Chasteners to be tried and lustrated

Up to 25 years in prison – this is a sentence that can follow counter-constitutional retention of power.

An incomplete list of the “deeds” of the Belarusian police and KGB includes attacks, arrests and humiliations, fake protocols on hooliganism and usage of foul language, violent break-up of peaceful demonstrations, searches, intimidations and provocations. The police and KGB were sent to fight the opposition, the citizens of Belarus whose views are different from the views defined by the head of state, Belstat reports.

Similar methods of fighting the opposition were used in the socialist zone under the communists’ rule. The new powers embarked on lustration of former special services employees, which still continues in some countries. In Poland, four ex-policemen who had beaten up peaceful demonstrators in 1987 were sentenced to more than one year with a postponement each. Are such trials even possible in Belarus?

Human rights activist Aleg Vouchak is convinced that such processes are necessary in Belarus, too. “Much harm has been done during these 18 years Mauchan’s broken jaw being the most recent incident. There is a huge need for such trials and for adequate sentences”, human rights activist and former investigator Aleg Vouchak said.

“What sanctions? First of all, there should be a case initiated on abuse of authority, or possibly on counter-constitutional retention of power and aiding and abetting – as far as the demonstration broken up by the police in 2010 is concerned. And this can lead to 25 years in prison, even death penalty. But the investigation and the parliament who’ll be dealing with the case must be independent,” Aleg Vouchak said.

The process over the Polish policemen took two years. Apart from the prison term with a postponement, the court resolved to make the names of the attackers of peaceful demonstrators known to the public. It is noteworthy that during the demonstration the policemen were dressed in civilian clothes.

“It is a good learning for those who attack and hurt people today. Their peace lasts with the incumbent power. The new power will recall their names,” Aleg Vouchak added.