Opinions & Interviews

Belarusian law enforcement told to focus on justice

MINSK, 11 June (BelTA) – Fair treatment of people, particularly treatment by law enforcement agencies, is extremely important. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the relevant statement as he appointed Yuri Karayev Internal Affairs Minister on 11 June, BelTA has learned.

The head of state urged the new internal affairs minister to get closer to people and directly deal with emerging problems. “Don’t do things the way they happened to Romani. Natalya Ivanovna [Kochanova] had to go and deal with the situation upon my instructions. The people were offended for no reason. They are owed an apology then,” the president said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that if some crime or an offence is registered, attention is primarily focused on people, who have committed similar crimes in the past. “Every police precinct has such a list,” the president noted. Moreover, when a police officer died in Mogilev, suspicions were drawn to a concrete group of citizens due to the tips left by the officer.

“Police overdid it. Saw they are not guilty. Then go and offer an apology to them,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “And people will understand it. Don’t try to bulldoze everything ahead of you. Sometimes you need to steer around. If you can’t, offer an apology.”

“You have to do things wisely. You cannot treat people as an enemy. Forget about what they say about Romani. They are normal people. Belarusians, Russians, Jews, Poles have their own share of criminals. Justice should be at the heart of everything, especially among law enforcement personnel. Because people appeal to them for protection. People seek protection. If you push them away and offend them, it hurts people a lot,” the Belarusian leader concluded.

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