Criminal Case against Union of Poles in Belarus Terminated

The Belarusian authorities have stopped criminal proceedings against 4 members of the Union of Poles in Belarus. Veslau Keuliak, Andzhei Pachobut, Yozef Pazhetski, and Andzhei Pisalnik can now address Hrodna police and get a stamp in passports which allow leaving Belarus for all countries of the world.

’The case was terminated for absence of crime in our actions. It is worth mentioning that after the case was reopened, there was a rather strong reaction of the Polish side, which also forced them to close the case I think. On the other hand, the time limitation for this case is to expire in two weeks, and it would be terminated anyway,’ told the activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andzhei Pachobut to Polish Radio.

The criminal action was brought up on 25 August 2005 on the statement of the director of the Polish House in Shchuchyn (Hrodna region) Viktar Bohdan who alleged that UPB activists threatened him bodily harm. After Anzalika Borys was elected chairman of the UPB, a commission of audit for checking financial standing of the Polish House arrived. However, the director of the institution Viktar Bohdan refused to give required documents, and later complained that there had been attempts to intimidate and recruit him.