President pardons murderers of arsonist from Pukhavichy
The district council in Zhytkavichy and the local police department have confirmed to the European Radio for Belarus that Siarhei Aliferovich and Ihar Makarevich were amnestied and are currently working. The situation is commented by human rights defenders Aleh Vouchak and Garry Pahaniayla as well as Mikalai Charhinets and Andrei Aleshka who represent the council on morality.
The murderers of the "Pukhavichy arsonist" were amnestied by the head of the state, the local authorities told the European Radio for Belarus. "They were amnestied under the presidential edict. They have been freed and their conviction has been annulled. They are already at work", a staff at the Zhytkavichy district council told the European Radio for Belarus.
The police will stop monitoring them, since they were releaved from conviction and freed.
The European Radio for Belarus reminds that Siarhei Aliferovich and Ihar Makarevich, the residents of the village of Pukhavichy, were sentenced to 5 and 3 years correspondingly in a high-security prison for killing their fellow villager Mikalai Makarevich who was suspected of arsons.
On July 9, Alexander Lukashenka signed an edict, amnestying 21 convicts, however this decree was made restricted for the public as it was not published on the web site of the president. His press-office declined a comment on this decision.
Human rights defender Garry Pahaniayla reckons that the edict was not published out of fear of the public outrage.
Andrei Aleshka, the head of the secretariat at the Public Council on Morality, says the law-enforcement system is to blame:
"On the one hand, no one gave the right to some people to kill others. On the other hand, this situation was riping. People could not find the truth and protection from the structures that are supposed to protect their rights. People were left with a choice: to break the law and save their families or to sacrifice themselves. I don't have a final judgment here. I would only wish that our law-enforcement system could reach such a level that the cases like would never repeat. People should not be provoked to administer mob justice".
Mikalai Charhinets, the chairperson of the pro-governmental Union of Writers and a member of the Public Council on Morality reckons the justice was administered, because the two were tried and sentenced. The president used his constitutional right to grant an amnesty, because he understood the situation. It was simply an act of humanity, Mikalai Charhinets told the European Radio for Belarus. He also accused the local authorities which admitted this situation.
Mikalai Autukhovich was on a hunger strike for 90 days, asking to change the type of punishment. European diplomats also asked for him, but he failed to wait for humanity, says Aleh Vouchak, a human rights defender and a representative of Autukhovich's family:
"I can't see any humanity. Whay have all of our appeals remained without a reply? we even approached the prosecutor general... We are not asking to drop criminal charges; we are only asking to let him go under a written pledge not to leave the country. We can observe that the law is selective. It works for some people, and it does not for the others. Lukashenka acts like a court to decide who should be convicted"
Photo: kp.ru
The murderers of the "Pukhavichy arsonist" were amnestied by the head of the state, the local authorities told the European Radio for Belarus. "They were amnestied under the presidential edict. They have been freed and their conviction has been annulled. They are already at work", a staff at the Zhytkavichy district council told the European Radio for Belarus.
The police will stop monitoring them, since they were releaved from conviction and freed.
The European Radio for Belarus reminds that Siarhei Aliferovich and Ihar Makarevich, the residents of the village of Pukhavichy, were sentenced to 5 and 3 years correspondingly in a high-security prison for killing their fellow villager Mikalai Makarevich who was suspected of arsons.
On July 9, Alexander Lukashenka signed an edict, amnestying 21 convicts, however this decree was made restricted for the public as it was not published on the web site of the president. His press-office declined a comment on this decision.
Human rights defender Garry Pahaniayla reckons that the edict was not published out of fear of the public outrage.
Andrei Aleshka, the head of the secretariat at the Public Council on Morality, says the law-enforcement system is to blame:
"On the one hand, no one gave the right to some people to kill others. On the other hand, this situation was riping. People could not find the truth and protection from the structures that are supposed to protect their rights. People were left with a choice: to break the law and save their families or to sacrifice themselves. I don't have a final judgment here. I would only wish that our law-enforcement system could reach such a level that the cases like would never repeat. People should not be provoked to administer mob justice".
Mikalai Charhinets, the chairperson of the pro-governmental Union of Writers and a member of the Public Council on Morality reckons the justice was administered, because the two were tried and sentenced. The president used his constitutional right to grant an amnesty, because he understood the situation. It was simply an act of humanity, Mikalai Charhinets told the European Radio for Belarus. He also accused the local authorities which admitted this situation.
Mikalai Autukhovich was on a hunger strike for 90 days, asking to change the type of punishment. European diplomats also asked for him, but he failed to wait for humanity, says Aleh Vouchak, a human rights defender and a representative of Autukhovich's family:
"I can't see any humanity. Whay have all of our appeals remained without a reply? we even approached the prosecutor general... We are not asking to drop criminal charges; we are only asking to let him go under a written pledge not to leave the country. We can observe that the law is selective. It works for some people, and it does not for the others. Lukashenka acts like a court to decide who should be convicted"
Photo: kp.ru
