Minsk residents appeal police violence
Minsk resident Uladzimir Marozau choked to unconscious by people in mufti on July 6 outside the National Library
Two Minsk residents Mr. Uladzimir Marozau and Mrs. Sviatlana Viarheichyk have lodged complaints with the city’s prosecutor’s office, appealing violence reportedly used by the police during a “silent protest” on 6 July.
According to Mr. Marozau, he was sitting on a bench outside the National Library, when he was approached by a person who ordered him to leave as there allegedly was an unauthorized rally underway nearby. Mr. Marozau refused to obey as the person failed to give his name or show an ID.
“Then a group of young people started violently dragging me towards a bus with no license plates. I feel down, my legs failed me. I grasped for air trying to stand up. However, my attempts were stopped by the youngsters who presented themselves as policemen. After that, one of them pressed his knee across my neck and twisted my arm, which made me faint. When I came round, there were no policemen there and I was helped up by passers-by”, says the plaintiff, suffering from heart and lungs problems, as well as a diabetes.
The police-related incident posed a threat to Mr. Marozau’s life, as the policemen did not call for an ambulance and prevented other people to do so.
The claimant demands to inspect the incident and prosecute the policemen. The claim is accompanied with a video by the BelaPAN new agency, featuring the above-mentioned violence.
A similar claim was submitted to Minsk Kastrychnitski District Court by Mrs. Sviatlana Viarheichyk, who argues that her arrest on 6 July resulted in health problems.
Mrs. Viarheichyk was detained by unknown persons, as she was sitting on a bench outside the Railway House of Culture in Minsk on 6 July. The unknown persons appeared to be officers of Kastrychnitski District Police Department, who, defying any procedures, grasped the elderly woman and pushed her into a bus. One of the policemen reportedly hit the lady in the breast.
“I was then taken to Minsk Kastrychnitski District Police Department, where I was charged with alleged swearing, shouting and ignoring police orders. The police officials refused to inform my family about the arrest, despite my repeated demands to do so”, says Mrs. Viarheichyk.
The incident was aggravated by the fact the lady has diabetes and hypertonia and has to take medicines regularly. However, she could not take the pills, as they had been seized after the arrest, which is mentioned in the police report.
“All my requests to let me take the medicine were ignored. It was not until around 1:00 a.m. that I felt really unwell and was finally allowed to take the pills. An ambulance was called for, I was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a hypertensic crisis. Apart from that, I was diagnosed with a breast trauma and a functional nervous disorder”, says the woman in her complaint.
