Procuracy covers unlawful actions of police
This story started in
August 2010, when the police demanded that the dwellers of a house in the Minsk
suburb Viasnianka closed their windows
in order to secure the safety of President Lukashenka, though the temperature
was about 35ºC (or 95ºF). One of the people didn’t obey to this demand, as a
result of which a police brigade burst into her apartment.
They used physical violence towards Alena Zastsenchyk, a lecturer of a Minsk university. The
neighbors heard the noise from her apartment and came to see what was going on.
Under their pressure the policemen had to stop twisting her arms.
The woman filed a complaint with the Tsentralny District Procuracy of Minsk. The
human rights defender Siarhei Ustsinau who helped Alena compose the complaint,
explains: ‘The demand to close the windows is not grounded on any laws. There
are no legal acts that oblige the people to close their windows and the
immunity of one’s apartment is an unalienable constitutional right.’
Recently the victim received an answer from the procuracy, which allegedly hadn’t
found any evidence of this crime.
’The check-up that was allegedly held by the Tsentralny District Procuracy, is
incomplete and biased. At first the victim wasn’t directed to forensic
expertise. The procuracy didn’t question the neighbors who had witnessed the
incident. We have already addressed the Minsk City Procuracy with an appeal
against the refusal to instigate a criminal case. We will continue struggling
for an all-sided investigation of this case,’ stated the human rights defender.
