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To Seize Apartments for Fines

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To Seize Apartments for Fines
Tamara Siarhei

Tamara Siarhei and Valyantsina Kavalenka believe that the confiscation of their property is the dictator's response to numerous appeals of citizens to defend their rights.

Bailiffs seized the apartment of Tamara Siarhei in Minsk, as well as a private home of Valyantsina Kavalenka in Babruisk. Thus, the authorities are trying to make public activists pay fines for participation in the rally on Svaboda Square in Minsk on March, 31.

Street action was preceded by thirty fruitless attempts of activists to get a personal meeting with the head of Lukashenka's administration.

"Seizure of our property is the ruler's response to complaints of citizens", Tamara Siarhei comments on the situation to Radio Svaboda.

"Officials are guided by their own notions rather than laws"

Tamara Siarhei is lawyer and coordinator of the civil initiative "Against Lawlessness in Courts and Prosecutor's Offices." Valyantsina Kavalenka is an activist of the same initiative, most of its members are pensioners. At their own risk they took the Svaboda Square on March 31 with posters "Officials, obey the Constitution", "Bureaucrats and deputies hide behind the fence of formal replies", We need the Constitution in practice". The Minsk City Executive Committee once again did not allow a street action:

"The picket lasted for about an hour, and all this time we were shot by policemen in plain clothes. After a while, five members of the picket started getting messages that they were drawn up protocols on under the Administrative Code", Tamara Siarhei tells.

"Thus, many procedural rules were neglected: during the picket no policeman approached to us and did not try to stop the "illegal", in their opinion, actions, did not make any comments; I was not asked for an explanation before drawing up the protocol. I wrote a complaint to the leadership of the Tsentralny RUVD against the police, but despite this, the protocol was delivered to court, and it is violation as well" .

According to Tamara, judge of the Tsentralny court Victoria Shabunya took this fact into account at the first meeting, but at the next meeting took a decision to punish her with a fine of 40 basic units ($420) ignoring the complaint left with no consideration.

"These facts prove that the authorities are not interested in the law-abiding behavior of citizens, as they themselves act beyond the law, according to their own views and orders. Bureaucrats who make the legislative ground act wrongfully and laws are made for us. Officials are guided by their own notions rather than laws", the lawyer says.

"They'd better contact Drazdy, if they seek a golden toilet"

Today Tamara tries to appeal the fine, and in the meantime bailiffs seized her apartment and want to take inventory.

"It has happened twice already. At the same time bailiffs came to me in Minsk and to a private house of Valyantsina Kavalenka in Babruisk, who was in the rally and later fined 20 basic units; her house is seized as well. I do not believe in accidental coincidence and this is likely a planned action," Tamara Siarhei says.

"Thus, bailiffs have other ways to collect fines than rather than seizing our property. I wondered why they acted so quickly and their response was as follows: what if there is a golden toilet in your house and you just don't want to pay the fine. I say they'd better contact Drazdy, if they seek a golden toilet".

"Mass intimidation is the ruler's response to complaints of citizens"

Activists of "Against Lawlessness in Courts and Prosecutor's Offices" are pensioners who are trying to defend their rights in disputes with public bodies and require compliance with the law. The activity of bureaucrats, courts and prosecutor's offices, who neglect their rights, force them into taking the streets with posters. Attempts to seize property using fines are a new form of suppression of social activity, Tamara Siarhei says.

"This is the way they exercise to intimidate us. To deprive us from every thought to take the streets. This is some kind of Lukashenka's response to numerous appeals of citizens to defend their rights. He sends a strong message that he doesn't want to see us on this Square. He wants us to be silent, face our problems on our own, and not to disturb him".

She says that such attempts to seize property recall the case of well-known social activist Nina Bahinskaya.

"Nina Bahinskaya is held responsible for the fact that she carries a white-red-white flag - a historic flag under which Lukashenka took the oath. She does not commit any administrative offence. It does not do any harm to the state and citizens. A confiscation of property according to unlawful decisions under administrative cases, and fines entitles to approve that the government puts psychological pressure to stop public activity of citizens".

Tamara is also trying to appeal against actions of bailiffs, who try to get into her apartment against her will to take inventory.

An auction for seized summer cottage of Nina Bahinskaya is scheduled on August 17.

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