Belarusian police demands to compensate “moral damages” for white-red-white flag

Syarhei Kavalenka, who placed a white-red-white flag on the main New Year Tree of Vitsebsk, was interrogated in preliminary investigation department of the Internal Affairs directorate of Vitsebsk city executive committee.

Having studies the materials of his case, Syarhei Kavalenka found out that three policemen demand to compensate moral damages, Br 10 million each for alleged moral harm, “Salidarnasts” informs.

The interrogation of March 3 was the first meeting of Syarhei Kavalenka with the third investigator in his criminal case. Andrei Baranau has substituted Tatsyana Tuylaeva and Axana Uravitskaya. Beside the activist, his wife was interrogated as well. The new investigator asked the wife, whether they have a sewing machine at home, and whether the Conservative Christian party-Belarusian Popular Front activist had made the flag himself.

“My wife answered that we do not have a machine, and stated she wants to become my trial lawyer, so she won’t answer questions,” Syarhei Kavalenka said. “And I answered: it is none of your business where I have found the flag. I believe every Belarusian has a right to have a flag in his pocket and take it out where and when one wishes”.

Andrei Baranau told to the activist that investigation in his case has been finished, and in a month he can study all the materials. We remind that for hanging out a white-red-white flag on the New Year Tree a case was opened under Article 339 Part 2 (hooliganism, repeated or by a group of persons, or accompanied by insubordination to police, or by less serious bodily harm). He faces up to 6 years of imprisonment.

Meanwhile during the interrogation Kavalenka found out that policemen demand 10 million rubles of moral damages from him. They think the activist was insulting them during the arrest.

“I regard this as a bandit method of squeezing money by people who do not fir to their positions,” the oppositionist summarized.