An observer in Baranavichy is charged with disorderly conduct

On August 2 a district police officer, police captain Mikalai Kudryavtsev called human rights activist Sergei Housha to Baranavichy police department.

On the basis of a written statement of the chairman of the district election commission in Baranavichy-West electoral district № 5 Tatiana Latysheva the captain began to draw up a protocol of the survey.

It was reported that on July 23 Sergey Housha rudely insulted Tatiana Latyshev and members of the commission. In this situation Sergey Housha presented a dictaphone recording of the session of the Region Election Commission on July 23. After hearing the record for the second time, the captains of militia Mikalay Kudryavtsev and Vitaly Rachkovsky didn’t find any foul language. However, instead of objectively and impartially deal with this case, they suggested Sergey Housha to sign the protocol of the survey, but also an administrative report on violation of the Article 17/1 (disorderly conduct) of the Administrative Code. Human rights activist refused to sign the protocol and made an appropriate entry in the book of complaints of the department of internal affairs that police officers do not want to deal with his case, and do someone else's orders, reports HRC "Viasna".

- I was not given copies of the protocols. This is due to the participation in an independent observation, - told the human rights activist. - I was very surprised that the police did not even want to look into the heart of the matter, and immediately accused me of insulting Tatiana Latyshev and members of the commission. I verbally and in written form asked her to show me the protocol number 1 of meeting of the commission. Instead, she slanders at me, and thus wants to remove me from observing the activities of the Regional Election Commission - summed up Sergey Housha.

Human rights activist also said that it will address the prosecutor's office to complain about the reluctance of police officers to conduct an objective investigation of this case.