A court in Hrodna postponed Andrerzej Poczobut’s court hearing till 10 am tomorrow. He is accused of offending and slandering president Lukashenka in articles published in “Gazeta Wyborcza”, personal blog and Belarusia Partisan website. He is facing two to four years in prison.
Poczobut’s lawyer informed that all the motion’s proposed by the defense were dismissed. The court did not allow for summoning witnesses proposed by the defense, among them Aleksander Lukashenka. Three people testified so far: Paula Skrabko, chief of the ideological department, Viktor Zelaznikovich – head of the press center for Hrodna region, and a Hrodna University professor – Mr. Nikitsevich. The court’s decision to run the trial behind the closed doors, triggered about 100 people rally in front of the court building in support of Poczobut.
Our correspondent reported that during a demonstration, an activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus – Renata Dziemianczuk was detained. Police did not like the poster with Poczobut’s photo that she held.
Belsat
