In July this year the Viciebsk court convicted the famous human rights defender Leanid Svetsik for “stirring up religious and ethnic discord.” The court fined Mr Svetsik with an astonishing sum of 30 millions BYR (around 7500 EUR).
He considered it a revenge for his human rights work.
The Supreme Court did not reverse the lower court verdict. Human Rights House Foundation and Norwegian Helsinki Committee expressed their grieve regrets about the results of Svetsik’s case. In a letter addressed to Supreme Justice Valiantsin Sukala Ane Tusvik Bonde, Regional Manager for Eastern Europe and Caucasus of Human Rights House Foundation, and Berit Linderman, Head of Information for Norwegian Helsinki Committee, pointed out that “Leonid Svetsik is an internationally recognized human rights defender,” and the court ruling against him was “politically motivated.”
Activists believe that such a punishment of Svetsik by the authorities is a demonstration of power. In recent publications human rights defenders, who began the campaign of support, expressed their bewilderment over the disproportional fine and the unjust verdict.
Aliaksei Lapitski, a human rights defender from Žodzina (industrial city in Central Belarus) called the case against Svetsik no less than absurd, cynical and ridiculous in its essence. He also very strongly noted: “That was not a law suit but a political lynching!” The verdict, in his opinion, was very predictable and typical in the practice of harassment and persecution that prevails in Belarus nowadays. Mr Lapitski added that “the existing regime in the period of a socio-economic crisis and the upcoming vitally important stage of the election in the country, had decided in this, to put it mildly, obscene manner, to solve its multiple own goals. Through targeted and systematic harassment, psychological pressure and with the help of administrative and economic instruments against dissenters, it tries to suppress specific (unwanted and dangerous for its continued domination) manifestations of human rights activity in the regions and at the same time to replenish the budget at the expense of the discriminated and humiliated members of the civil society in the country, through their systematic “racketing” and “robbery”.”
Leanid Markhotka, representative of Belarusian Helsinki Committee in Salihorsk region, said that the society should seriously pay attention the Svetsik case. He also commented: “The case of the Vitebsk human rights activist Leanid Svetsik does not stand any criticism. The state is turning a person, a human rights activist, into a slave. The authorities are probably trying in such a brazen way to earn money during the crisis. It’s just a mockery of Human Rights.”
Homel activists echoing their colleagues considered this case as absurd and cynical. Leanid Suzdalenka, Movement For Freedom activist, said: “As far as I know Leanid Svetsik was assisting people who received threats from the ultra-right Russian National Unity. And precisely for that he was punished. Now the human rights defender has to pay a huge fine. It looks like the authorities are trying to extort money from him and his family.” Vasil Paliakou, an activist, was certain that “human rights defenders are always a big inconvenience for the authorities. In countries with democratic deficit harassments, unfortunately, constitute a prevailing practice. Authorities usually do not limit themselves in means of persecution.”
Human rights activists, who joined the campaign in support of Leanid Svetsik, agree that the verdict and the unusually huge fine is “an example of pressure, which the authorities use against human rights defenders in Belarus.”
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