Decree On "Parasites": Authorities Heat Up Situation And Annoy Society

Decree number №3 violates the Constitution.

On February 12 in Homel a “parasite” filed the first lawsuit: Homel woman Maria Tarasenka, who deliberately left her job, and the REP trade union lawyer Leanid Sudalenka made a complaint to the court and demanded that the court should raise the question in the Constitutional Court that Decree №3 violates the Constitution. She also demanded to recognize her employed in the economy and to oblige the Commission On Employment Promotion to exclude her from the database.

A week later, the Zhaleznadarozhny district court of Homel denied justice to a woman: “Good afternoon, Leanid Leanidavich! They called from the Zhaleznadarozhny district court; they refuse to consider the case and ask me to come and pick up the application,” – Maria Tarasenko wrote to the legal inspector of the REP trade union.

In his comments to praca-by.info, Leanid Sudalenka stated that he would wait for the court’s official response: "They tightened the noose around the parasites' necks and forbade them to complain to the court! Let me remind you that every citizen has the right for judicial protection. The Constitution guarantees us this and no judge in the country has any right to refuse to initiate proceedings! It turns out that half a million Belarusians, those whom officials called "not engaged in the economy," are not allowed to go to court. It's just like offering a person to call from a blocked cell phone. You have the right, but you can't use it."

Andrei Stryzhak, a member of the Council of the REP Trade Union, also comments on the situation: "Depriving a person of the right to appeal against the actions of officials in court, the government itself takes the issue of the Decree on “parasites” outside the legal field, heats up the situation and annoys society.

It seems that the document has become a fetish for officials and they persistently try to implement it, facing the resistance of people. The possibility of judicial appeal against Decree №3 is blocked, but we are looking for other possibilities for its abolition."

The REP Trade Union insists that Decree №3 violates the Constitution, gives rise to tensions in society and should be abolished.