Police inspector: “Go back to your Russia!”
Marina Dukmasova was detained during the silent
protest action on 6 July 2011
in Minsk.
The following day the Maskouski District Court of Minsk found her guilty of
disorderly conduct and sentenced her to pay a fine. She appealed the verdict at
the Minsk City Court, and the – at the Supreme Court, but the initial sentence
was left standing.
Maryna pleads innocent, as far as she didn’t commit any hooligan actions. She
calls the court verdict unlawful, and the testimonies of the witnesses –
inadmissible, as they weren’t documented in a proper way.
However, her story acquired an unexpected continuation. The matter is that
Dukmasova is a citizen of the Russian Federation
who has a residence permit in Belarus.
This circumstance was used by the Belarusian authorities to continue
persecution.
The citizenship and migration department of the Maskouski District Police
Bureau of Minsk sent her a letter dated 19 January. The woman was warned that
the Law “On the legal situation of foreign citizens and persons without
citizenship in the Republic of Belarus” provided the reasons for annulment of
residence permits to foreign citizens including “repeated administrative
punishment during a year during the stay in the Republic of Belarus”.
On 13 February the local police inspector paid a visit to the apartment where
Marina Dukmasova lives. He held a rude “explanatory talk” with her. In
particular, he threatened her with deportation, told her to go back to “her Russia” and made impolite remarks about Marina’s under-aged son
and other insulting statements.
Such behavior of the police officer contradicts to order of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs #1 “About polite and attentive attitude of police and military
officers to citizens” and decreases the public trust to law-enforcement agencies.
That’s why Marina Dukmasova decided to file a complaint against the policeman’s
actions.
