Minsk Regional Court Partially Satisfies Uladzimir Shyla’s Complaint

07.05.2007.

According to RFE/RL

On 4 May Minsk regional court partially satisfied the complaint of Salihorsk activist Uladzimir Shyla against the verdict of Salihorsk court, which on 27 March fined him for resistance to the police and petty hooliganism (Shyla was preventively detained by the police on the eve of 25 March action).

‘I went outdoors in the evening, and they were already waiting fir me in the car. I didn’t notice them at first, as I couldn’t believe that they will do it two days before the action. They ran after me and I decided to hide in a shop, which had a system of video surveillance.

I called to my younger son Illia so that he could be at least some witness. Then the policemen said that I was swearing in the street. It is false, they just detained me preventively. Then I was also accused of resistance to the police,’ Uladzimir Shyla said.

Salihorsk court fined Mr. Shyla 62 000 rubles (about 29 US dollars) for ‘swearing’ and 620 000 rubles – for resistance to the police.

At the sitting of Minsk regional court the activist expressed his disagreement with the verdict of Salihorsk court. The judge Raisa Trubach doubted that he really hadn’t sworn, but justified him of resistance to the police, thus abolishing the larger fine, and redirected the case to Salihorsk court.

Uladzimir Shyla said that it was a pity that the court found that he allegedly swore, but nevertheless he was grateful that the judge acquitted him of resistance to the police.