Oppositionist from Haradok to stand trial for insulting official

A public activist Leanid Autukhou compared an official with “a terrorist in Luhansk and Donetsk.”

An entry with such words was made by him in the book of complaints of the regional employment center. He was indignant at behavior of the head of the agency Pyotr Prasolau. The official had written a report to police, a website of Viasna human rights centre informs.

On March 12 the member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Leanid Autukhou was asked to give explanation. As said by him, the case is being prepared to be forwarded to the court.

“A district policeman Uladzimir Kasnorau told me that the director of the employment centre had written a report about an insult. Police opened an administrative case of charges related to Article 9.3 of the Administrative Code “Insult, intended disparaging acts against honour and dignity, expressed in an indecent form.” But I do not think that any kind of indecency had taken place in this case. The book of complaints exists for higher officials to respond to the facts stated there. And I had written that on February 13, when I visited the employment centre, the head of the agency was rude with me, in the same way “as terrorists in Luhansk and Donetsk.” To my mind, a violation of the law had taken place: I was de-registered as an unemployed. During examination of this fact this incident took place. A month ago I wrote a complaint to the prosecutor’s office relating to these facts,” Leanid Autukhou said.

The activist does not exclude that the complaint to the police for an insult could be a revenge of the director of the employment centre, as the prosecutor’s office is carrying out inspection of the centre. Leanid Autukhou told the prosecutor that the job centre offers to unemployed vacancies which do not exist in reality. That is why at enterprises they are either denied employment or offered different positions, which do not meet skills, or offered very low wages.

Several times Autukhou had to refuse the job offered, as the employment centre sent him to one position, while he was offered a different one at an enterprise. After three unsuccessful attempts like that, he was informed by the employment centre that he had violated the rules, and now he is no longer registered as an unemployed. The written warning about his de-registration was dated by January 23, but it was stated there that Leanid Autukhou had been de-registered back on January 14. In order to check the date, and to express his disagreement, he visited the centre on February 13, as he did every month.

“I had an appointment for this day fixed during my last visit. While I was asking an official why I had been de-registered, Pyotr Prasolau edged himself into the conversation. He was very rude, he was shouting, and I decided to write about that in the book of complaints. It is my legal right, to complain. And I wanted an appropriate reaction of higher authorities to the rude actions of the official. He is to be explained that such actions are unacceptable,” Leanid Autukhou said.

In case the court recognizes the comparison with “a terrorist in Luhansk and Donetsk” an insult, Leanid Autukhou could be fined up to 20 basic units.