The Belarusian government has reacted to the complaint of Vikta Kazlou, a representative of the independent trade union REP registered with the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC). Belarusian officials declared the complaint inadmissible as the applicant had not appealed the court ruling with the prosecutor’s office, “Homelskaya Viasna” reports.
According to Kazlou, on March 25, 2017, he left his home in the village of Tsyareshkavichy to go to Homiel. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the special police, pushed into a car and taken to the police station. Administrative protocols were drawn up there.
“I can’t speak normally after the operation, even in a whisper, and here I shouted loudly? The police officers perjured themselves in court, got confused in their testimony. It was a purposeful action to prevent my presence on 25 March at the site near the Vipra Palace of Culture, where a rally [of non-parasites — Belsat.eu] took place. By the way, the rally on that site was allowed by the authorities,” says the trade union activist.
The 70-year-old man, who lost his voice after the cancer operation, is defending his rights to a fair trial, expression of his opinion and the right not to be arbitrarily detained in Geneva. The Belarusian courts, including the Supreme Court, believed the police, questioning the opinion of doctors that the victim could not shout after the removal of part of the lung. The police claimed in court that they had clearly heard Kazlou arguing loudly.
According to the human rights activist Leanid Sudalenka, who is in charge of the case at the UN Human Rights Committee, the Belarusian authorities left without comment the arguments in the complaint as to why and for what purpose the representative of the trade union was arrested on the eve of the peaceful assembly.
However, even though the Belarusian side stated otherwise, the UN HRC appeal does not have to go through the prosecutor’s office first.
