‘Businessmen’s taxes go to our salaries? Didn’t know’. Glaring degradation of Belarus police

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”219635″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Is the Belarusian police qualified for performing their work? A video published by a Belarusian cafe keeper proves that some officers are far from adequacy.

On June 22, Maksim Kandratsenka, the owner of Respublika cafe in the Belarusian city of Mahiliou, held a feast for children. During the event toys for children’s homes were collected,  a musician was performing, little reidents of Mahiliou were drawing on the pavement in Lenin street, the cafe treated them with cocoa.

But the feast was interrupted by our policemen who arrived after ‘someone had called 102 and  reported the violation of public order’.

“They did not say who had called. We stopped the music, but I asked them to show their documents . That was the beginning,” Maksim told Belsat.eu.

Maksim posted the video of his conversation with the Mahiliou policemen on Youtube; over 2,500 persons have viewed it for just one day.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8xNjo4QBjI”][vc_column_text]

The policemen ignored Maksim’s request to introduce themselves saying that their having uniform and gun holsters is enough.

– Can you show your warrant card?

– What for? Can’t you see that I am a police officer?

– No, it is not clear.

– Come to the car, I’ll show you.

In fact, only one person did reveal his identity while his colleague just waved his card before Maksim’s face. Another policeman introduced hifself shortly: “My name is Vova”. The law enforcement officials were not even sure for what they were detaining Maksim and whether they should detain him at all.

The police patrol ‘forget’ to give Maksim a reason for their restricting his rights and freedoms, as well as to remind him of his rights and obligations.

Bit it was Maksim and his friends who explained the policemen what their job consists of. The men also told ‘Vova’ where the money for salary come from.

– You work for us. We pay taxes [so that you could get your salaries],” the cafe owner told ‘Vova’.

– For you? You pay me?

– Of course! And who do you think?

– It is you who pays out salaries?

– I pay [taxes], he pays [taxes]. Any entrepreneur and businessman pays. This is your salary, Vova.

– I did not know.

After the policemen repeatedly refused to show their documents, Maksim said he would not let them see his ID. As a result, they put an armlock on him and forcibly put him in their car.

“The man who was filming [the situation] and me were taken to the police station in Krylenka street. However, they did not know what [violation] could be slapped on us. We were staing there for two hours – and they let us go without drawing up a protocol,” the entrepreneur says.

Maksim Kandratsenka is set to appeal against the actions of the police at the prosecutor’s office, at the Department of Personal Safety and in court.

Denis Dziuba, belsat.eu