Breus and Gaponov’s hearing to continue on March 1 (photo)

in Moscow District Court.

Like Vasil Parfyankou’s hearing, Breus’ trial is quite open. Human rights activists, a representative of the Russian Embassy and a number of Russian and Belarusian journalists have been allowed to attend the hearing in Moscow District Court. However, all photo reporters were made to leave after 10 o’clock as soon as the judge entered the court room.

Euroradio journalist Zmitser Lukashuk is among the press representatives. According to him, the court room is a bit bigger that the one Parfyankou stood trial in. Besides the judge, the suspect and the guards, there are 52 people in the court room.

Photo and video reports were forbidden when judge Syamahina entered the room. Despite the expected ban, representatives of the main Russian TV channels arrived there.

Several minutes before the hearing, human rights activist Vasil Stefanovich expressed a hope that it would be fair in an interview with Euroradio on air.

 

The trial began with an interrogation of Gaponov and Breus. They testified that they did not know one another. A state prosecutor was in charge of the interrogation – senior assistant of Moscow District Public Prosecutor Syarhei Kunas. He claimed that Breus and Gapon had broken through the cordon on December 19 and had booted policemen.

 

The Russians are also accused of armed resistance to special police troops with the help of special gear.

Gaponov says did not see who was breaking the window panes and did not know the politicians in charge of the meeting. He says that people did not resist the special police troops in any way. Answering the prosecutor’s question, Gaponov confirmed: “Yes, I did shout “Live Belarus!”. The prosecutor finished interrogating Ivan Gaponov at about 10.40. The lawyer is talking to him now. Gaponov has claimed he did not see that people had any gear in the square and did not see who was breaking glass, he could only hear it happening, informs “Nasha Niva”. 10:45. Artyom Breus is being interrogated. He says that he came to October Square by accident. He joined the crowd, shouted “Live Belarus!”. When he heard that people were breaking glass, he approached to look what was going on, reports Radio “Liberty”.

Then Breus said that he saw special police troops beating people and preventing them from leaving. A special police officer hit him with a baton twice and he lost conscience. Breus informed about the details of his detention in the detention centre in Valadarski Street in Minsk during a conversation with the lawyer. According to the defendant, investigators threatened him with physical violence if he refused to confess of collusion with Belarusian opposition leaders and to admit the fact that he had received money for participation in Dec.19 events from them.

 

11:20. The court has announced rest in connection with the fact that witnesses who are needed to continue the hearing are absent.

 

11:40. The hearing is resumed. Policeman Dydarhcyk is being interrogated.

Dydarchyk has informed that demonstrators attacked special police troops, took their batons and used them to beat policemen. He also says that the people who assaulted the House of the Government were uncoordinated. He did not see any bottles or gear, - informs “Nasha Niva”. – The witness has recognized Breus and Gaponov and recalled their names. Dudarchyk says that he saw Breus beating policemen on their shields (he mentioned two hits). He has also stressed that he remembers Gaponov – he says that he hit policemen on the shields. Dydarchyk has even managed to recall what the defendants were wearing. The policeman has also noted that he saw Breus and Gaponov in videos and can recognize them. 

 

12.15 Dydarchyk says that Gaponov threw a rod at the policemen, informs radio “Liberty”.

The judge is asking the policemen about his whereabouts and the time. Dudarchyk is confused and cannot tell the exact time, reports “Nasha Niva”. The difference is about 30 minutes. For example, he says that he was in October Square by 10 p.m. on December 19. However, he has also noted that he was in Independence Square at 9.30 p.m.

12:40. A member of special police troops, Yakauleu, is the next witness. The lawyer has asked the witness to recognize the defendants and he named them. When the lawyer asked him to associate the names with the defendants, Yakauleu confused them with confidence, continues “Nasha Niva”. The audience started laughing.

13:10. The witness is still confused. The judge has reminded Yakauleu about criminal responsibility for false evidence.
 

13:35. The interrogation of the witness has finished. The court has announced a break until 2.35 p.m.

14.48. The hearing has been resumed.

15:04. The judge is reading aloud the reports of the searches conducted in Gaponov and Breus’ flats after their detention.

According to the reports, policemen have not found and have not confiscated anything from the suspects’ places of residence.

15:07. Gaponov and Breus’ testimonials are positive. They have never been subjected to administrative responsibility before, and they are not registered in the police or in a psychoneurological hospital. Their physiological characteristics are also positive. 15:17. The judge has started watching a video made in the Square. A huge “Horizont” TV-set is used for it. Both policemen (witnesses) are sitting nearby in the court room – easy chairs have been brought there especially for them. The video is muted. It has probably been done to avoid the incident that occurred during Parfyankou’s trial when the present could hear members of special police troops shouting “We are friendly, we are friendly!”. 15:28. The judge has recognized Breus in the video. She has demonstrated the video to him and he has confirmed that it could be him. You can see the other participants of the action elbowing Breus. Gaponov has also recognized himself. He is standing in the video and is not moving forward, demonstrators are pushing him in the back. You can see a lot people’s faces in the video. It is difficult to comprehend what is going on. You can also see Gaponov trying to protect himself from special police troops with a stretched arm. There are no moments where it could be seen that Russians were beating policemen in the video”, - informs “Nasha Niva”. 16:14. The video has finished. 16:24. The judge has asked Breus how he can assess the events of December 19. He has replied that he has never seen anything like that before, knew that he was not going to break the law and that he did not consider the mere presence in Independence Square a law violation. 16:27. The judge has asked Gaponov why he was in the Square. Ivan has answered the same thing as Breus did. He says he was just curious. 16.29. Breus has told the lawyer that “the assault” of the House of the Government took only a few minutes and nobody tried to resume it later. Breus was busy with his injury when the dispersal started; he was detained and pushed into a police car. 16.31. The judge is interrogating Gaponov. There are fewer questions because Ivan was rarely shown in the video. 16:32. The Public Prosecutor has asked for a 7-day break to correct the accusation. She says that some additional circumstances have been revealed. (The civil claimant withdrew the claim when the judge showed him paying slips proving that the citizens had already paid 14 millions). The hearing will continue on March 1.

 

Photo by: Euroradio, "Nasha Nіva".