Babruisk: Alena Toustsik regularly “invited” to police
Activist of the United Civil Party Alena Toustsik, fined for lighting
candles on the Ancestors’ Day, 2 November, suffers from excessive police
attention.
Besides the fine, she also faced problems at the place of residence – in April
she will be evicted from the hostel where she and her daughter are officially
registered. Moreover, recently she has started receiving “invitations” to come
to the local police bureau in connection with the change of her passport and
also for giving her fingerprints.
The invitations are brought not to the hostel, but to the mother’s apartment where
Alena is currently living, which means that the police know her location. “At
first police inspector Dzianis Rakouski kept phoning to the apartment telling me
to come to the police for fingerprinting. When I refused he told that they
needed to introduce changes in their database as I had changed my passport. I
don’t know and can’t understand the reasons for their interest. May be, the
real reason is that they want to get my fingerprints,” comments the woman.
Alena Toustsik refused to come to the police bureau without getting an official
writ. She says that police officers keep bringing invitations written with a
black pen on ordinary paper. During the last visit they brought a summons that
was filled in the wrong way.
Bear in mind that recently another person fined for lightning candles, Artsiom
Markhasiou, has been summonsed to the police. The police took his fingerprints
and then let him go.
