Threat of imprisonment for petition to Lukashenka

The Prosecutor General's Office issued a warning to human rights defender Tamara Siarhei on April 23.

“I was in the prosecutor's office in connection with my complaint. Department chief Viktar Klimau suddenly invited me to his office and handed an official warning signed by a deputy prosecutor general. The warning says a criminal case over article 193 of the Criminal Code may be initiated against me if I don't stop the activity on behalf of the unregistered organisation,” Tamara Siarhei told Radio Svaboda.

The human rights activist may face up to 2 years in prison.

On April 19, activists of the initiative “Against lawlessness in courts and prosecution agencies” tried to hand in a petition to Aliaksandr Lukashenka, who was addressing the “national assembly”. The petition asked to consider human activists' complaints, which officials and judges have been ignoring for many years. More than 10 activists, among them Tamara Siarhei, were stopped at the building of the “national assembly” by security guards. Policemen, using physical force and threats, forced the activists out of Independence Square.

“The warning is the price of our attempt to see and talk to Lukashenka. It is the first stage. The second one will be a criminal case against me,” Tamara Siarhei comments on the warning from the Prosecutor General's Office.

Officials ignore most complaints of the activists of the initiative “Against lawlessness in courts and prosecution agencies”. The petition, which was sent to Aliaksandr Lukashenka by mail on April 19, was the 19th one filed by the activists.