Navapolack police close probe into attack on election activists
The Navapolack City Department of Internal Affairs has closed an investigation of a claim submitted by Tatsiana Ladukas, a member of Tatsiana Karatkevich’s nomination group.
"The response from the police says that the foul language case has been discontinued on the grounds that the actions of the attacker do not constitute an offense. And based on the results of a probe, they decided to close the case. The paper does not specify when the probe was conducted and when the decision was taken. Meanwhile, the letter says that the decision can be appealed within 15 days. How are we expected to understand this? That a person was actually deprived of the right to properly file a complaint?” says Valiantsina Bolbat, member of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party.
She emphasizes that during the attack on the picket for Tatsiana Karatkevich’s nomination the assaulter not only swore, but also broke a flagpole. But the response from the police does not say a word about that.
"During the attack there were three people, that is three witnesses. Besides, the whole shopping center near which the incident occurred is equipped with video surveillance cameras. They were supposed to record everything. Otherwise, I just do not know why there are those cameras, if not to help the police!” says the activist.
According to the picketers, among whom was Tatsiana Ladukas, an activist of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, on July 29 a crossover pulled over near the site of the picket. Two men in their late twenties went out, one of them started swearing and broke the flagpole. He said that he did not like the fact that the flags were installed in front of his house. The picketers believe that the claims were expressed in a rude manner, and it should be qualified as hooliganism and punished appropriately.