Resident of Bykhau district demands to prosecute local policeman for forgery

Aliaksandr Shachanok, resident of the village of Dabuzha, Bykhau district, Mahiliou region, has addressed the district’s prosecutor’s office with a demand to re-initiate criminal prosecution against local policeman lieutenant Vashchyla, after his previous demand was dismissed by the police department.

Lieutenant Vashchyla reportedly falsified a police report submitted against Mr. Shachanok, which was established by a special joint commission of Bykhau police and prosecuting authorities. Apart from that the inspection admitted that the policeman forged the examination record of Mr. Shachanok and his wife. However, lieutenant Vashchyla was did not face any charges for the offence, having received an oral reprimand instead.

“Aliaksandr Shachanok was charged with beating his neighbour. However, the fact was not confirmed. During the trial, it turned out that the alleged victim had not reported the offence and the charges were dropped. We consider that the replies to Mr. Shachanok’s complaints from Bykhau police are not correct and the investigation was not finished, being a traditional roundabout response aimed at covering up the actual scale of legal violations in Bykhau district police department”, says Mahiliou human rights defender Barys Bukhel.