Haradok: political activist to be tried for insulting an official

Leanid Autukhou compared an official with a "terrorist in Lugansk and Donetsk". He left such a record in the book of complaints of the regional employment centre, outraged by the behavior of the head of the institution, Piatro Prasolau. The official, in his turn, appealed to the police.

On March 12, the member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Leanid Autukhou gave explanations. According to him the case will be passed to court soon.

"Police inspector Uladzimir Sasnou informed me that the head of the employment centre filed a complaint, regarding it as an offense. The police brought an administrative case under Article 9.3 “Insult, conscious humiliation of honor and dignity in an unseemly manner”. However, I don't think I've done something obscene. The book of complaints is aimed at making higher authorities react to what is set out there. I wrote that on February 13, when I came to the employment centre, the head of the institution behaved rudely, "like terrorists in Lugansk and Donetsk". To my mind, there has been a violation of the law: I was illegally removed from the register for unemployment. The incident took place while I was trying to discriminate in this issue. I filed an appeal on these facts a month ago,” stated Mr. Autukhou.

The activist thinks that the official's appeal to the police may be a revenge of the head of the employment centre. The matter is that the prosecutor's office is carrying out an inspection of work of the institution. Leanid Autukhou informed the prosecutor that the employment center was proposing non-existent vacancies. That's why those who come to enterprises are either not employed at all, or proposed some other positions, which may not correspond to one's qualification or provides a very low salary.

Mr. Autukhou had to refuse from the work proposed by the employment centre several times, as he was first sent to one position, but was proposed another one at the site. After three such unsuccessful attempts the employment centre informed him that he had violated its rules and therefore was removed from the register for unemployment. He received a formal warning about it, dated January 23, whereas it was stated that he had been removed from the register back on January 14. He came to the employment centre, as he did every month, to learn the details and express his disagreement.

"This date was appointed during my last visit. While I was trying to get a centre's employee answer for which reasons I had been removed from the register, Piatro Prasolau interfered in our conversation. He was rude, shouted and I decided to make a record about it in the book of complaints. To complain is my legal right, and I wanted the bosses of this official to pay an appropriate reaction – to explain him that such behaviour is inadmissible,” says Leanid Autukhou.

If the court finds the comparison with "terrorists in Lugansk and Donetsk" insult, Leanid Autukhou can be fined up to 20 basic units.