Trial Cancelled after Lukashenka’s Press Conference
On February 2, the Supreme Court informed that there would be no court hearings into cases of four activists who had staged an action of solidarity Je Suis Charlie near the French Embassy in Minsk. According to the press release, the hearing tabled for February 4 was cancelled, and the administrative reports were sent back to the police department for correction of flaws.
We remind that the news about administrative prosecution of some people who had taken part in the action of solidarity appeared on January 21. They had been accused of violating the procedure of holding mass events.
A new development occurred on January 29 when Alexander Lukashenka was giving a seven-hour press conference to Belarusian journalists. Tatsiana Melnichuk, BBC correspondent and member of the Board of BAJ, called on the authorities to react adequately and not to detain people with views different from the official ones.
“A strong authority will not ever fear of critics and will not condescend to mere reprisals against those who criticize when something goes wrong,” she said. “The actions of the authorities look very caricaturist when four people are arrested when they stand out in front of the French Embassy with the notice Je Suis Charlie on the same very day when the whole world mourn for those who died in the editorial office of the French weekly.”
“Or, when women come to the monument to Taras Shevchenko with prayers and candles, and then they are arrested upon leaving, a court hearing staged (on January 22 several people were arrested near the monument to the Ukrainian writer; they were commemorating Mikhail Zhyznevski, an activist shot down at Majdan in Kyiv a year ago – BelaPAN note). Do understand, this is a news opportunity to reproach the authorities that they are not strong, not democratic, that they are afraid of critical expression. The official representatives are responsible for the image of the state. It should not be spoilt by badly-meditated things.”
“I totally support this,” said Lukashenka and readdressed the question to Aliaksandr Kosinets, head of the President’s Administration. “What’s this, do we have a problem as such? Well, four people went out. So, did they come out against Muslims? She is right. When the authorities start doing this, they are idiots, they are acting to the detriment of the authorities.”
Kosinets first claimed it was not about weakness of the authorities, but Lukashenka interrupted him. The former replied: “The situation is registered, we will settle.”
One of the accused, Anatol Liabedzka, leader of the UCP, said later: “On the one hand, I should be satisfied that first time in 25 years of my political career such decision was taken. On the other hand, there is nothing positive for the country and its future. One can imagine how decisions are taken in thousands of other cases.”
Товарищ не понимает? В продолжение полемики об имидже власти