Search in the apartment of human rights activists in Babrujsk

The activists of the Civic Initiative Against Lawlessness in Courts and Prosecutor’s Offices had their apartment searched in Babrujsk.

The charter97.org web-site learnt that from a human rights activist and a lawyer Tamara Siarhej.

“A search is being carried out at the moment at the apartment of the activists of the Civic Initiative Against Lawlessness in Courts and Prosecutor’s Offices in Babrujsk. The other day Valiancina Kavalenka was summoned to a meeting with an investigator from the Investigation Committee’s office for Babrujsk, and now her apartment is being searched. The situation goes as follows: her husband once stood up for his son, was sentenced, and later was exonerated in 2010, having spent two years and three months in prison. Now the Kavalenkas are actively fighting for the rights of their son, who is serving a punishment term in a penal colony. The General Prosecutor’s office filed an appeal on the case of the son, but the Supreme Court denied the appeal. The parents do not leave their child in trouble and keep trying to get answers to the questions of the complaints that they submit, but they have not been able to get any for around nine years already. I take the search, which is happening right now, as intimidation of the people, so they would not even think of standing for their rights and interests”, - the human rights activist emphasized.

Valiancina Kavalenka also believes that the authorities take revenge at her and her husband for the active civic position.

“The policemen came unexpectedly, did the search and left. They came with a resolution, saying that in the course of the preliminary investigation on 15 December 2011 around 17.00 some Karniajkou was detained, who said that I had sold him drugs on the same day. Based on that they did the search for forbidden substances. Of course, they found nothing and they could not find anything. By the way, this case has already been archived. I believe that they simply put pressure on us”, - the activist told charter97.org.