When considering an appeal, the judge of the Civil Division of the Viciebsk Regional Court refused to grant a resident of Viciebsk, a native of Ukraine and a Ukrainian by nationality Antonina Pivonos opportunity to use an interpreter.

Antonina Afanasevna is a pensioner. Born in Ukraine, being an ethnic Ukrainian, she perfectly speaks only Ukrainian language. In Belarus the Russian and can communicate, but, according to her, knows the language well enough to understand precisely and unequivocally, everything said by the judges, why, on May 2 during the consideration she does ask the court to provide her with an interpreter with the Russian language, which was conducted litigation, the Ukrainian.

However, the panel of judges composed of a presiding judge Fedortsova, Khil'kevich Kolesnik and judges refused to grant the petition of Mrs. Pivonos, basing its decision on the fact that the Russian language is more "beautiful" than the Ukrainian language, which is spoken Pivonos during the trial. This study is extremely indignant refusal pensioner. It is suggested that in this way the judge board showed "disrespect, contempt and humiliation of national minorities", which is the Ukrainians in Belarus. On this basis, it appealed to the prosecutor of Viciebsk region.

The prosecutor's office did not pay special attention to the fact of discrimination citizen Pivonos on linguistic grounds by the Regional Court. However, she was advised to apply to the regional prosecutor's office justified supervisory appeal to a court of first instance and the Judicial Board on violation of her rights of the consumer by a private company. Also, the deputy prosecutor of Viciebsk region Korenko sent a copy of the complaint Antonina Afanasevny chairman of the Viciebsk Regional Court Nicholay Hamichenok to consider on the merits of its complaint on the private judicial board on civil cases and give it a reasoned response.

In response, the Chairman of the Court states that the facts of negative symptoms, unfriendly attitude or disrespect to the participants of the process on the part of his subordinates in the proceedings Pivonos has not been established. And all the arguments of the pensioner on the violation of the norms of civil procedure law of the cassation instance court admitted baseless. In simple terms, if you speak Russian poorly and therefore not sufficiently understand what you are told judges during a court review of your case, so it's not a problem of the court, and your personal problem.

Nevertheless Antonina Pivonos did not agree with the position of the regional prosecutor's office and the court, which, in its view, must comply with applicable procedural law and be instances where respect for civil rights and, in particular, to protect citizens from discrimination.

Currently Antonina Afanasevna collects the necessary documents for filing a complaint with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus. It is hoped that the highest judicial body of the country objectively sort out the situation, will expose and punish the guilty judges Viciebsk regional court, which allowed discrimination on linguistic grounds.