General Prosecutor not considered problem of Andrei Kim’s release

Statement of a group of Brest democratic activists to Ryhor Vasilevich, General Prosecutor of Belarus, requiring to release Andrei Kim was sent to prosecutor’s office of the Brest Region for consideration.

As human rights activist Raman Kislyak said to BelaPAN, he learnt it from a telephone conversation with an officer of the prosecutor’s office on 3 March. It was confirmed today by the prosecutor’s office of the Brest Region.

“One has the impression that our statement, signed, besides me, by activists of the democratic forces of Brest Zhana Abramava, Yury Bakur, Vital Symonik and Andrei Sharenda, wasn’t read in the republican prosecutor’s office,” the human rights activist noted. “Firstly, we require to stop popular in Belarus practice when a person can be arrested on the ground of order of investigator approved by a prosecutor.

In accordance with the international obligations of Belarus on human rights a decision of arrest must be taken by a judge. Secondly, we require to release A. Kim. As far as we know, since 31 January till 25 February the opposition activist didn’t meet a judge to examine the question of his custody that is provided by the article 9.3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. On this basis we consider: detention of A. Kim over 48 hours is violation of the right to liberty and security of person, and require to release him.”

As the human rights activist think, the solution of the first problem is within general prosecutor R. Vasilevich’s competence, and the second one falls under cognisance of the Minsk prosecutor’s office, as the opposition activist was detained in the capital, and is kept in the Minsk detention center.

A. Kim was detained on 21 January for participation in the protest action of entrepreneurs in Minsk. He was to be at large on 31 January after his 10-day administrative arrest, but he wasn’t released. A criminal case on the article 364 of the Criminal Code (violent acts or threats against a militiaman) was initiated against A. Kim on 24 January. The opposition activist was guarded to interrogation to the prosecutor’s office of the Tsentralny District of Minsk, and then arrested.