Alyaksandr Kamarouski: "General Procurator’s Office does not protect comon man without order"

• 30.04.2010, 16:29

The General Procurator’s Office initiated a criminal case for posting comments of charter97.org website viewers.

As the part of the case the Co-chairmen of the Republican public association of Afghan war veterans “Fatherland Defenders” Aleh Vouchak and Alyaksandr Kamarouski have been summoned for interrigation to the Prosecutor-General’s Office already. They were told about "lies and insults" in the comments to the article of Afghan war veterans posted on teh web resourse.

In an interview to "Radio Svaboda" Alyaksandr Kamarouski recalls the back story of the criminal case. He says that it began when condemnation of Afghan war veterans Kamarouski and Vouchak appeared in "Sovetskaya Belorussia", the pro-presidential newspaper. They refused to accept the medals edicated to the 20th anniversary of the end of war and pullout of Soviet troops from Afghanistan from Lukashenka's hands:

"A year ago half colonel Ryzhankou wrote a dirty article about me and Vouchak in "Sovetskaya Belorussia". And then charter97.org wrote an article based upon my idea: “Hunt” in a manner of 1937". There were 65 replies of people to it. Comments were mostly indignant, and the half colonel was critisized severely. Then me and Vouchak sued the author in the court of Savetski district of Minsk, we defended our honour. But we looked at him, he seemed to be a sick man, he was taken bad, probably he was a disabled person, he could not stand up. At least, he tried to give answers sitting. And I noticed he knew little about what was written in his article. I had an impressions (and I said that to the court) that the article had been written by a different person, he was just presented that article. H esigned it, and that's all. We decided not to prosecute him any more and in fact forgave him. Judge then warned us: if you sign an out of court settlement, according to the law you have no right to return to this topic. And it's true: why should we, officers, sue each other?" Kamarouski told.

However time passed, and the story suddenly recieved continuation. Alyaksandr Ryzhankou returned to the article at charter97.org website with the help of the Prosecutor-General’s Office. Now Kamarouski is finally sure: Ryzhankou is being nudged by someone to a new confrontation. At least, the Afghan war veteran has such an impression after 2 visits to Minsk prosecutor's office, to which the materials of the case are forwarded.

According to Kamarouski, it could not happen without participation of influential persons. By the way, tomorrow Kamarouski is to go for interrigation tomorrow again:

"The criminal case has been opened by the Prosecutor-General’s Office. In 16 years of Lukashenka's rule the Prosecutor-General’s Office has never defended the honour of a common man so adrently. And here the Prosecutor-General’s Office initiates a criminal case itself! We are witnesses in the case with Vouchak. I do not know yet against whom this case could be finally used, maybe against us, or maybe against charter97.org, as they publish such "unauthorized" opinions. Personally I told to the prosecutor about the comments: I find it a positive thing when people can express their opinions to any occurance. Please, make it so in "Sovetskaya Belorussia" for any person without fear to leave a comment to the nonsense you are publishing. And on the grand scheme of things, I do not know who may have claims and what kind of claims. Even to me: I have visited them twice, but I haven't understood anything. There cannot be any claims to me or to Vouchak. We haven't insulted Ryzhankou, we haven't threatened him. And those were opinions of our people, of the Belarusian nation".

In the European countries including Russia, online media do not bear responsibilty for comments of websites' viewers. Meanwhile, charter97.org had already been involved in the criminal case for defamation of the former head of the KGB directorate of Homel region Ivan Korzh. Computers from charter97.org news office were seized for expert examination, and the journalist of the website Natallya Radzina and other journalists of independent media are constantly summoned for interrogations.