Investigation of case in Minsk held with violations of law
- 13.01.2009, 8:34
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee asks the Prosecutor General of Belarus Ryhor Vasilevich to pool the practice of administration of citizens’ complaints against illegal fingerprinting.
As it is noted in the press release of the BHC, this practice is related to fulfilment of the instruction of the Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumau of August 26, 2008 No. 103 “On organising interaction of the Defence Ministry of Belarus on fingerprinting citizens liable for service”. The document orders holding fingerprinting persons obligated for military service. Organising detention of citizens who hadn’t arrived to military commissariats is foresee, seizing biological samples for comparative trial along with fingerprinting and other enforcement measures. In particular, if taking into military commissariats is impossible, it is foreseen that criminal investigators of police and organised crime departments would carry out checks of these citizens.
“Numerous cases of arrests, detentions for forcible fingerprinting and taking biological samples are known,” the BHC underlines.
The human rights watchdogs ask the general prosecutor’s office to annul the order of Navumau “as an illegal, to give a legal treatment of the actions of the Internal Minister. Having sufficient grounds, a criminal action could be opened against him,” under Article 426 of the Criminal Code (abuse of power). According to the BHC lawyers, Navumau’s actions “obviously go beyond his authority and rights, and cause a considerable damage to rights and legal interests of citizens or state and public interests”.
It is also noted in the press release that numerous complaints of citizens are received by the BHC against the actions of police and officials relating to fingerprinting. All claimants underline the enforced nature of the procedure: they are summoned by writs to police departments and military commissariats, threatened and are asked to be fingerprinted. “Prosecutors haven’t responded to complaints of citizens in a due way,” the BHC noted.