Babruisk: police officer taxes explanations from civil activist Valiantsina Hlukhava

In the afternoon of 13 February pensioner Valiantsina Hlukhava, an activist of the civil movement “Tell the Truth!” was visited by a police captain. He asked her why she was collecting signatures for the arrangement of the bus stop “Infectious Hospital” and the creation of a pedestrian crossing there, though she lived in another district.

Valiantsina Hlukhava had to give written explanations to him.

“At first I received a telephone call from the city executive committee and was asked whether I collected signatures for the arrangement of the bus stop “Infectious Hospital” and a pedestrian crossing near it. After this a police captain, who introduced himself as the senior inspector on traffic. He asked me whether the signatures were collected by me and why. Then he said that he had had a talk with a worker of the public utilities and it was impossible to make a pedestrian crossing in that place. After this he required written explanations of the reasons why I collected signatures under the address to the executive committee. I phoned to Volha Pimanava, who arrived quite soon. When she came, the policeman told me to sign the paper and quickly went away,” says the woman.

Volha Pimanava considers this visit of the policeman as an attempt to exercise pressure on civil activists with the aim to decrease the intensity of their attempts to solve various social issues.