Euroradio journalist's appeal to be considered today

Minsk city court will consider the appeal of Euroradio's journalist Pavel Svyardlou at 15.00 on July 6. His appeal was received on June 29 in the evening. Besides, Pavel's 15-days term of detention ends on July 7, thus, regardless of the decision, Pavel will spend the whole term in the detention center, in fact. 

Let us remind you, Euroradio's journalist Pavel Svyardlou, who has official registration in the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was detained in the morning on June 22 near the entrance to his house. According to eye-witnesses, Pavel walked out of the house saying nothing, then two men in plain clothes approached him, introduced themselves as policemen and suggested he should go to a police bus with them. According to the police, the journalist and the winner of the crystal owl (the best player award of the "What? Where? When?" contest) swore in public "for no reason and with no addressee", and did not react to the warnings of the special policemen. In the end, he was delivered to the Maskouski district department of internal affairs.

The policemen did not let him call his family and to the office and to write down his own version of the events in the protocol. The Maskouski district court of Minsk sentenced Svyardlou to 15 days of detention on that very day. As Pavel had no opportunity to provide any information about himself, the lawyer and Pavel's colleagues arrived to the court when the judge was already pronouncing the sentence. 

The journalist sent the appeal against the sentence right after his first meeting with the lawyer in the Akrestsina street detention center on June 25. The lawyer also sent her own appeal on the next day. The consideration was appointed to take place in the Minsk city court at 15.00 on June 29. It turned out in the court that Svyardlou's appeal did not reach them for four days and the session was postponed.

Let us note that a blue police mini-bus and UAZ automobile were parked near Euroradio's office on the day when Pavel was detained. People in plain clothes watched everyone walking in or out and did not hide that they were waiting for another Euroradio's journalist - Vital Ruhain. However, he managed to avoid the possible "swearing in public for no reason". Now Vital continues his work in Euroradio's office in Warsaw.