29 March 2024, Friday, 16:58
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Greedy Pants

17
Greedy Pants

Where is the money, Minsktrans?

Every time we get horrified when we hear about new terms for political prisoners: three years, five years, seven, or even more. Against this background, other figures - the sums demanded from political prisoners by the Belarusian transport companies - of course, look pale and are not taken seriously enough: it seems, do grab it all, just let the people go. At the same time, if earlier Minsktrans used to peck quietly like a hen, grain by grain, lately it has acquired the taste, aggrandized its appetite and started running off lawsuits against the protesters indiscriminately, each time increasing the figures with impunity.

The recent sentence to Andrei Liubetski, a maxillofacial surgeon, has shocked everyone: five years in prison for nothing, just for the devil of it. Besides these five years in jail, Liubetski has to pay off the claim of "Minsktrans" for 210 thousand roubles - 80 thousand dollars, if recalculated to money comprehensible to the world. It turns out that by his participation in the protests, he inflicted this very harm to the state transport enterprise. Actually, for that sum, Liubetski would have had to build barricades all over the city by himself, cover all central streets with antitank hedgehogs, lay down with a machine gun in a hidden place and shoot at buses, blowing them into pieces. Where else would such a figure come from?

Shortly before the hearing of the surgeon's case, in early April, the court passed a guilty verdict to another doctor, a veterinary: Yana Zhurauliova was sentenced to three years in jail and to pay "Minsktrans" 179 thousand rubles. In total, in April alone, Minsktrans made $150,000 just for two trials. And Liubetski and Zhurauliova lost their right to the early release on parole, because as long as there are outstanding claims against the person, there can be no parole and no changing of the regime. Well, of course, we all believe that political prisoners will be released much earlier and without any parole. It is impossible to get released on parole by paying off those insane claims. For all that, we must win, there is no other way.

And in general, the transport companies have been pricing their own services too highly recently. I remember, there was also a claim from Minsktrans when participants of the December protests were tried in 2011. The amount was 159470 roubles - the old, pre-reform roubles. According to the then exchange rate it was 52 dollars. And it was not for each person in the dock, but for Zmitser Bandarenka for some reason. What difference does it make, though - to all appearances, the person responsible for the harm was determined by a simple drawing of lots. During the first break in the court session, Zmitser's wife Volha ran to the bank and paid it. The payment receipt was attached to the case file and no further claims were made against anyone. Fifty-two dollars for the buses being delayed on the line is all right, it's an acceptable amount. We're not greedy, so take it and buy yourself a new composter.

However, it turns out their appetites have grown to cosmic proportions over the decade. Even if you don't recall all the "protest" criminal cases, but just the first ones that come to mind, it's a bit embarrassing to see the animal greed of the transport officials and the prosecutors and judges who support them. They recover 56 thousand roubles from journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich, 76 thousand from Anastasia Tarelka, 46 thousand from Mikalai Shemetau, 28 thousand from Ivan Tsehalka and Uladzimir Zhykhar, 46 thousand from Dzmitry Kubarau, 6 thousand from Liavon Khalatryan, 6 thousand from Ivan Krasouski, 22 thousand from Artsiom Sauchuk, 22 thousand from Artsiom Khvashcheuski, 18 thousand from Ihar Prezhennikau, 28 thousand from Ihar Hantavoi - all of these are right off the bat, the trials I can remember. Of course, it is impossible to keep in one's memory thousands of cases and sums. But it is quite enough to demonstrate the voraciousness of the quagmire. If we add here the undreamt-of civil claim for 3 millions to Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Statkevich and those who found themselves in the same dock with them at the trial, one simple question arises. Gentlemen, with such a large-scale racket against political prisoners, the whole Belarusian people should have long ago been able to travel by all means of transport, including taxis, completely free of charge. Nevertheless, buses and trolleybuses are still spattered and shabby; it is still impossible to get into them during rush hour; and the fares are being raised regularly. Not every pensioner can afford the luxury of a regular tram-ride either. The tickets are turning into gold ones. So where are all those millions stolen from political prisoners?

You don't have to answer that. It is clear that it rhymes.

Iryna Khalip, specially for Charter97.org

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