Homel: police looking for escaped criminal at meeting of human rights activists

09.06.2008. Tags: human rights defenders, youth leaders, search.
Source: Charter`97.

On 8 June Homel police thwarted a meeting of human rights watchdogs with activists of youth pro-democracy movement under a pretext of a fugitive criminal search.

At the meeting more than 30 participants discussed different types of interaction with law-enforcing agencies, mechanisms of protection of young people during arrests and searches, as well as legality of policemen’s actions, BelaPAN informs.

At about 11 a.m. four policemen of Chyhunachny district police department of Homel entered the office of Homel oblast branch of the United Civil party where the meeting was held. The policemen explained to those present that they were searching for a fugitive offender who, according to information from an anonymous, was allegedly hiding among the meeting participants.

Policemen called in riot policemen and offered the participants of the meeting show their passports. Law-enforcers copied their passport details, searched the apartment, apologized and left the office, saying they hadn’t found the criminal there.

‘During the meeting we discussed how a person should behave during the search, body search, interrogation’, the human rights watchdog Leanid Sudalenka said. ‘The arrival of the police was a perfect practice added to the theoretical knowledge we offered. Maybe the policemen learnt about our meeting and decided to help the activists and to show how police could act in reality, and how one could protect oneself in such cases.’