picket of solidarity with the imprisoned leader of the HRC "Viasna" Ales Bialiatski to hand out postcards with the human rights activist’s portrait. As a result, two human rights defenders, Tatsiana Reviaka and Uladzimir Labkovich, were detained by the police. They were taken to Savetski District Court, but released the same day as the police reports were compiled with errors. The trial was resumed the following day. The human rights activists were convicted of violating Art. 23.34 of the Code for Administrative Offences and sentenced to a fine of 3 million rubles each.

A similar complaint by human rights defender Uladzimir Labkovich will be considered by the Minsk City Court on August 31.