A fateful verdict, humanity and precision in the law. The specifics of the work were told in court

Sergey Shevtsov First Deputy Chairman of the Gomel Regional COURT Today , the work of the courts accumulates a number of innovations, responding to modern technologies. However, is electronic justice possible, is everything true in TV shows about the courts - the First Deputy Chairman of the Gomel Regional Court Sergey Shevtsov told BELTA in an interview about the specifics of the profession, metamorphoses in the dock and artificial intelligence in the system. 
In the context of years,

the First Deputy Chairman of the Gomel Regional Court Sergey Shevtsov has been in the field for more than 30 years. In the context of decades, as Sergey Mikhailovich notes, there is something to compare. In the 1990s, known for their instability and high crime rate, he began his career as an investigator. He worked in this line until the 2000s, gaining invaluable experience. "These were difficult years, characterized by rampant crime. There were thefts, robberies, and murders in the districts and Gomel. The contrast with today is simply colossal," he emphasizes.

However, if the situation varies in the number of crimes, then in terms of structure there are practically no changes. "Having analyzed the situation over all these years, we can say that crime does not stand still with the development of technology, but adapts to reality. Fraud has always existed, but now cybercrime creates a certain social tension. If we talk about drug crimes, then previously in the everyday life of such circles there was simple poppy straw, now we are talking about synthetic psychotropic substances that lead to extremely serious consequences. Even after using a small amount of them , addiction appears , moreover, among young people it leads to fatal outcomes, taking the lives of those who could still realize themselves in some area. And this is a serious danger," the first deputy chairman of the regional court emphasizes.

Court decisions and sentences are a kind of reflection of the crime situation in the region. According to the results of the first half of 2025, the court notes a noticeable decrease in the number of crimes. Those who committed a crime are punished - according to the law and justice. "At the same time, it is worth considering such a circumstance as acts of amnesty, such a practice is used almost every year. This year it was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory," adds the first deputy chairman of the regional court. 
Through correction to the goal

Цель судебной системы - не наказать, важно исправление, поэтому суды тоже относятся к числу госорганов, нацеленных на профилактику правонарушений. "Да, в первую очередь соблюдается принцип неотвратимости наказания, причем соответствующего и по закону, и по морали - как человек того заслужил. С другой стороны, мы понимаем, что ограничиваться судебными процессами невозможно, стараемся работать на профилактику. Практикуем такие формы, как выездные судебные заседания во взаимодействии с силовыми ведомствами: прокуратурой и др. У нас созданы рабочие группы, которые стараются охватить вниманием и молодежную среду. Встречаемся и со студентами в университетских аудиториях, проводим встречи и в трудовых коллективах, и в школах. Важно максимально задействовать разные категории граждан и сработать на упреждение. Кроме того, широко задействуем в этой работе интернет-ресурсы", - поясняет собеседник. 

По организации выездных заседаний суды работают в тесном взаимодействии с правоохранительным блоком, с представителями системы образования. "Анализируем, насколько актуально дело, в какой среде, и самое главное - чтобы было воспринято правильно. Чтобы поняли и не сделали шаг в ту же пропасть. Разъяснить, почему такие сроки и т.д.", - добавляет он.

Защита прав и законных интересов

В судах региона, как и по всей стране, граждане ищут и находят защиту своих законных интересов и прав. Так, значительна категория дел именно этой направленности. К примеру, некачественно оказана пациенту помощь в стоматологической клинике, нарушены все сроки по выполнению заказа мебели с поставкой дефектного товара, упавшее аварийное дерево в пик непогоды повредило автомобиль, получена травма при падении из-за неотремонтированного вовремя крыльца - это лишь малая доля, случаев из жизни множество.

"Важно расширить понимание людей, что суды - это не карательный орган, который приговаривает к лишению свободы, например. Самое главное - реализация декрета Президента Республики Беларусь об основах идеологии белорусского государства. И Верховный Суд разработал план мероприятий. Наша основная стратегическая задача - обеспечение эффективной защиты прав, свобод и интересов каждого конкретного человека. Рассматриваются дела в защиту прав пострадавших", - отмечает важность этого направления Сергей Шевцов.

Не те закладки делают

Широкий резонанс в обществе получают преступления и меры наказания по линии наркоконтроля. Санкции 328-й статьи Уголовного кодекса предусматривают нешуточные сроки. Нередко фигурантами по таким делам проходят даже несовершеннолетние.

According to the judge, many young people are brought to the dock by a simple desire to earn some extra money. "Young people tend to want to make money as quickly as possible. And online drug stores supposedly provide such an opportunity. It would seem that transporting packages from one place to several others is a simple and easy job. However, despite the outward appearance of seeming simplicity and harmlessness of the operations, these are criminally punishable acts. There is a complex structured system of this, so to speak, business.Law enforcement officers are aimed at identifying and getting to the primary links - those who supply drugs to the country and then distribute them," emphasizes Sergei Shevtsov.

Often, young people who have their whole lives ahead of them are accused of drug crimes. And the sentence is not the worst thing that can affect their fate. "There are also those among them who use drugs themselves, killing their body - after all, modern synthetic psychotropics can lead to irreversible HEALTH consequences from the first doses. In fact, yesterday's active and ambitious young man can turn into a vegetable, whose life is supported by medication. I repeat, work to prevent both the crimes themselves and their consequences is extremely important. Our preventive measures, meetings, and working groups are primarily aimed at this. Formalism is unacceptable in our work. When the court considers a criminal case of any category, and this one in particular, we analyze the causes and conditions that contribute to the commission of crimes. Of course, we issue private rulings or decisions to the relevant organizations on the part of the courts in order to promptly respond to any omissions in the work of institutions," the interlocutor notes.
The Face of Gomel Themis

In terms of gender, the judicial system of the southeastern region is increasingly approaching the face of Themis itself: 52% women and 48% men. "This trend can be interpreted in different ways. On the one hand, such a degree of responsibility falls on fragile shoulders, and on the other hand, as a rule, women are more responsible and scrupulous, and men are more forceful," says Sergey Shevtsov. 

The judiciary of the region is quite mature in age. The average age of the core is 45 years, when there is a certain life experience and work experience. 

At the same time, a solid baggage of knowledge and experience is constantly replenished. New trends require self-improvement. "We see how technologically advanced the same frauds have become in recent years. Yes, they were there in the 1990s. And they are based on basic things, but over the years the tools and algorithms for their implementation change. To a greater extent, we are focused on ensuring that our judges improve their skills on a practical basis. Of course, the wealth of knowledge and experience that our judges have acquired over the years is priceless, but modern trends cannot be ignored. It is important to understand and delve deeper," he emphasizes.  

In addition, the first in Belarus to create a union of veterans of court employees last year was in the Gomel region. "This public organization unites not only judges, but also court staff, among whom there are those who have dedicated 40-50 years of their lives to the system. These are respected people who have made a worthy contribution. In many ways, they were the ones who provided strong practical assistance in organizational matters, in ensuring justice. We maintain relations with them," Sergei Shevtsov notes with respect.
AI in court Artificial intelligence

is being introduced in many areas , and the judicial system is no exception. "I am deeply convinced that no matter how highly developed artificial intelligence is, what a person can do by passing it through his soul and heart, artificial intelligence will never do. At the same time, it can help in many matters of organizing trials and activities. Gradually, technology simplifies many things. We are moving towards electronic justice. Today, almost no one keeps records by hand. We have moved away from this. The short version is in printed form, everything else is recorded by audio and video recording. Wherever modernization and reconstruction is carried out, new buildings are erected, we introduce all the innovations. We strive to ensure that in the future, cases are not received on paper. And this is all good, this is the future. However, ultimately, decisions must be made and verdicts must be rendered by a thinking, objective and experienced person," Sergei Shevtsov is sure. The law does not exclude humanity The first case, which was once assigned to the young investigator Shevtsov, was not difficult, but was remembered forever. A lonely orphan stole bedding and clothes. "When I was investigating the motives, it turned out that the man didn't even have anyone to bring him a parcel. I was moved. I conducted the investigation strictly according to the law and, in a purely humane way, I passed on some food," the interviewee recalls one of his first cases.  "I am a supporter of human relations in all areas. In those same wild 90s, there was a wave of crime, and offenders had to be arrested. The specifics of life in a small town are such that paths constantly cross. I can say that even those people who had to be held accountable still greeted each other many years later. Because they were treated strictly according to the law, and not the lawlessness that many took for granted at the time. Relationships between people are a delicate matter. Yes, you are on duty and are endowed with a certain amount of power and authority, but they must be used only from the point of view of the law," he emphasizes.







I also remember the first case that I heard as a judge. "I had been working for literally a week - and I received a case in which the verdict had been overturned more than once. And that time it was overturned by the Supreme Court. It was a murder. Even with considerable experience and a certain amount of knowledge in this area, there was a little excitement. It is one thing when you as an investigator investigate, clarify the circumstances and send the case materials, and quite another - you make a final decision and determine the future fate of a person. Then I pulled myself together and brought everything to a logical conclusion," recalls Sergei Shevtsov.

The status does not allow emotions

This is how the position of a judge in the system is characterized. "The law requires one to be impartial, objective and honest. People are very sensitive to even the intonation of the voice in the process, not to mention giving or not giving the floor, accepting or rejecting a motion and other moments. It's all very subtle - I would even note the similarity with jewelry work. And this must be cultivated in oneself. We also target our young colleagues at this - it is unacceptable to react emotionally. As a rule, there are many participants in the process, and they are all different, but everyone must feel that there is, so to speak, a master or curator in the room who manages this process. Then, in the absolute majority of cases, everything goes well," the first deputy chairman of the regional court immerses himself in the subtleties of the craft.

Also, from practice, I especially remember a case about sexual inviolability, the circumstances of which were examined many years ago. The crime was committed tete-a-tete. The suspect abused a woman of retirement age. At that time, expertise was not yet developed enough to put all the i's in certain moments. The process was very difficult. Nevertheless, in the end, the criminal was justly punished. 

Then a strict but fair sentence was handed down. "Having delved into all the details of the crime and taking into account the moral side, I believed that the punishment for that act should be stricter than the prosecution had initially indicated. I proceeded from my knowledge, experience, intellect, without bias, showing composure, and strictly within the law. And they agreed with my opinion. An appeal was filed, the sentence was appealed, reviewed and left unchanged. It was a resonant moment for that time, but everyone appreciated the fairness of the decision," emphasizes Sergei Shevtsov.

Metamorphoses in the dock

Different people are involved in cases of various categories: men, women, teenagers. Among them are citizens with higher education, status and position, and ordinary workers. There are calm, and daring, and those who have lost hope, and those who have resigned themselves to the situation.

However, the most striking change in "role" is typical for the category of minors. This is more related to age and peculiarities of worldview. "As an investigator, we worked late into the night as part of investigative and operational groups. Sometimes we returned home after two in the morning. The most dangerous category is not even hardened bandits (by the way, they were the ones who greeted), but groups of minors, especially if they are under the influence of drugs or ALCOHOL. For their own self-affirmation, they can do very bad things. And when they are charged, they end up in the dock, they can shed tears, etc., but this is post factum," an experienced judge noted the contrast in the behavior of the defendants.

About repentance

Repentance and a sincere admission of guilt are among the mitigating circumstances. How can their sincerity be recognized? "It is one thing to repent in words and quite another to do so in awareness and actions. I will give a classic example - debtors in alimony payments. Almost everyone at the hearing assures that he fully admits, repents, etc. But evasion of alimony is a criminal offense, and intentional, conscious. When you explain these points to a person, pointing out that he is evading the maintenance of his own children, you immediately hear a stream of various reasons in response, allegedly justifying such a position. And where is the repentance then?" - emphasizes Sergey Shevtsov.

"At the same time, there are people with certain socially dangerous deviations. And they sincerely repent, this is evident both from confessions and from their attitude, and most importantly - from how much they try to compensate for the damage or make amends for the harm they caused. This is extremely important," the judge emphasizes.

World victory

Sergey Shevtsov separately noted the category of civil cases on land disputes. They are often characterized by intense emotions and hostility caused by the principled positions of the two parties, who in most cases are close people. 

Sergey Shevtsov especially remembers an incident at the beginning of his career in the judicial system. It was a dispute between two sisters who were dividing an inheritance. "The court decision was overturned several times. By that time, the parties had incurred huge expenses on lawyers, state fees, etc. I followed one of the most important principles of justice - a focus on reconciliation of the parties. At the preliminary stage, I managed to find the right words so that two relatives understood each other. It was an unobtrusive conversation, an appeal to sort things out humanly and put an end to that issue. I gave the parties a week's time-out so that each could decide for itself and draw a conclusion. And soon they came, saying that they were ready to enter into a settlement agreement. For me, it was a great satisfaction to help people sort out not only the problem, but also each other. Getting through to people, finding the best solution to the problem and putting an end to it is worth a lot. In that case, a settlement agreement was concluded and the proceedings were terminated," the judge proudly notes, because such moments bring special satisfaction.

"Of course, you need to delve deeply and try to focus as much as possible on all the subtleties, treat each side correctly and respectfully, so that no one could even hint that the judge took someone's position," he adds. This is the reflection of all the symbols of Themis: the blindfold aims at an impartial attitude towards the parties to the dispute, the scales serve as a measure of justice, and the sword symbolizes spiritual strength. 

Court in the cinema

Discussing the realism of the presentation of the judicial system in films and popular shows, Sergei Shevtsov is inclined to proceed from their level. "For example, at the level of the Supreme Court, the project "The Court Will Decide" has been implemented. Its peculiarity is that our professional colleagues with extensive experience explain the decisions made. Therefore, in many ways, this information is useful to a wide range of people, but it must be understood that each case has its own peculiarities and subtleties. In general, this can be considered as an unobtrusive source of promoting legal literacy of the population," the interlocutor notes.

As for films and TV series, the bar for realism is lowered. "If you look at the background, perceiving it as artistic material, you can see it, but individual things often still make professionals smile," says Sergey Shevtsov.
Balance of rest and work

"It may seem to someone from the outside that a judge in a robe and a white shirt decides destinies. But in fact, one way or another, a judge processes each case through his mind, soul and heart. It is impossible without this. It is very important for a person to be able to recuperate. Everyone has different ways of doing this. I know from my own experience that when considering cases, it is important to find a way to distract yourself, to recuperate. Sometimes it is impossible to fall asleep at night, because you continue to think and analyze. Thousands of mental operations: circumstances, arguments, facts. It is impossible to transfer this information from the brain to a flash drive and leave it in the office. And this is always, by and large, a stressful situation. On the one hand, a person's fate is in the balance, and on the other, justice must be observed. And there is also the position of the second, injured party," the experienced judge shares.  

"For me personally - for my soul and heart - a full-fledged recovery process can only take place near my home, my native places. Working on the land brings a certain pleasure. The process itself allows you to switch off, to escape from everyday worries, the fruits are pleasing, and such moderate physical activity is also beneficial for the body. Of course, time spent with family is also priceless. Together with my wife, we love to go to the forest for mushrooms. We are already waiting for the opening of the season in our native Zhlobin district. All this together allows us to achieve that very life balance and harmony. We enjoy spending time in our Belarusian sanatoriums: beautiful nature, excellent conditions. Whenever possible, we try to discover our country more and more. We build joint routes through historical places and attractions. We pass by the memorial to children victims of the war in Krasny Bereg, Zhlobin district very often - these are native places for me and my wife. We visit such places of memory together with colleagues," said Sergey Shevtsov.  

The judge considers this aspect of life to be of no small importance, because objectivity is important in working with people, since in addition to court hearings, there are also citizen receptions. "In most cases, people come to us with problematic issues. Some citizens are extremely charged, emotionally tense, and dissatisfied. It is important to let the person recover emotionally, listen to him and get to the bottom of his issue. Bring the conversation into the legal channel, help the person exercise his rights. For me, the assessment of my work by people is more important. And it is not about the quantitative result, how many cases I have reviewed. This is also the same gratitude from violators whose cases have been reviewed according to the law and justice. I see this as a strategic task for myself to be useful. This personally gives me satisfaction from my work," the First Deputy Chairman of the Gomel Regional Court summed up.

BELTA,
photo by the Gomel Regional Court.