Investigation of two more criminal cases initiated in connection with the protests in Belarus has been completed, the website of the Investigative Committee reports.
In Minsk, a criminal case against a 34-year-old man charged under Part 2 of Article 363 (violent resistance to an officer of the Interior while performing his duties to protect public order) was submitted to the prosecutor for referral to court.
The reason for persecution was the incident that took place during the Heroes’ March on September 13 in Melnikayte Street. According to the IC, during the detention “unknown persons actively resisted” the policeman – “they held him by his uniform, fell to the ground and hit different parts of his body. One of them, a 34-year-old citizen of Minsk, was detained and put in custody.
In Baranovichy, the investigation of a criminal case against a 25-year-old man accused of having run a policeman over with a car has been completed. The incident happened on August 10 along Tsaryuk Street in Baranavichy. The men were charged under Article 364 (use of violence against an officer of internal affairs bodies in order to prevent him from lawful activity) of the Criminal Code. A measure of restraint used against him was house arrest.
A video of the hit-and-run had previously been published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The footage shows several law enforcement officers wearing helmets trying to block the car’s movement, but the driver still leaves with one of the policemen, who actually drove over the hood of the car. As a press release from the Interior Ministry said, “thanks to personal protective equipment, the policeman did not get injured.”
During the events of August 9-12, the law enforcers repeatedly attacked the motorists: they smashed glasses, pulled people out of the vehicles and beat them severely. Such cases were repeated in the following months.
In total, over the last six months more than 900 criminal cases were opened in Belarus against protesters, participants of the presidential race and activists of their headquarters.
