Afghan war veterans fingerprinted in blast case

• 21.10.2008, 18:15

Aleh Vouchak, famous human rights activist, former investigator and Afghan war veteran, was called in to the military enlistment office of the Tsentralny district of Minsk today.

According to the human rights activist, he was called in to the military enlistment office of the Tsentralny district of Minsk for “data check”. After a formal procedure of data check, Vouchak was said he must be fingerprinted.

“I decided to write to the military commissar for him to explain what grounds the military enlistment office gas for conducting this procedure. Deputy military commissar flatly refused to receive a petition and, in violation of the Law on Public Appeals Handling, didn’t give me information, affecting my constitutional rights, namely by what right they fingerprint people. I didn’t agree on this procedure and left the military enlistment office. It is my advice for all people who are called in to a military office for these purposes. There’s no responsibility for fingerprinting, it is voluntary procedure,” Vouchak told to the Charter’97 press center.

The human rights activist is going to write a complaint to the Prosecutor General demanding him to stop unlawful actions of officers of the military enlistment office and those officials of the ministry of internal affaires, who obliged military commissars to carry out this procedure.

“I suppose that law enforcement agencies, engaged in seeking criminals, who had organised a terroristic act in Minsk on July 4, want to create a data base comprising a wide range of citizens. So, now they have come to Afghan war veterans. Moreover, participants of the Afghan war mustn’t take part in any mobilisation campaigns, be checked, they are exempt from such actions for life. I am asking the prosecutor’s office – what do they control, who has given a command to military commissars to fingerprint all Belarusians citizens liable for military service?” Vouchak wonders.