Will investigator of Bialiatski’s case get disciplinary punishment?

Human rights defender Siarhei Ustsinau appealed against the standard refusal to change the restraint to Ales Bialiatski, issued by Tatsiana Kasynkina, an investigator of the Financial Investigations Department of the State Control Committee. The Minsk City Procuracy stated that the investigator had chosen the right restraint.

On the other hand, the procuracy proposed the head of the preliminary investigation department of the FID SCC to consider the question of disciplinary punishment of investigator Kasynkina for giving no explanations about the order of appealing against her rulings.

Siarhei Ustsinau says he will appeal against the answer of the city procuracy at the General Procuracy. “I think that Kasynkina’s ruling is groundless. Keeping an accused in custody solely on the basis of the gravity of the crime, without such reasons as the possible escape from the criminal prosecution organ, contradicts to the Constitution and the international agreements of the Republic of Belarus. Moreover, the accusation article doesn’t belong to the list of crimes against humanity and the state. This is an economical article, and the procuracy could change the restraint, taking into account numerous personal guarantees and the essence of the charges. Moreover, we mustn’t bear the legal nihilism of duty officials towards us, such as the absence of Kasynkina’s signature in the submitted answer,” commented the human rights activist.