Yuliya Kubarava’s relatives: We demand a show trial

The hearing of the Ecomedservcie case started on January 9. The diseased’s father Yury Kubarau is a plaintiff. He agreed to talk to journalists and stupefied them by saying that not all the culprits were standing trial.

“We want to see all the culprits here. It is up to the court to decide how guilty they are and choose a term of imprisonment for them. But I am not satisfied with the fact that not all of them are in the dock. I think that the whole group of doctors and assistants should stand trial.”

The tragedy occurred last spring. Yuliya Kubarava decided to undergo a minor plastic operation at the end of March. The girl was going to get married in August and wanted to remove a small scar on her nose. However, she would have to wait for a year for her turn in a state hospital. Her parents agreed to pay for the operation in a private clinic. The result was tragic and is known to the whole country:  Yuliya did not come to her senses after the surgery and died in coma four weeks later.

The first demand of the plaintiff was to compensate the moral and material damage. The family does not need the money, Yury Kubarau said. They demand Br10 billion only to punish the guilty.

“Fortunately, we do not need the compensation. We are well-to-do people. We are asking for the sum in order to punish the guilty.”

Only three accused were present in the court room on January 9: ex-representatives of Ecomedservice administration Vadzim Luhuta and Halina Valzhankina and ex-anaesthetist Alyaksandr Shurau. They refused to talk to journalists and only consulted their lawyers. They left as soon as the hearing was over. The trial will continue on January 10 – judge Ala Abakunchyk announced a break to give Ala Kubarava (the girl’s mother) time to study the case papers.

It is hard to predict the outcome of this trial now. The accused are charged with different law violations and are facing up to 5 years of imprisonment. The number of the accused should be increased, Yuliya Kubarava’s father insists. He means surgeon Victar Serabro and nurse Bandarenka who assisted him in the first place. They are witnesses in this case but Yuliya’s relatives are sure that they are also guilty. The hearing should become a show trial, Yury Kubarau says.

“It should be a show trial. Such doctors should either quit their jobs themselves or be fired by the administration. It will happen if all the culprits are named. Then we will be able to save other girls.”

The trial will continue on Friday, January 10. The witnesses will be interrogated next week.  There are 60 of them so the trial may take long. The sentences will be pronounced at the end of January or at the beginning of February, lawyers think.

Photo: onliner.by. Accused Valzhankina (on the right), Lihuta and Shurau (on the left).