Court finds UCP activist Dzianis Rabianok guilty by refrains from punishment

On 7 October the trial of the activist of the United Civil Party Dzianis Rabianok came to an end in the town of Kalinkavichy. According to the court ruling, Mr. Rabianok was found guilty of violating article 9.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Nevertheless, the administrative proceedings against him were dropped due to the expiry of the legal terms of bringing to administrative responsibility.

Bear in mind that on 13 April Dzianis Rabianok was attacked by a neighbor, who sprayed pepper spray into his eyes. As a result, the young man received a chemical burn of the eyes, which was recorded in the hospital.

However, the Kalinkavichy District Police Department brought a case against Mr. Rabianok, accusing him of beating the neighbor. Despite his appeals to the head of the DPD and the prosecutor, the case was passed to the court.

In June the court found the activist guilty and fined him 1 million rubles. He appealed the verdict to the Homel Regional Court, after which it was overturned and the case was returned for a review by another judge. The activist calls the court verdict controversial and inconsistent. "Throughout the trial, the judge, at first glance, was trying to fix all the defects, pointed by the Homel Regional Court. However, it was done only formally. Eloquent evidence of this is the questioning of a nurse and a medic of the ambulance. They confirmed that I had bodily injuries and that I was unable to do anything to my neighbor as I couldn't event open my eyes. The judge asks me questions, clarifies something, and then reads out the ruling, which has been printed in advance. What is the purpose of such proceedings?” wonders Dzianis Rabianok.

He doesn't consider himself guilty. “There are two witnesses on my part who confirm that I was a victim and didn't hit the neighbor. As it was confirmed by an expert during the trial, my bodily injuries could appear before 13 April, as well as after it. When the regional court reversed the initial verdict, it pointed to the district court that the judge failed to explain why he believed to the testimonies of the witnesses on the part of the accusation and didn't accept the testimonies of others (on the part of the defense). As witnessed by the last hearing, the new verdict also tells nothing about this utterly important question,” adds the activist.

Dzianis Rabianok will decide whether to appeal against the court verdict at the regional court after he receives a copy of it.