Biaroza: court hearing on picket ban postponed to May 20
Siarzhuk Rusetski and Tatsiana Tarasevich
May 12 at 11 a.m. Biaroza District Court was to have started the consideration of the appeal of the local human rights defenders against the ban of the picket they intended to hold on March 25 to mark the 97-th anniversary of the Belarusian People's Republic and express solidarity with political prisoners.
Let us remind that Biaroza officials regarded it as “fomentation of national enmity” and banned the mass event under this vague pretext.
After 11 p.m. the office of the court informed them that the child of the judge Minchankina got ill, the judge was on a sick leave and the hearing could be possibly lead by the head of the court, Vadzim Mazol. Later they stated that Mr. Mazol was busy in a criminal trial and the trial on the case of the human rights activists was postponed to May 20.
According to one of the plaintiffs, Siarhei Rusetski, having at its disposal all modern means of communication, the court staff could have warned the human rights activists about the postponement of the court hearing so that the people would not have to take time off at work.
