Halina Smirnova To Authorities: We Will Not Leave This Unpunished

The activist from Babruisk is ready to defend her rights in court.

On July 26, another trial related to the illegal arrest of Head of the Babruisk UCP organization Halina Smirnova on the eve of the Freedom Day, will be held in Mahiliou, ucpb.org reports.

Halina intends to appeal to the regional court the fine imposed on her by the court of the Babruisk district and the city of Babruisk over clearly fabricated charges.

Important to note, Halina Smirnova was detained on the threshold of her house on the night of 23 to 24 March. The detention was part of the wave of mass arrests on the eve of the festive event dedicated to the BPR centenary in Minsk, which she planned to attend.

Late at night, she returned home by taxi. Near the entrance she was called by the name by an unknown man, as it turned out later - a riot policeman. She was not allowed to dial the intercom to warn her husband about the detention, the policemen put her in an official car and took to the police department, where the drafted two protocols against her.

Halina Smirnova was accused of "crossing the street in the wrong place" and "disobeying the lawful demands of an official." She spent two days (the day before the Freedom Day and the holiday itself) in solitary confinement.

On 21 and 23 May, the trials were held, at which the riot police officers who detained Halina testified. Despite the large number of inconsistencies in the testimonies and protocols, Halina Smirnova was found guilty and fined for 3 base fees on aggregate.

In court, Halina Smirnova stated that the cases brought against her were illegal, unreasonable and politically motivated, and she intends to appeal the court's decision.

A total of eight court hearings on this case have already taken place, but an honest fair decision has not yet been reached. But Halina Smirnova does not intend to give up.

"I cannot forgive it and just leave it, because it's not just a fabricated case," - she noted in the commentary. - And if you do nothing, do not take any measures, then everyone can be stopped anywhere in any place, they can incriminate anything they like, and give any sentence. Now we have contacted a new witnesses of what happened, we are preparing. The most important thing is to show them that we will not leave this unpunished."

The hearing will be held on July 26 at 9.30 in the Mahiliou regional court.