Belarus Says Will Not Open Criminal Case Over Protester Taraikovsky's Death

MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) Belarus will not open a criminal case over the death of Alexander Taraikovsky, the first victim in nationwide post-election protests last year, Investigative Committee Chairman Ivan Noskevich said on Friday.

"The investigation of criminal cases initiated in connection with mass riots during the post-election campaign continues. In particular, as part of the investigation of cases under Article 293 of the Criminal Code, the Minsk department of the Investigative Committee has decided against opening a criminal case over the death of Alexander Taraikovsky," Noskevich said, as quoted by the BelTA news agency.

According to the investigation, during a heated protest on August 10 near the Pushkinskaya subway station in Minsk at approximately 11:00 p.m. (20:00 GMT), Taraikovsky, being in a state of acute alcohol intoxication, separated from the crowd and, despite numerous police warnings, headed toward officers.

"With his actions, Taraikovsky was provoking law enforcement officers; they did not know his true motives and the purpose of his actions and, given incoming information about possible terrorist attacks as well as explosives and weapons in possession of protesters, viewed him as a real threat to the life and health of both employees and protesters," the investigative committee chief said.

The police officers, he went on, acted in strict accordance with instructions and deployed non-lethal weapons against Taraikovsky.

"Due to a confluence of a number of tragic circumstances, one of the wounds turned out to be a penetrating injury, resulting in Taraikovsky's death at the scene," Noskevich added.

The official stressed that, under those circumstances, police officers did have the right to deploy non-lethal weapons to avoid more serious consequences.

The Belarusian Interior Ministry initially said back in August that the protester had been killed by an explosive device that went off in his hand as he was about to throw it at the police. After the footage did not confirm this account of the event, then-Interior Minister Yuri Karayev suggested that Taraikovsky was shot with a non-lethal weapon.

Mass protests broke out in Belarus after the August 9 election, in which incumbent Alexander Lukashenko defeated opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. In the first days of the rallies, security forces used crowd control means against protesters. In total, the authorities have confirmed three deaths during months-long protests.