Mikalai Kazlou: What We Have Here Is Absolute Unprofessionalism

A loud trial on the resonant case of New Year shooting in an apartment building is being held in Minsk.

Andrei Haurosh is accused of attacking police sergeant Ruslan Salauyou being in a state of intoxication. The police was called by the neighbors who complained of the noise. Despite the fact that Haurosh has been wounded from the service weapon, he faces up to 5 years of imprisonment.

According to some experts, it is necessary to speak in this case not about the self-defense, but about the excess of power by a police officer with aggravating circumstances, Radio Svaboda reports.

As former investigator of the Frunzensky district prosecutor's office of Minsk, and now human rights activist Aleh Vouchak says, the Minsk police leadership has taken Ruslan Salauyou’s side. However, the story of the incident rises a lot of questions:

"As follows from Salauyou 's testimony, in that situation he shot point-blank in the man’s vital organs. At the same time, by his own admission, he did not make a warning shot.

Haurosh did not have anything in his hands that would threaten the life of a police officer. The victim was talking indistinctly about self-defense. But, having been shot in the back, it's impossible to talk about self-defense. And this shows that fire weapon was improperly used against an unarmed person. The charge is based solely on the policeman’s testimony.

This is not self-defense, but the excess of power by a police officer with aggravating circumstances, because there is evidence of an assassination attempt. If there were random people in the corridor during the shooting, the consequences could be much more tragic."

The young policeman’s unprofessional behavior only by a lucky chance did not end up in a fatal way, retired police lieutenant colonel Mikalai Kazlou notes. According to him, a person wearing epaulets must prevent, rather than provoke criminality:

"I can definitely say that in this situation the policeman behaved unprofessionally. He could have expected that the people would be drunk, so he could have taken a partner. He allowed a man to approach him, and supposedly let the suspect hit him. That is, it is necessary to predict possible conflicts and not let them happen.

I do not know at what stage he made a shot, whether there were grounds for that or not. But I'm far from thinking that the policeman came, pulled out a gun and started shooting at everyone, I do not believe it. At the same time, I am absolutely convinced that if there had been a professional employee in his place, he would not have allowed such a situation in principle. After all, a policeman must realize that, when going on a call, he might face all kinds of people. There can be two or three people, intending to seize his weapon.

Therefore, when you go, you should clearly understand that the situation might develop in any way. He has to foresee everything and behave appropriately. If it comes up to shooting in a conflict, I think that it’s the policeman's fault. His personal one, as well as the one of his leaders, the duty officer, who sends a friend, and of the teachers, who taught him. We have to look at it as a whole."

Andrei Haurosh got two gunshot wounds during the conflict with the police. He has not pleaded guilty. Ruslan Salauyou insists that he was forced to defend himself from an "aggressively disposed citizen". He also demands compensation in the amount of 87 rubles for the destroyed police uniform.