"No one doubts the resilience of the "springers".

This is done to intimidate everyone else."

The accused are always brought from the pre-trial detention center to the court under an escort, they are taken in handcuffs, they are led along the court corridors in handcuffs.

But the handcuffs are usually removed in the cage, claims the lawyer, who asks to be called Alexander.

"In my nearly 20 years of legal practice, there has never been a case where people sat on the bench with their hands tied.

Yes, the convoy takes the accused from the pre-trial detention center to the court in handcuffs, but the handcuffs are removed in the cage.

It happened that they were even shot through the bars - the convoy was playing it safe when members of an organized criminal group were tried for robbery.

Usually, the defendants take notes, a folder, a piece of paper was always allowed.

I was shocked to see in the state media footage that all three were handcuffed.

Especially since this is a high-profile case that will be watched all over the world," says Alexander.

According to the lawyer, this is moral and psychological pressure not only on the human rights defenders themselves, but also on ordinary people who will see the pictures.

It is also a demonstration of mischief and self-righteousness of security forces, prosecutors, and judges.

"No one doubts the stamina, willpower, and strength of spirit of the "springers".

Moreover, Ales Bialiatski already showed this when he served three years in prison.

This is done to intimidate everyone else.

Like, see how we treat a Nobel laureate?

Sit down and don't squeal!

Everything is allowed to us!

But seriously, I am very ashamed of my fellow lawyers.

Judges, prosecutors, who have become cogs in the system — they are controlled by GUBAZiKs and police officers.

Investigators, judges and prosecutors "killed" the law a long time ago, when they believe absurd accusations and "indulge" such crazy terms for nothing.

Shame and shame," says Alexander.

"The judge's helplessness perfectly illustrates the place of the judiciary in Belarus"

At the trial of the "peasants", the judge of the Lenin court in Minsk, Marina Zapasnyk, could order that the handcuffs be removed from the defendants in the cage.

But she did not do this, Pavel Sapelka, a lawyer at the "Viasna" human rights center, points out.

"The helplessness of the judge, who does not consider it possible to give an order to the rank-and-file ushers in her own court, at the trial where she is presiding, and to put an end to bullying and ill-treatment of the accused, perfectly illustrates the place of judicial power in Belarus.

This also perfectly illustrates the judges' own convictions and their attitude to human rights.

But what can be expected from people who depend on the executive power, who organized judicial conveyors in Akrestsyn detention centers to the sound of batons and screams of torture victims?

From the judges, who in all seriousness include in their sentences the statements of people obtained under torture, and refer to the lack of authority to organize an investigation of these tortures?"

- says Pavel Sapelka.

The lawyer emphasizes that this also applies to the employees of the internal affairs department, who under the guise of concern for security created torture conditions for people who should not be there, in the hall, in this place.

"Torture and ill-treatment cannot be justified by anything at all, those responsible for them will be brought to justice.

There is no statute of limitations for crimes against humanity," says Pavol Sapelka.

"The authorities dream that the Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski will fall to his knees in court and repent"

Former lawyer Mikhail Kirilyuk draws attention to the fact that right now the most dangerous enemies for the government are human rights defenders and journalists, who are widely recognized as extremists.

And take revenge on them very harshly, they set long terms.

"They once joked that Lukashenka's most dangerous "bribes" are doctors and teachers.

So now the most dangerous "extremists" are journalists and human rights defenders.

Naturally, this is such a pressing.

Out of more than three thousand people who are sitting on political articles, only two of the famous ones cooperated with Lukashenka's administration - Vaskrasenski and Pratasevich.

This is very infuriating to the authorities.

They don't feel like winners.

They would very much like the majority to repent.

The authorities dream that the Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski would fall to his knees in court, repent, confess his love for Lukashenka and "Russian peace".

That's how low it is to take revenge - with the same handcuffs," former Belarusian lawyer Mikhail Kirilyuk is convinced.

"The attitude towards the Belarusian language in prisons is the same as towards the "extremists" themselves"

As a Belarusian, Mr. Kirilyuk was very outraged that judge Marina Zapasnyk rejected the request of human rights defenders to have the trial conducted in Belarusian.

"For me, this is a sign of colonial politics.

Imagine how Mahatma Gandhi was arrested in India and forced to speak in English in court: they said, "You are in an English court."

If we continue this analogy, England at least took responsibility when it introduced English administration to Indian lands.

And in Belarus, there is such a hybrid colonization, when the Belarusian language is being destroyed.

The attitude towards the Belarusian language in prisons is the same as towards the "extremists" themselves.

If you use the Belarusian language, it is immediately treated as a political one: you are an extremist, you are prone to escape.

And in general, when a person speaks Belarusian, he is now viewed as a separatist who wants to separate a piece of our land from Russia," Mikhail Kirilyuk suggests.