Polish Embassy Indignant Over Police Assault at Their Diplomat :: Charter'97 :: News

The Polish embassy in Belarus refuted information, circulated by some Belarusian media, according to which the first secretary of the Polish embassy Marek Butko was driving in Minsk in a drunk state overnight March 1-2. It was reported in the newspapers, in particular, that the diplomat provoked several dangerous situations and had it not been for the traffic police intervention, nothing would spare him a road accident.

BelaPAN reports that Marek Butko also disproved information that before the incident, on March 1 evening, he provoked a scandal in the Minsk restaurant “Staroe Ruslo”. In fact, says Butko, on March 1 evening he saw off the delegation there, which came to visit the Polish embassy. After that the first secretary of the diplomatic mission headed home. “I was sober and was driving at a normal speed with flashes on,” – underscores Butko. According to him, after he left the vehicle at the parking lot near his house, the traffic police car pulled over and two law-enforcers jumped out of it. They blocked his way home and demanded to present driving documents. Butko told them that he left them in the embassy and reminded that he’s protected by the diplomat’s immunity. “After that they rudely pushed me to the nearby vehicle”, - complaints Butko. The first secretary notes that by his polite conduct he couldn’t have provoked “such aggressive behavior”. Then the policemen got back in their car and pulled out.

“I feel as if I suffered two times: not only did I undergo blatant attack and violation of my diplomatic immunity, but was also insulted by the false information reports,” – underscored the embassy’s first secretary. It could well be, according to the Polish official, that “by trying to discredit me they are simply seeking to justify police lawless behavior”.