Ex-candidate in Khotsimsk appeals illegal detention to Prosecutor General

Valery Karankevich, former candidate for the Mahiliou Regional Council of Deputies in Khotsimsk constituency No. 54 and a candidate for the District Council of Khotsimsk in constituency No. 13, filed on July 28 a complaint with the Prosecutor General of the Republic Belarus.

Valery Karankevich complains about the illegal actions of employees of the Khotsimsk district police department and asks the Prosecutor General to cancel earlier decisions by the District Prosecutor’s Office and the Mahiliou Regional Prosecutor’s Office, as well as to investigate these violations and bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law.

According to Valery Karankevich, he came to Minsk to personally file his complaint.

“I have prepared a complaint to the Prosecutor General with the help of human rights defender Barys Bukhel and on 28 July I personally went to Minsk to submit it to the Prosecutor General’s Office,” says Valery Karankevich. “I would also like to schedule an appointment with the Prosecutor General or any of his assistants. My complaint has been received and registered, but they immediately informed me that it would be sent to the Prosecutor of Mahiliou region. And only if I don’t agree with the Mahiliou Prosecutor’s conclusions, I can file another complaint to the Prosecutor General’s Office and make a personal appointment with its head.”

“Frankly, I do not believe in fair consideration of my complaint by the Prosecutor of Mahiliou region, but anyway I will wait for his response, and then, depending on it, I will plan my further actions,” said Valery Karankevich.

On March 23, Valery Karankevich was detained by the police at polling station No. 3 in Khotsimsk. The candidate for deputy was taken to the police station, where he was held for about 40 minutes without charges and then released. The candidate was detained as a result of an urgent statement allegedly submitted by a member of the district election commission in constituency No. 54 Mikalai Tamashou. Due to the illegal detention, Valery Karankevich could not be present at the counting of ballots.

The former candidate has repeatedly tried to challenge the actions of the police department to the Prosecutors of Khotsimsk district and Mahiliou region, but they came to the conclusion that the police officers’ actions “were lawful and did not contradict the current legislation”.

Valery Karankevich himself believes that police officers detained him in order to prevent him to be present at the counting of votes, as well as to intimidate civil society activists of Khotsimsk district.

The activist believes that the prosecutors purposefully ignored the violations that were committed during his detention and his later stay in the Khotsimsk district police department.