Haying Time Is Over, Though Prosecutor Still Shies Work

Human rights activists have filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office of Mahilyou region against nonfeasance in office of the prosecutor of Hlusk district Leanid Palevich.

Earlier human rights activists from the human rights centre Viasna filed a legal complaint to Hlusk district prosecution office against an illegal directive of Hlusk district executive committee called “On rendering help in procurement of fodder,” which made employees of 34 enterprises participate in haymaking. Human rights activists attracted attention to the fact that this directive violates the labour laws currently in force, the Constitution of Belarus, as well as international norms in the sphere of human rights, which had been ratified by Belarus. However the prosecutor Leanid Palevich hadn’t made any investigation or check, he simply forwarded the address to Mahilyou regional executive committee.

Human rights activists direct attention to the fact that:

– Under Article 6 of the Belarusian Law “On Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus,” a prosecutor takes measures on preventing violations of this law and other laws, no matter who had committed these violations; on bringing to responsibility persons who had committed them, on restoring rights and legal interests of citizens and legal entities that had been infringed;

– Under Article 27 Paragraph 4 a prosecutor has power to appeal against the legal acts and rulings (actions) of representative, executive and administrative local bodies, and cancels these decisions in the cases provided by the law;

– and ask to inform Prosecutor Leanid Palevich that formal approach in examining public appeals is unacceptable; and besides to order the prosecutor’s office of Hlusk district to conduct a prosecutor's investigation and cancel the directive of Hlusk district executve committee “On rendering help in procurement of fodder.”

We remind that on June 8 Hlusk district executive committee issued a directive “On rendering help in procurement of fodder,” according to which head of legal entities of Hlusk district were to send their employees to participate in haymaking “in the manner prescribed by the laws.”

According to the supplement to the directive, 34 enterprises and organisations in Hlusk and Hlusk district were to participate in haymaking, with a target of 300 kg per person, and 337,600 kg as an overall amount of hay mowed.