Chairman of the Homiel Oblast Executive Committee Uladzimir Dvornik received from Alyaksandr Lukashenka the Motherland Award of the third degree. This was how the head of Belarus appreciated the outstanding achievements of Dvornik in public activities aimed at improving the welfare of citizens and strengthening of the country’s power.
“We are all mourning the tragically deceased businesswoman from Homiel Tatsyana Dupanava. We will find ourselves in a similar situation, if the regulatory authorities will start inspections. The economic crisis that has been persistently hushed over before the presidential election has been felt by the whole society and us, entrepreneurs,” said Valer Barkavets from the ‘Commonwealth’ trade union.
People are now talking about Tatsyana Dupanava on Belarusian markets. The Homiel businesswoman jumped from the 8th floor the day before the trial. Before she died, a lot of her goods were confiscated, she was given the very heavy fines for alleged violation of trade rules.
“Personally, I’m already almost ready to do the same. But I cannot do it because I have a child, for whom I am living today,” says Svyatlana Ramanava, Mazyr businesswoman.
After the tragic death of the businesswoman, inspections with confiscation which entrepreneurs called “state racket” continued with the same intensity. Each of the small businesses is facing bankruptcy.
“They went to the market to some specific sales point. If some documents were missing, they seized goods using bags,” said Iryna Krukava, a local vendor.
“We stand and shiver – what would happen next? This is not a proper life, this is not proper work. We are people. We Belarusians. We are the people, that our government cares for in the newspapers or in words. Let them take care in reality,” said Valery Filin.
In Mazyr, 200 signatures were collected in just a day. Next, signatures will be collected not only in the neighboring towns of the Homiel region but throughout Belarus so that the authorities in the crisis did not apply the laws and decrees that are just killing business.
“Fulfilling the conditions specified in Decree 222 and 48 is almost impossible,” said SP Pavel Kalesnikovich.
At the meeting of the the House of Representatives, deputies introduced in the second reading the amendments to the Administrative Code but reduced the penalties for violating the technical regulations of the Customs and the Eurasian Economic Union. However, the seizure of 100% of the goods for the absence of certificates of individual entrepreneurs remains.
Yaraslau Stseshyk, Belsat
