Police officers want to present charges to Ivan Bedka for... disseminating an answer of the Slonim authorities

On 3 December four policemen paid a visit to the Slonim-based civil activist Ivan Bedka. They wanted to charge him with posting leaflets. In fact, the activist posted the answer he had received from the Slonim District Executive Committee (DEC) to dwellers of the 1-ai Siamihodki Street.

The activist received to sign the accusation report and asked the policemen to leave his apartment.

Some tome ago Ivan Bedka addressed the head of the Slonim DEC, Iosif Pauliukevich, with an open letter, asking why no works on the beautification of the street had ever been conducted. The address was also signed by the street dwellers. The officials, in their turn, did nothing, and just sent an answer, signed by Pauliukevich: “The Slonim District Executive Committee informs you that the works on the improvement of the yards of the living block in the street have been completed”.

Ivan Bedka was quite surprised at receiving such an answer, as no works have been conducted. He supplied the answer with the following comment: “We, dwellers of the suburb, collected signatures under the application to the Slonim DEC for the beautification of 1-ai Siamihodki Street, construction of children's playgrounds, auto parkings, improvement of the street and the carriage ways among the houses. An answer has been received, according to which the works on the beautification of the street had been conducted. Who of the street dwellers has ever seen these works on our street?”. He printed out some copies of the text and hanged them out at the entrances of all porches of the houses in 1-ai Siamihodki Street.

These papers hanged there for a short time, as soon the DEC officer Yamelina came there, tore these “leaflets” (as she called them) down and called the police.