Andrei Levinau: “Most Belarusians regard militia as punitive agency”

Former Vitsebsk militiaman and former MP candidate Andrei Levinau told in an interview to Radio Svaboda about the difficulties, he had met during 15 years of his work. The last time he was punished by dismissal from the post of deputy chief of a militia department.

Andrei Levinau worked as a district militiaman in the beginning, then he worked in inquiry service for 11 years, was a deputy chief of a militia department. Career of captain Levinau wasn’t so easy due to his fidelity to principle, unwillingness to yield “requests”, and phone “advices” and groundless orders of commanders. Later, he was dismissed.

“They wanted to fire me on vain grounds. But they failed, because I agreed to work as a district militiaman,” Levinau said.

According to the militiaman, people, he saw near him, gave him optimism.

“Attitude of common people gave me to understand that I am in the right place. People need you, because you help them. What concerns my chiefs, I have never been interested in their estimation,” Andrei Levinau explains.

In his view, the today’s Belarusian militia is vertical, dictatorial.

“Of course, it is vertical. It is not for nothing that it is said: a militia department of a executive committee. It is also subordinates to the ministry,” Levinau said.

The militiaman has assured for 15 years of work that laws need cardinal changes, legislation should be changed for the better.

“Today laws exist for officials, not for simple citizens. It must be changed,” he said.

During the recent “electoral campaign”, the militia officers made certain again that the authorities play the game according to their rules and wil never obey the law.

Andrei Levinau also noted that most people are afraid of the Belarusian militia, regarding it as a punitive agency.