Teenager threatened with criminal case for giving comment to Belsat

The police in Vaukavysk, Hrodna region threatened a local underage resident with a criminal case over her comment to the independent TV channel Belsat, the human rights center Viasna reports.

Her father Vasil Valashchuk complained to rights defenders. He said that officer Andrei Ments from Minsk's Maskouski District Police Department phoned them home on July 13. The girl’s mother turned the speakerphone on and started talking to him. The police officer said their daughter was facing criminal prosecution for talking part in an unauthorized rally in Minsk and giving a comment to the TV channel Belsat where the girl said that she was against the current authorities.

The policeman demanded that the girl come to the police station in the course of 3 days to give explanations about her comments for Belsat. He threatened to fine her in amount of up to BYN2000.

Having heard the threats, the girl fainted. An ambulance was called for her.

Mr. Valashchuk was abroad at that time. He received an SMS saying: “Where is your daughter? This is the police.” The man was very anxious because he did not know what had happened. He even dialled the number the SMS had arrived from to no avail. Nobody was answering the phone and Valashchuk urgently returned to Vaukavysk thus losing his job.

The girl and her relatives did not go to Minsk. The police sent the case papers to Vaukavysk.

The case was considered by the Minors Commission on August 2. A warning was pronounced to Valashchuk’s daughter.

Vasil Valashchuk has filed a complaint to the administration of Minsk's Maskouski District Department of the Interior with the help of rights defenders. He is asking to check Andrei Ments’ improper request and threats directed at his relatives which resulted in his daughter’s health problems.