Aleh Vouchak: Minsk Metro Security Is Unprofessional, It Will Do Nothing

Belarusian people wonder whether they are protected against terrorist threat.

This is the most serious terrorism threat in Europe over the last decade - this is how the “Europol”, a European Union police service, assesses the current security level in Europe. Meanwhile, after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, not only the EU but also Belarus tightens its security measures, as it was informed by Interior Minister Ihar Shunevich.

According to Shunevich, Belarusian law enforcement authorities have a realistic assessment of the possibility of terrorist attacks on the territory of our country. Certain departments are already operating in a robust security regime. The Interior Minister added that due to the terrorist attacks in France the law enforcement authorities monitor terrorist threats, including those in the Internet.

Officially, there was one terrorist attack in the history of independent Belarus - the explosion in the Minsk metro in April 2011, which resulted in 15 people dead and 203 injured. Another explosion, wherein more than fifty people were injured, happened in the capital during the celebration of Independence Day in 2008. However, the incident was qualified as malicious hooliganism.

Aleh Vouchak, a human rights defender, to Hot Comment for Belsat TV.

“Today, we consider it expedient to create private security agencies, where former employees (of the law enforcement agencies) would come to work. They could compete with each other and be funded from the budget for maintenance of security. Speaking about the metro security, I consider it unprofessional and unable to do anything. Besides, a lot of people complain about the humiliating procedure which they must undergo”, - Aleh Vouchak said on the air to Belsat TV.