Was election observer arrested in hospital beaten up?
- 17.07.2008, 9:41
A brother of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee’s representative Paval Lyavinau has informed that bodily harm had been inflicted to the human rights activist during detention.
As Paval Lyavinau’s brother has informed that the human rights activist was taken bad when visiting medicolegists, and an ambulance was called in for him.
In this connection the human rights public association Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) has addressed the prosecutor general of Belarus Ryhor Vasilevich an appeal to check legality of Vitsebsk human rights activist’s detention. The activist was engaged in monitoring of the election campaign.
As have been informed earlier, on July 16 P. Lyavinau was taken to the police department of Pershamajski district of Vitsebsk right from a hospital. A decree of the court about his 10-days arrest was issed on May 26. Judge of Pershamajski district of Vistebsk Valyantsina Kismyaroshkina has found the human rights activist guilty of violations relation articles 17.1 and 23.4 of the Administrative Code (petty hooliganism and insubordination to policemen). The incident took place on March 27, 2008. On that day P. Lyavinau visited Vitsebsk journalist Vadzim Barshcheuski at his place, where KGB men were carrying out a search. Lyavinau was to provide legal aid to him. Law-enforcers detained Lyavinau, charging him with insubordination to policemen and use of foul language. For about two months the BCH representative was trying to challenge that court decision and prove his innocence.
According to the BHC reports, P. Lyavinau was taken to serve the arrest right from an intensive care ward of the 2nd hospital of Vitsebsk, where he was placed earlier. On July 15 the human rights activist visited Prosecutor of Vitsebsk region Henadz Dysko with the aim to reverse the ruling of the court. The prosecutor promised to examine the situation, however when Lyavinau was leaving the building of the prosecutor’s office, he was detained and taken to a police department. The human rights activist was taken bad and he was transported to Hospital No.2 in an ambulance. According to reports of the BHC, after a talk over the phone, a cardiologist on duty refused to hospitalize Lyavinau. Leaving the hospital, Lyavinau fell unconscious and regained consciousness in an intensive care only in a few hours.
The BHC asks R. Vasilevich to carry out an examination of P. Lyavinau’s detention, to grant protection his rights, and to ask doctors whether the arrested can service the punishment in his current state of health.
Copies of the letter have been sent to the UN Special Rapporteur on situation of human rights defenders Margaret Sekaggya and on tortures Margaret and UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Manfred Nowak, to the OSCE Office on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.