Mahiliou: Members of Independent Trade Union Appeal Illegal Police Actions to Minister of Interior and Prosecutor General
On 16 December on the way to Minsk, several kilometers from Bialynichy the traffic police stopped a route taxi with 13 persons in it. All of them were going to a congress of Left forces due in Chernihiv (Ukraine). The traffic policemen proposed the passengers to return to Mahiliou for checking the documents of the route taxi. On the way back to Mahiliou the passengers decided to go move out of the taxi in order to get to the railway station of Zhlobin and overtake their train to Chernihiv there. While they were going out another police car arrived and the police violently pushed the congress delegates back into the taxi. They were told it was necessary to take them to a police department for identification. Among those violently pushed back into the taxi there are Iury Darashenka, Iryna Kacharava, Aliaksandr Karaliou and Aliaksei Paulouski. The police paid no reaction to certificates of candidates to deputy seats of local deputy soviets that were shown by some of the detainees.
Aliaksandr Karaliou, legal adviser of the independent trade union of radio-electronic trade, gave the following description of the events: ‘They drove us around the city as criminals, with their alarm and lights on. All over the road there were traffic police pickets pointing the direction to Mahiliou district police department. On getting there we immediately demanded the complaint book and put down our complaints against the illegal police actions. The policemen gave us a loutish treatment: they used force, tramped our feet and tore a watch strap to Mr. Paulouski.’
The passengers appealed the police lawlessness to the internal affairs boar of Mahiliou regional executive committee, which then answered it didn’t find any violations in the actions of the policemen. After this similar complaints were sent to the Prosecutor General and the Minister of Interior. ‘We are not sure of success. That’s why we also plan to sue the police and will try to use all possible means to show they aren’t right,’ said A.Karaliou.
