Zhabinka District Administrative Commission Considers Administrative Case against Vasil Andrasiuk

At 9 a.m. on 1 February 2006 Zhabinka District Administrative Commission considered the materials of the administrative case against Vasil Andrasiuk brought upon part 3 of Article 172 of the Code of Administrative Violations of the Republic of Belarus, distribution of printed editions that were produced with violations of the established order and contain no issue data, the content of which is aimed at doing harm to the state and pubic order, rights and legal interests of citizens. The case was brought after Mr. Andrasiuk was detained for handing out the Report of the Special reporter on the situation of human rights in Belarus Adrian Severin. 447 copies of the report were confiscated from Vasil Andrasiuk.

The administrative commission concluded the corpus delicti couldn’t be found in the case materials. In addition, it received a fax from the UN Representation in the Republic of Belarus, in which the advisor of the UN Representation in the Republic of Belarus Uladzimir Shcherbau informed the commission that the document that was handed out by the accused, was an official document of the UN, adopted in accordance with the UN Statute, the international treaty that was also signed by Belarus. Besides, the representation pointed that according to the resolution 53/144 of the UN General Assembly that was adopted on 9 December 1998 every person either individually or in cooperation with others had the right to print, pass and distribute among others opinions, information and knowledge about all human rights and fundamental liberties.

The administrative commission didn’t take the responsibility to solve the case and passed it to Brest Leninski Borough Board of Internal Affairs (the workers of which detained Mr. Andrasiuk) referring to the fact that there was no seal about residence registration in Andrasiuk’s passport.