On the results of work with appeals for 2022

In the past year, citizens and legal entities actively appealed to the regional prosecutor's offices for the protection of their violated rights and legitimate interests (over 7.3 thousand appeals were received, and over 4.6 thousand people attended personal appointments with prosecutors).

Since citizens did not always follow the established requirements of the legislation regarding the initial appeal for the resolution of their pressing issues to the authorized bodies, one-third of the received appeals were forwarded to state bodies and other organizations responsible for considering appeals on their merits in various spheres of public life.

In accordance with their granted powers, prosecutors resolved about 4 thousand appeals. More than 40 percent of them were deemed justified, and prosecutorial response measures were taken.

Prosecutorial intervention was required in various branches of legislation, including for the protection of labor, housing, and other rights of citizens.

For example, in the Liozno district, the district prosecutor's intervention was necessary to ensure that the former employee of the "Chkalovsky" farm of OJSC "Liozno Rayagropromservice" received their final settlement upon dismissal.

In the Chashniki district, at the prosecutor's demand, two employees of one of the district's agricultural enterprises were paid money unreasonably withheld from their wages, amounting to over 300 rubles each.

In Verkhnedvinsk, it was necessary for the district prosecutor to submit a representation to the district executive committee to ensure that the municipal services brought the city's playgrounds into proper condition.

Similarly, after the intervention of the regional prosecutor's office, the issue of equipping one of the entrances of a residential building in Vitebsk with a handrail for the unimpeded movement of pensioners and disabled individuals was resolved.

Due to the specifics of their activities, the prosecutor's offices consider a significant number of complaints regarding procedural decisions of bodies conducting administrative and criminal proceedings, as well as complaints about court decisions in criminal and civil cases.

It should be noted that procedural legislation does not provide for the submission of such complaints through electronic communication channels.

Furthermore, since 2023, under the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Citizens' and Legal Entities' Appeals," electronic appeals to various government bodies, including the prosecutor's office, can only be sent through the "Obrashcheniya.bel" system.

We would also like to remind our applicants that by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated December 19, 2022, No. 877, amendments were made to the List of organizations that keep a book of remarks and proposals. In this regard, as of January 2, 2023, the prosecutor's offices have ceased to maintain previously issued books of remarks and proposals, and therefore, the submission of appeals by making entries in the book of remarks and proposals is not provided for.

If the requirements for the form and content of appeals, and the procedure for their submission, are not met, such complaints are left without substantive consideration (over 500 appeals were left without consideration last year).

Despite the fact that in 2022 the number of resolved complaints against the actions and decisions of inquiry bodies decreased, almost every second such appeal was recognized as justified. In a number of regions of the oblast, every applicant's appeal in this category was satisfied (Rossonsky, Beshenkovichsky, Sharkovshchinsky districts).

A significant number of complaints against the actions of investigators of territorial units of the Investigative Committee were satisfied by prosecutors of Vitebsk city, Orsha district, Novopolotsk city. The highest percentage of their satisfaction was in Beshenkovichsky, Chashniksky districts (100% each), Lepelsky district (66.7%), Dokshitsky district (60%), Braslavsky, Postavsky, Tolochinsky districts (50% each).

The main reasons for justified appeals regarding the actions and decisions of investigators and interrogators continue to be the incompleteness of checks on applications and reports of crimes, and the bias of the investigation.

In necessary cases, prosecutors not only canceled the issued decisions to refuse to initiate a criminal case but also initiated criminal cases simultaneously.

 

Deputy Head

of the Organizational and Control Department

S.L. Zaitseva