House of Minsk residents to be taken by storm for their refusal to evict

It is going to happen today.

The house of the Brels stands on the edge of the pit on the site of the future Vakzalnaya metro station on the third line of the Minsk metro system. Dwellers resist the eviction, because the family is not satisfied with the premises offered by the Minsk Metro Construction Direction in exchange for the house, Nasha Niva writes on its website.

“We were given a three-room flat, but it is too small for our family. Under the president's decree, each member of a family should have 15 square metres. But the flat they offered is smaller,” Natallia Brel says.

Six people – Ivan, Natallia, their three small sons and Ivan's father – live in the green wooden house in the centre of the construction site.

They received an order to leave their home in 2012, Ivan says. The family was given a three-room flat, but their property wasn't assessed. The size of the flat was less than 15 sq m per person. A third son was born later, but officials didn't offer a larger flat.

“We refused to leave the house. We filed a lawsuit to a court. The judge was principled, so the judgement was in our favour. But her decision was cancelled and the case was given to another judge, who ignored the president's decree,” Ivan Brel says. “We appealed to the Council of Ministers, which confirmed that we were right and the flat's square was too small.”

But even the Council of Ministers didn't save the situation.

“The court said it didn't matter what the Council of Ministers decided. They said we didn't need additional metres for our child. We wrote to Sovetskaya Belorussia newspaper. They advised to go to a prosecutor. The prosecutor lodged a protest, but judges dismissed it. We have appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office. We are waiting for a reply now,” the Brels say.

“The problem is not that we don't want to move,” the family says. “We want it to be made in accordance with laws. They should treat people properly. We want a flat of a proper square. Under the president's decree we should have 15 square metres per person. This house has two owners, so, they should give us two flats. We didn't talk to the metro managers. They say they will evict us in any case. I am not going to talk to them unless my property is assessed.”

Living on the construction site is not comfortable for the Bryls, but they are going to struggle for the observance of law.

“Workers regarded us suspiciously at the beginning and even didn't want to allow our car to drive to the house. But it's okay now, they even say hello. We don't have problems with them any more,” Ivan says. “My father once had to defend himself from the dogs that guard the construction site. We feared that they could attack our children, so we decided to feed them. It was the only way out. It's okay with the dogs now.

On March 9, the family received an order from the enforcement department of the Kastrychnitski district court. Bailiffs inform that the Brels will be evicted from the house on March 11. Ivan says it's not the eviction that scares them. The court said his young son would be given to an orphanage.

“They say we will be evicted, the kid remains at home because he cannot be evicted. We will be declared neglectful parents. It is because we complained about the judge. They told us: 'Did you complain? Have it now!' The judge said to my father that he would clean streets. He was born in 1940. He said if fascists hadn't killed him, he would win this time too,” Ivan says.

According to him, none of their neighbours are satisfied with their new flats.

“Some had trials, some were persuaded to move. We are still struggling,” Ivan says. “We are ordinary people. We don't earn much. The house is the only property we have.”

Ivan Bryl called the website before the article was published and said: “They told me they would take the house by storm tomorrow. We'll try to defend ourselves within the law.”