Police Lieutenant Colonel Mikalai Kazlou: Policemen Are About to Blow

Ordinary staff and junior officers are used as cannon fodder during the epidemic.

The coronavirus breaks down the ranks of the Belarusian police and structural units of the Interior Ministry.

Even Minister of Internal Affairs Yury Karayeu had to admit that 500 policemen contracted coronavirus. The real figure may be higher. 50-60 cadets of the MIA Academy fell sick, while the Academy dormitories have turned into an "infectious bomb".

Retired Police Lieutenant Colonel, chairman of the United Civil Party (UCP) Mikalai Kazlou commented for Charter97.org on the situation.

- For 17 years you have made your way from a detective in the Criminal Investigation Department to senior officer of the MIA. What is like to be an ordinary policeman during an epidemic? Is it easy to get infected for detectives, officers on duty, traffic police officers?

- These people are at risk, especially if we talk about officers on duty or traffic police officers. They do not have personal protective equipment (PPE). The situation here is bad. as well as in the whole country.

More than ten years have passed since I left the police, but I can size up the situation by my observations and reviews of my friends. I don't see any masked policemen on the streets at all. According to the tradition, the police management has never provided employees with such things. The police even have to buy stationery at their own expense to say nothing of sanitizers or masks.

Knowing this system from the inside, having worked in it for many years, I can say police officers serve as cannon fodder in the conditions of a pandemic. I doubt that anything has changed over the past ten years.

There is one other point I want to pay attention to. The United Civil Party has initiated to collect signatures for a broader amnesty. Imagine what happens in prison s if people at large get infected and die!

Let me remind you that some are jailed for the first time. There are young people convicted under Article 328 for such offences, which are not considered even administrative in other countries. Imagine what will happen to them amidst poor nutrition, lack of basic medical care. After all, people from the Department of Corrections work with them. They could also become coronavirus victims.

Our authorities gave up on the army, as well as employees of the MIA, the Department of Corrections, and convicted people, many of whom could have the preventive measure changed without much danger to society.

I am afraid that the detention facilities will become a collective grave for hundreds of people, given the place they are being held in. The authorities are in a hurry to hold the parade, but not to save people from death. Again, this is not just about prisoners, but also about prison staff.

- What do you think about the coronavirus outbreak at the Academy of the Interior Ministry in Minsk? How easy is it to fall victim there?

- It's easy. The cadets of the MIA live in groups. Their beds stand next to each other. They have a daily formation and physical distancing does not exist there.

Youth is probably the only thing that saves them from mass death. It is believed that young people supposedly suffer from a mild form of coronavirus. However, its impact on future health state is not known. This is the first time doctors have faced such an infection. What kind of complications will it cause? How many young people will suffer from lung failure? What other organs will be affected even after a mild form? Every day, physicians are discovering new disturbing data about COVID-19.

When our authorities just neglect the health and lives of young people, I think they are committing an obvious crime. Both the command of the MIA and the leadership of the country should take urgent measures and realise that inaction will make them responsible. The WHO and the UN strongly recommend physical distancing. For some reason, it is considered that Belarusians can face any danger despite their death and the official statistics, which, by the way, is underestimated.

We know how "diagnoses" are being delivered in Belarus now. Physicians are heroes in this fight against the coronavirus epidemic, but I have a claim to those who do not want to give real diagnoses. I know that this is happening. My uncle died of cancer, and there are tens of thousands of such people in the country. Their death certificates have everything but cancer. In the end, everyone gets the impression that everything is "more or less normal" with the oncology field. No! I believe that coronavirus is now the same field as oncology. All the independent media and the Internet speak it out.

When the epidemic is over, the political situation will change in the country. As a criminal investigation officer, I believe that everyone, especially those bound by oath and statute, must be held responsible for how they behaved in desperate times.

- The police, like the military, are forced into participation in the May 9th parade and ensuring order during the "mass events". What do the policemen think about a possibility to get infected? What are their moods?

- Policemen are mainly adequate people who also take care of their health. They have families and elderly parents. When they take part in such "mass events", they never know what they can bring home. So I don't think they have any positive emotions about the parade.

The idea to hold a parade on May 9 is madness. It is not done for the Belarusian people. Let the authorities not say that "thousands of people turn to them". It's all a lie. Nobody cares about this parade, but Lukashenka. He will be responsible for his whims and repercussions.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a lot of people in the police who were dissatisfied with the power. Their attitude to Lukashenka is as bad as ours. They are also dissatisfied with the state absurdity. Many of those who have overstepped 15-16 years of service are longing for the opportunity to retire not to lose these years for the future pension.

They are dissatisfied with a boorish attitude of the leaders to their subordinates and the stick system in the police. All this causes indignation. In recent years, a dangerous atmosphere has arisen in the police - primarily for the leadership and Lukashenka.

I know for sure that many people in the police are dissatisfied with the authorities and the MIA leadership. I think the day when we hear stories about how they were forced to take illegal actions against citizens is about to come.

Today I would like to recommend my former colleagues to observe the law and do not follow illegal orders. The leadership of law enforcement ministries is the only thing left with Lukashenka. As for the middle and lower ranks of the police, these people are about to blow. The epidemic of COVID-19 has only added fuel to the fire. I wish them to stay human and remember that the main task is to protect the freedom and interests of citizens.

If you like this article, you can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL 97 1160 2202 0000 0002 1671 1123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail [email protected]