Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Navumau dismissed (Photo, Video)

Alyaksandr Lukashenka accepted the resignation of interior minister Uladzimir Navumau. An official reason for retirement is problems with health.

Uladzimir Navumau is one of the oldest officials in the Belarusians governmental system. He has been an interior minister since September 2000. Before, he was a commander of a special anti-terroristic division Almaz, head of the President’s Security Service.

Uladzimir Navumau has been on the list of persons banned to entry the EU states and the US, his financial assets have been frozen for some years. Along with former secretary of the Security Council Viktar Sheiman, commander of the special purpose squad of the internal troops Dzmitry Paulichenka, and former interior minister Yury Sivakou, he is suspected by the international community of involvement into kidnapping and killing of the opposition leaders.

At the post of interior minister, Uladzimir Navumau achieved notoriety for personal presence at opposition protest actions, dispersal and beating of participants of peaceful demonstrations that is, by the way, is well depicted by these pictures and footage:

The last famous initiative by Navumau is mass fingerprinting. By these measures the minister was trying to find a person guilty in a blast in Minsk on the official Independence Day on July 4, 2008. By the way, though Alyaksandr Lukashenka was near when a bomb exploded, Navumau managed to remain at his post.

Video kp.by

The official reason of Navumau’s resignation causes surprise – Navumai is a head of the Belarusian Hockey Federation, he goes in for sports. For example, he suggested holding a hockey tournament in Minsk, which would last for 24 hours running. Being the head of the interior minister, Navumau walked 100 kilometres, making a show of this, attracting attention of officials of the ministry and journalists. That’s why wording “resigned due to health problems” is rather strange.

Militia Major General Anatol Kulyashou, former deputy interior minister, will be a temporal head of the Ministry of Internal Affaires until Lukashenka appoints a new minister.