Witness-militiamen saw participants of case of 14 for the first time in court

Alyaksandr Barazenka, Paval Vinahradau, Maksim Dashuk and Mikhal Subach, accused on the criminal case, titled the case of 14, have trial in the Central district court of Minsk. During the trail traffic militia officer Alyaksandr Subach said he saw three accused people for the first time.

Two more traffic militia officers were questioned. They said they saw the accused for the first time too.

Witness Mikola Karachun, director of GUM department store, was questioned at the trial. He had no claims to participants of the rally. Vera Filipenkava, director of Lasunak shop, was questioned, too.

Three witnesses, representing Tsentralny store, a transport enterprise and a private shop, situated on October Square, where the rally was held, were questioned. The witnesses have no claims to the accused.

Representatives of the embassies of the EU countries, OSCE, and most of the earlier convicted on that case attended the trial.

Jiri Chromy, consultant of the Czech Republic Embassy in Belarus, told to Radio Svaboda, he was at the rally on 10 January. According to Mr Chromy, demonstrators walked along the pavements, but were forced out of them by militia. The diplomat said he didn’t see demonstrators impeding traffic, what was stated by witnesses for the prosecution.

Ales Makaeu, one of the leaders of the entrepreneurs’ movement, came to the trail with his younger son. “It is continuing of the criminal case against the youth, who took part in the rally in support of the rights of entrepreneurs. The youth defended the right of the Belarusian people for peaceful meetings and freedom of expression,” Makaeu told.

In the meantime activists of the civil campaign “European Belarus” unfurled a banner “No to Repression” on the roof of building faced the yard of the court. It was noticed by militiamen. They got up to the roof and tore off the banner.

Three small buses with riot militia, and militiamen in black uniform, stay near Dinamo stadium, some dozens meters from the Tsentralny district court building.

The youth activists, participants of the protest action of entrepreneurs on 10 January, are accused of organising and participating in riot. 10 people have been already convicted. Seven of them are sentenced to 2-year imprisonment without sending them to penal institutions, two people were fined. Andrei Kim is imprisoned for a year and a half. Alyaksandr Barazenka, student of Kalinousky education programme, was put on the wanted list. None of the accused admits his guilt.