Policeman Menaced an Oppositionist with Gun

Yesterday near the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk a policeman menaced a deputy chairman of the United Civil Party Ihar Shynkaryk with a gun. As the politician said to the Charter97 press center, yesterday he tried to make picture of a police micro bus UAZ, in which the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka was transported to the court of Tsentralny district (Arlouskaya Street). I started picturing the car, and suddenly a police sergeant-major came up at a run. He started shouting that it was a police car and I could not make pictures of it. Then he pulled a gun out from a holster, started to brandish it and menace me that he would shoot. I understood that it was possible, and deleted a picture of the car, Ihar Shynkaryk said.

However, the politician has left some pictures, and he has a police car picture. Its number is MH 0590. Ihar Shynkaryk does not know the name of the person who threatened him. He had not presented himself and didnt have a badge on.

It was not the first time when policemen menace with guns or make use of arms without any lawful grounds.

On March 2, 2006 an officer of the special detachment Almaz opened fire on a car of Yury Radzivil, an activist of presidential candidate Kazulins headquarters, from a combat pistol Makarov.

Mass arrests of people were taking place by the police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk at that time. . People had come to support Alyaksandr Kazulin. Alyaksandr Kazulin was previously arrested and beaten up at the attempt to take part in All-Belarusian Assembly. Yury Radzivil was filming the total lawlessness with a video camera. When Almaz officers saw that, they started to pursue the oppositionist. The officers of the special police unit were in plainclothes, they hadnt shown any credentials, hadnt demanded Radzivil to stop or do something else. Without warning they tried to penetrate the car. They broke the windshield, and then opened fire on wheels.

Yury Radzivil sent an application to the prosecutor of Minsk N. Kulik with a demand to bring up a criminal action against unknown civil persons who made use of arms against him. However the prosecutor brought up a criminal action against the injured person. The oppositionist was sentenced to three months of arrest.
Source: www.charter97.org