Investigation of Aleh Ulevich’s Case Suspended Again :: Charter'97 :: News

A journalist of the “Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus” has received reports about another suspension of investigation of the criminal case brought up on the fact of bodily harm while carrying out his professional duties.

In the letter signed by a worker of the Preliminary investigation department of Minsk city executive committee’s Interior Affairs division A. Bortnikau is said that the investigation has been suspended “for the reason of the absence of the person to be sued as the guilty.”

As we have informed, Aleh Ulevich was beaten and detained in Minsk on March 2, 2006. The presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin was taken there. Aleh Ulevich was making pictures of people’s arrests by the police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk, where Alyaksandr Kazulin was kept. A.Ulevich was beaten violently and got brain trauma and nose fracture. “I was blown in the face, than dragged to the bus, and I was delivered a blow on kidney. These actions were made by people in mufti,” Ulevich said.

The case was started by the Interior Affairs Ministry on March 31 according to part.1 of art. 149 of the Criminal Code of Belarus. The physical injuries received by A.Ulevich were defined as "less serious" ("according to the duration of his illness"). However nobody has been brought to account. The criminal case was halted.

The journalist addressed the prosecutor of Minsk Mikalay Kulik and challenged the ruling of the preliminary inquiry department of the Chief Interior Department of Minsk City Executive Committee. The journalist was told that the case had been suspended as a person accountable for the crime had not been identified. Mr. Ulevich noted that about 30 policemen were witnesses of the crime. Three of them were carrying out an operative video filming. About 20 citizens were standing nearby. “To my mind, the investigation has not worked out all possibilities for identifying the culprits and bringing the hooligans to justice”.