MINSK, 29 January (BelTA) – At the meeting with students on 29 January Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the status of complaints submitted by people who were injured during the August protests, BelTA has learned.
One of the students asked the head of state about the August events. In her opinion, law enforcement used excessive force against the protesters. Although protests had moderators, among those affected were also innocent people, including students. “What is the status of complaints filed by the victims and do you consider pardoning those detainees who did not commit serious offenses?” the girl asked.
The head of state emphasized that many organizers of Belarus' riots were identified and they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Speaking about the detention of people who were ‘at the wrong time and in the wrong place', the president noted that not all of these stories were true, many people purposefully took part in the protests, some even came from other cities for that.
“I have the right to pardon this or that person. And if a person just went astray, made a mistake, we will grant this person a discharge, and even reinstate in the university. We must approach this matter calmly and professionally,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He noted that these issues should be studied carefully and appropriate conclusions should be drawn. “If there are people who need to be reinstated, maybe you will put forward relevant proposals (set up a commission). The decision should be yours, first of all. I will accept your proposal,” the head of state assured.
Speaking about complaints from people injured during the protests, the president said that this matter is under control. “We have put these complaints together. They are being dealt with by certain groups of investigators. In other words, the investigation is not erratic. We are processing the complaints,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. According to him, there are several hundreds of such complaints. “To be honest, I do not know the exact day and hour when the process will be completed, but I am sure that by the summer we will deal with all these complaints. If I am not mistaken, half of them (according to the prosecutor general) have already been sorted out,” the head of state concluded.
