Vitsebsk: regional authorities mock at human rights activist

Recently human rights defender Pavel Levinau has received an answer from the Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee concerning his address to the head of the REC, Aliaksandr Kosinets. Levinau is informed that the application was reitstered and would be considered by the personnel department of the executive committee within the legally established terms. The human rights defender considers it as mockery.

In his address Pavel Levinau asked Kosinets, as a member of the Council of the Republic, not to vote for a number of laws, which are considered as repressive by many experts.

On 21 October the Council of the Republic adopt the Law “On Making Chanes and Ammendments to Certain Laws of the Republic of Belarus” and amendments to the Law “On Mass Events”, ignoring public protests.

However, even if Kosinets read the letter, it would hardly change anything: two other members of the Council of the Republic living in Vitsebsk, whom Levinau addressed as well – Alena Padaliak and Aliaksandr Ziankou, supported the adoptin of the laws by their votes. They did it though they had read arguments about the incompatibility of the drafts to the Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international undertakings of Belarus.