belarus executive summary - US Department of State

BELARUS 39
pressuring a suspect to give a statement, ordering unjustified detention, and
bringing charges against a knowingly innocent person, as well as extensive abuse
of authority were dropped. KGB officers arrested Baykova in February 2010 and
charged her with illegally dropping criminal charges and abusing her office. The
trial started on March 10 and was held behind closed doors because the case
reportedly covered classified information. In June Baykova appealed to
Lukashenka, seeking to ensure her prompt release and committing to further curb
corruption among officials.
Baykova was the chief investigator in a high-profile criminal case against an
alleged smuggling ring that included former senior customs officials and KGB and
state control committee officers. On November 15, the Belarusian Military Court
acquitted 36 suspected members of this criminal group in closed hearings that
commenced in May 2010. Thirty-six individuals charged with corruption and
facilitating evasion of more than 30 billion rubles ($3.6 million) in custom duties
included Anatol Hramovich, a former director of the financial intelligence
department under the State Control Committee, and Yauhen Selivanau, a former
deputy head of the Brest customs agency. The court ruled that the statute of
limitations had expired in relation to a number of crimes allegedly committed by
them. In addition, most of the suspects reimbursed damages of more than 450
million rubles ($54,350) in illegal foreign currency proceeds to the state during
pretrial investigations. Hramovich was arrested in January 2009 on charges of
bribery, abuse of office, and establishing a criminal group.
On December 26, KGB head Vadzim Zaytsau reported that his agency opened
more than 50 cases to investigate corruption in addition to 80 cases initiated by
other law enforcement agencies. He claimed that of 44 persons convicted of
corruption, 33 were state officials, including those at the senior level.
The law, government policies, and a presidential decree severely restricted public
access to government information. Citizens had some access to certain categories
of information on government databases and Web sites; however, much of the
information was neither up-to-date nor complete.
Section 5. Governmental Attitude Regarding International and
Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights
There were a number of active domestic human rights NGOs; however, authorities
were often hostile to their efforts, did not cooperate with them, and were not
responsive to their views.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor