Procuracy demands explanations from entrepreneurs

On 4 November the leader of the association For Free Development of Business Viktar Harbachou was summoned to the procuracy of Barysau and Barysau region.

The senior prosecutor Iryna Pashkevich demanded that he gave explanations concerning his interview published in press and at websites over the last month. He was charged basing on articles printed from websites ucpb.org, camarade.biz, tut.by, BelaPAN, the website of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Russia and the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.

As said by Viktar Harbachou, he said there that since the beginning of the next year 120 000 entrepreneurs of Belarus will stop their existence if the authorities won’t review legislation concerning them. He underlined that entrepreneurs will defend their rights, and forecasted repetition of street protests like the year before.

As the ucpb.org website was informed by Viktar Harbachou, the authorities saw sedition in his words. The prosecutor’s office demanded to explain in which way the entrepreneurs plan to defend themselves, and what protest rallies are planned. ‘The event hasn’t taken place yet, there are only thoughts, and they want to bring me to responsibility for them,’ the leader of market vendors said. ‘I expressed my point of view as I have a constitutional right for that (Article 33). The problem exists, and it should be solved. It should be solved by collection of signatures, pickets, strikes and so on (Article 35). Entrepreneurs should decide that themselves in their places, each in his own way. If the regime won’t listen to entrepreneurs, then I think they do not exclude such a variant as taking to the streets.’

Viktar Harbachou was interrogated in the procuracy for two hours. After studying the materials he had been presented, he is to give written explanations on 10 November. As said by him, he views the summons to the prosecutor’s office as the regime’s fear and an attempt to prevent protest rallies through intimidation of entrepreneurs.