Police Destroy 100 EU Flags

04.03.2008. Tags: culture, EU.
Source: Charter`97.

Partyzanski district court of Minsk refused to examine democratic activist Zmitser Barodka’s complaint on destroying by militiamen 100 EU flags, belonged to him.

The answer, signed up by the court chairman P.Karshunovich, says ‘this question is out the jurisdiction of the court’. In this connection the court suggests to appeal to a prosecutor’s office to initiate the case.

Zmitser Barodka finds unlawful the refusal of the court to examine his case on the fact of destroying symbols of the EU.

‘I am going to appeal against this decision to the higher courts, because I find it incompetent. Being a citizen, I had the right to appeal to court without interference of the prosecutor’s office. In the end I want to know the truth, I want to know on what grounds my property was destroyed and who will be punished. I think the decision of the court was politically motivated. The authorities don’t obviously want to deal with this case. I don’t understand such a position of the authorities. From the one hand, they are going to establish a dialog with the European Union, but from the other hand, they are committing an act of vandalism towards the European symbols,’ Zmitser Barodka said in the interview to the Charter’97 press center.

100 flags of the European Union were seized from the apartment of Zmitser Barodka’s friend, opposition activist Leanid Navitski ahead of the European March in last October. Both Zmitser Barodka and Leanid Navitski were arrested for 15 days in the detention center on Akrestin Street.

The democratic activist received an answer to his complaint against acts of militia officers. The answer of A.Haidukevich, the deputy head of the internal affairs department of the Partyzanski district of Minsk, said the flags had been destroyed.