29 March 2024, Friday, 17:21
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Aleh Vouchak: Lukashenka Repeatedly Interferes Into Criminal Justice

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Aleh Vouchak: Lukashenka Repeatedly Interferes Into Criminal Justice
ALEH VOUCHAK
PHOTO: CHARTER97.ORG

The authorities are doing their best to present the Minsk resident who suffered from policeman as a malicious hooligan.

Former investigator at Minsk public prosecutor’s office, human rights defender Aleh Vouchak has said this in an interview to the charter97.org website, commenting upon the accusations presented by the Investigatory Committee to the Minsker who was shot at by an armed policeman on New Year’s night.

- To present an accusation, they should have questioned the witnesses, conducted investigatory experiments, face-to-face interrogations, and a series of examinations: the criminalistic examination, the ballistic and the biological ones. Only in this case they could have set the question of who was guilty – the policeman or the Minsker.

I would like to underline one moment: I think that it is premature to present accusations while a person is still ill – he should get well, be in a normal state to be able to give adequate evidence and provide clear explanations.

They could have, for example, preserved the status of a “suspect” in relation to him, but this case shows an obvious prosecutorial bias against the injured youngster. It seems clear to me that the authorities are just trying to justify themselves for the actions of the negligent policeman.

- How would you comment upon the moment that Lukashenka interfered into this criminal case’s investigation, having said that “no one should resist to police officers, let alone use violence against them”?

- This is not the first time Lukashenka comments on criminal cases. I would like to remind, that, in accordance with the Criminal and Procedural Code, only investigators and public prosecutors are authorized to comment on the cases, and only after the approval which information to comment and which not.

Lukashenka is not a participant of this criminal case, he must not possess the information, so his statement appears yet another proof that he interferes into the activity of the preliminary investigative bodies. Only the court can accuse a citizen and claim they are guilty. Presumption of innocence exists in Belarus, but, as for this case, they want to present the injured Minsker, the person with disabilities (and I think he will be one after all the injuries caused in the incident), as a malicious hooligan who allegedly resisted to the police officers, from the very start.

Why do the authorities defend this policeman? First, as a former officer of the public prosecutor’s office, I think that the shooting policeman broke the law on the internal affairs bodies, having used the weapons. Secondly, the poor professional preparedness means that, in case an officer of the internal affairs bodies is punished, all those who attested him, took decisions where to send him, will be affected, and this is a whole range of officials.

Naturally, all the Interior Ministry’s bosses will report to Lukashenka that the policeman who shot at the Minsk resident acted legally and correctly. However, it will inevitably cause counterreaction of the society on such a notorious case.

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