Bresters’ trial postponed until October 30
The football fans detained on their way to Minsk will stand trial in Brest on October 30. The four Bresters who wanted to go to Minsk to take part in the national flag march will stand trial on October 21. The opposition action was held on October 10. The four young men set off from Brest by car on that day. However, men in black and driving inspectors stopped them in the outskirts of Brest and searched the car. One of the young men resembled a criminal, the policemen explained.
All the four men were taken to Brest Maskouski District Department of the Interior. They were accused of swearing and spent almost two days in jail.
KGB members visited them in jail, one of the detainees (Andrei Kavalchuk) said.
Kavalchuk: "KGB members visited us in jail. They asked me about my attitude to the situation in Ukraine and in Donets Basin. Did I fight there? Why did I visit the match of Belarus and Ukraine in Lviv? It means that they noted down the names of all (football fans – Euroradio) leaving Belarus. They asked me if I was ready to take a polygraph to prove that I was not a bandit, that I had not shot at anyone and so on.”
The young people were taken to court on October 12. Only one of them pled guilty of swearing at policemen. The rest pled not guilty and the trial was postponed in order to summon witnesses from the police. However, the driving inspectors did not appear in court on October 21 and the hearing was postponed again.
The persecution is caused y his civil position and participation in the fan movement, Andrei Kavalchuk believes. He has visited all the opposition actions in Minsk since Mikalai Statkevich’s release, he said.
The trail has been postponed until October 30.
