Homel Authorities Want To Seize Disabled Person’s Privatized Apartment

The city executive committee explains the "legality" of their actions by Lukashenka's decree.

Homel officials are seizing a privatized apartment. Vasil Anufryeu, an invalid of the second group, resident of the house No. 2 in Halavachou Street, has addressed the editorial board of Belsat with such a problem.

The administration of Navabelitski district of Homel has recognized the building to be dangerous to use and now it demands from the disabled person to move. Chairman of the Homel City Executive Committee Piotrtr Kirychenka has given an official response: if the house is recognized to be dangerous to use, then the privatization of the apartment is not taken into account.

"Kirychenka answered me: we will give you three kopecks, we will give you a commercial housing. If you do not want the commercial housing, we will leave you on the street without the provision of housing. And I am a disabled person of group 2," – Vasil Anufryeu says to us.

The city executive committee explained the legality of such an exchange by Decree No. 563, signed by Lukashenko 4 years ago. I.e, all you need to do if you want to seize a private apartment in any beautiful region of the city, is to collect a commission for recognizing the house to be dangerous to use.

"Our Constitution guarantees our citizens the right to acquire property and guarantees that this property will be preserved, if it was is acquired legally, – the human rights activist Aliaksandr Euseenka from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee says. – We see that a citizen legally bought a property, but the state does not fulfill its function regarding the protection of this property, in fact, it deprives the citizen of his property."

There are left only seven occupied apartments in the two-story building, where Vasil lives. The remaining residents of the housing did not privatize their apartments, so now, according to the city executive committee, nothing belongs to them at all. Since they, allegedly, abandoned the property on their own will.

"Nobody offered us anything. And she says: how come? We have your signatures under the statement that you decided to stop using the apartments," – Maria Andryjanets, an inhabitant of the house № 2, says.

"I am single. My daughter died at 31. I have been living here for 6 years already. They evict me either to a nursing home or to the street," – Vasilia Anufryeva, another neighbor, tells about her situation.

Vasil thinks that the executive committee officials have their own motives for such activity.

"They want to evict the house and build a high-rise block on its place. Or to give this house at its minimum price to one of their officials," – Anufryeu thinks.

Human rights activists advise in such a situation to save all correspondence with the officials, address lawyers and independent media for help. And Vasil Anufryeu will have to protect his private housing in the court. Not the first time: he had to defend his apartment in 2005 and 2008 as well.