Belarusian MPs not willing to tackle Article 193-1 issue, waiting for outer initiative

Deputies of the House of Representatives are not going to consider the issue of decriminalizing Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code, say participants of the 22 December New Year happening quoting Mr. Viktar Huminski, head of the House of Representatives’ Standing Commission for National Security.

‘Both the House of Representatives and the executive authorities are currently considering terms of decriminalizing certain criminal offences, including Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code,’ says Mr. Huminski in his official reply to the activists. Despite the statement, the Parliament is not going to consider the revocation of Article 193-1, since ‘none of the subjects of legislative initiative has introduced a respective bill in the Parliament.’

Human rights activist Valiantsin Stefanovich says the official’s response is odd. ‘It is strange to hear that the deputies of the House of Representatives are waiting for someone to send them some kind of initiative. There is a special lawmaking committee there whose representatives have always drafted bills themselves. I call upon Mr. Huminski to initiate consideration of the Article 193-1 issue himself, since the Parliament has had enough time to study the practice,’ says Valiantsin Stefanovich.

‘It is becoming absolutely evident that all the previous statements on the revocation of Article 193-1, made by officials during the spread of the Eastern Partnership is nothing but bluffing for Europe, and we now have received a written confirmation of the fact,’ says Aliona Valynets, coordinator of the ‘Stop 193-1!’ campaign.