Hrodna prosecutors justify the use of force by “voluntary police aide”

Civil society activist from Hrodna Volha Krapotsina has received a response from the Hrodna City Prosecutor's Office to her complaint, in which she asked to verify the legitimacy of actions of citizen Uladzimir Harelau and representatives of the police and give them a proper legal assessment.

September 19, 2014 Harelau detained held Volha Krapotsina using physical force and then passed her to police. At trial of Volha Krapotsina he explained his behavior by saying he had done it "out of respect for the local police inspector" who had come to him earlier and asked for help in finding those who spread "seditious" flyers. Volha Krapotsina was fined 4.5 million rubles by the judge Dzmitry Bubenchyk on charges of "illegal manufacture and distribution of printed materials", leaflets calling to return Crimea to Ukraine.

The city prosecutor Uladzimir Klishyn found no reasons for taking measures of prosecutorial reaction on Krapotsina's appeal. He referred to Article 7 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On the participation of citizens in the protection of the rule of law". He referred to appeals of citizens concerning the distribution of leaflets and paid no attention to the use of force against Volha Krapotsina by Uladzimir Harelau and ignoring this fact by the police.