Human rights activist Aleh Vouchak cannot get his passport back

Aleh Vouchak complains to a prosecutor's office at the actions by police officers and disappearance of his passport.

As BelaPAN news agency learned from human rights activist Aleh Vouchak, he filed a complaint to the prosecutor's office of the Tsentralny district of Minsk informing that policemen refuse to give back his passport.

On February 6, 2012, Aleh Vouchak applied to the Investigation Committee in Minsk asking to open a criminal case over article 378 of the Criminal Code (stealing personal documents), because his passport disappeared while he was serving his term in custody.

We remind that Aleh Vouchak, a former investigator from a prosecutor's office and head of Kyiv-based association “Legal Assistance to Public”, was detained in Minsk on January 27. He was accused of disorderly conduct and sentenced to four days in custody. Vouchak says his passport disappeared from his flat during his detention. “After the detention, policemen seized my keys. I suspect policemen to have taken my passport so that I was not able to visit human rights conferences. It's just a suggestion which I cannot confirm. I do not know where my passport is,” the human rights activist said.

On February 8, Vouchak applied to the Tsentralny district police department over stealing his passport. He says the last time he saw his passport was on January 27, when he was detained by policemen from the Tsentralny district police department.

“The chief of the Tsentralny district police department, Radzevich, ordered inspector Saladun to study my case. I saw Saladun on March 12 to talk why there have been no decisions on the case, thought the law prescribes to study materials within a month. Saladun said in a private conversation the period of consideration would be prolonged, but failed to explain the reason,” Vouchak said.

He thinks police officers intentionally delay a decision on his complaint. As the same time, the citizenship and migration office of the Frunzenski district police department refuses to issue a new passport to Vouchak until the inquiry over his passport appearance is not completed.