29 March 2024, Friday, 13:39
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Cry from the Heart of a Belarusian Family: We Live in the Country with Everything Upside Down

Cry from the Heart of a Belarusian Family: We Live in the Country with Everything Upside Down

The Shkrobovs went on a hunger strike to protest the eviction.

The Shkrobovs has been fighting with the authorities for more than six years for their room in the dormitory. The authorities want to evict them with two minors. Serious violations were committed during the eviction. People cannot get their personal belongings. The room is sealed.

The administrations of the S.M. Kirov Machine-Tool Plant and the dormitory are at loss. They say that people are not employees and have no right to live in the dormitory. To solve the problem, the head of the family, Viktar Shkrobov, repeatedly tried to get a job at the plant, even as an ordinary watchman, but this idea failed.

For several years, the family has visited all instances but received only formal answers. Officials did not help in any way in solving the problem. The court decided against the family. The eviction order came into force in 2013 but has not been implemented due to violations of the bailiff service.

"Bailiffs did not evict them legally. Instead of evicting, they started court proceedings to collect zero rubles. This is how our system works," Viktar Shkrobov says.

In despair to seek justice in the fight against the system, the family went on hunger strike as a sign of protest.

Charter97.org talked to Volha Shkrobova.

- Why did you decide to take such a step?

- My husband is in the dormitory now. He has been on hunger strike since last Saturday. He only drinks water. I am very concerned about his health. I also was on a hunger strike for several days, but I have two children. If I fail, there will be no one to take care of the children. They are 8 and 10 years old. I should meet them from school, see off at their clubs, cook for them. I can't continue the hunger strike.

Human rights activists helped our family to make through all the institutions. According to all the documents, the truth is on our side, but we live in a country where everything is turned upside down. A person is not capable of proving anything and nobody cares about you. When the bailiffs sent a notice to my husband's work, he finally decided to take this step.

We have all these documents, formal replies. We write to the prosecutor, and he hands it over to the bailiffs. They shift the responsibility and there is no one to complain. It is a vicious circle.

- How did the officials substantiate the eviction?

- They told us that we were not employees of the plant. They explained that they had to settle young specialists in, as well as to improve the living conditions of the plant's employees.

In fact, there are enough rooms in the dormitory, and some of them, for some reason, were not occupied. Some of the people living there are also not employees of the plant and live in the dormitory based on applications and contracts from third parties. Some even managed to build their own housing and they continued to live in the dormitory for several years. There were many outrageous cases. Meanwhile, they tried to evict us by all means.

- How did it happen that your property was locked up for six years?

- In 2013, bailiffs came to evict us. They kicked us out of the room and sealed the doors. My husband went to the Supreme Court to submit documents and at that moment I was with the child, and the second one was in kindergarten. I was shocked and nervous. My blood pressure raised.

They said to take out things. I had to do it on my own, hadn't I? I said emotionally: "Take them out where you want, I'm not going to do this!" Then they asked our neighbours to help. But people refused to do it.

Then the bailiffs decided that we had no way out and sealed the doors. My husband signed a document that we would take out our things within seven days. But we had no place to take them. We have no our own apartment. We have to rent it.

Some things we left in the country house or left at friends'. But there are many things left in the dormitory; I don't know what to do with them.

- Did you contact the officials to give you rental housing?

- Of course, we actively wrote to all institutions, as our family with two children was left on the street. We asked officials for cooperation, but there was no reaction and no help was offered. I have been waiting for housing in Leninski Executive Committee of Minsk since 2000.

For all these 19 years I have been filing numerous applications for the rental housing, but everywhere I faced a refusal. They said that the rental housing was allocated to people who queued up in 1989-1991. That is, our family should wait for at least another 10 years to get rental housing.

Then we addressed to Minsk city executive committee, to the housing department and explained our situation. But they copied the answer that they had no right to give us housing without queuing.

As we constantly rent apartments we cannot save money. Salaries are small, and the prices to rent an apartment are high. We would be glad to forget about this dormitory, but our family has no prospects.

- The Belarusian TV often says that "Belarus is a country for life". Our authorities claim that we have a rule of law and everything is done for the people. But life differs. Your family proves this. How will you comment on it?

- The authorities in our country come up with new laws every day, introduce new taxes, raise prices to demonstrate their "love" for the people. In response, our people hate the authorities for their actions. Officials have all the levers of influence. Therefore, if you are an ordinary person, then you are an empty space in this country.

My father used to say: "They are sitting pretty. They have turned the state enterprise into a JSC. This is a "state within the state", and now they sell rooms in dormitories". They don't care about your applications.

One of the employees of the plant administration told me: "No matter how many applications you file - all this is useless in your situation". They are not afraid of anybody, because the officials have collective responsibility. They have a sense of impunity.

- Why are human rights so often violated in our country? What should happen for the situation to change for the better?

- Over 25 years of dictatorship, a small snake has turned into a hydra.

Everything is in ruins in the country. Collective farms are in decay, poverty is in villages. Minsk has high prices for housing because many people want to move here. There is no way to make money in the regions. Many Belarusians have salaries of $150, while the prices for food and utilities are high.

- What do you intend to do?

- I think that the hunger strike won't end in anything positive, but it can harm our health. This is predictable in our country.

I would like to take my things, but it is not clear where to store them. The dormitory has utility rooms on the ground floor, but the administration does not allow us to store things there. Most likely, as a result, we will have to take things and sell them for a penny on the Internet.

The future of our family is vague, but, in any case, we will continue to fight. This is the only option for all Belarusians. Others will not solve our problems. I call you for solidarity.

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