Militia refused to bring a criminal law suit for dismantling “Clinton’s bench” :: Charter'97 :: News

Baraulyansky department of the Minsk district division for internal affairs refused to bring a criminal lawsuit for dismantling the “Clinton’s bench” memorial in the Kurapaty suburb. As a well-known researcher of the Stalin’s repressions, candidate of historic sciences Igar Kuznyatsov reported to BelaPAN, 22 February he got the answer of Baraulyansky department of the Minsk district division for internal affairs to his application. As the letter follows, the decision on refusal to bring a criminal law was made 15 February on the basis of the results of the investigation which runs as follows: ”no significant facts indicating the crime were found out”.

“It is impossible to identify either a person who dismantled the bench or the witnesses of the accident”, the letter reports. It is also stressed, that « materially the bench is not put on the balance of any entity thus making it impossible to determine either its cost or the amount of the damage incurred to the memorial”.

According to I.Kuznyatsou, the Baraulyansky department’s answer makes any further appealing of the public to the militia staff for providing security of the suburb senseless. “Thus, the vandals have got the permission to commit with impunity all possible crimes and law disorders in Kurapaty”, considers the researcher. Meanwhile, he mentioned that several years ago the authorities had denied the offer of the public’ representatives to organize guarding of Kurapati.

It is to be mentioned, that dismantling of the memorial which was presented “To the Belarusian people from the US people as a sign of commemoration “ by president of the USA Bill Clinton in 1994 was found out by participants of the symbolic action in commemoration of the victims of Stalin’s repressions 30 January. A part of the bench disappeared. Since the moment of its erection the memorial has been damaged several times.