Self-Employed Entrepreneurs Will Be Checked Starting On 1 March
BelaPAN
Large-scale inspections among self-employed entrepreneurs in Belarusian market stalls will be started on 1 March, said lawyer Viacheslav Sivchik at the press conference on 25 February in Minsk.
Viacheslav Sivchik explained that entrepreneurs will be checked for documents to prove family relations with employees. “All the power of the repressive machine will be released on 1 March onto entrepreneurs who ignored the transition to privately owned enterprises according to decree No 760,” said the lawyer. In his opinion, “this decree serves purely political purposes to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of people”.
Talking about the surge of protests among Belarusian entrepreneurs from 10 December to 18 February, he said that “the battle is not over yet, although the conditions are very tough”. Viacheslav Sivchik pointed out that many entrepreneurs were made to leave the country. “For instance, there are whole groups of people from Minsk markets that intend to move to Kiev, Moscow, Vilnius and other countries. I think it’s a national tragedy,” he stated.
Self-employed entrepreneurs say that any pressure against them will be taken as political persecution, said one of the activists in the entrepreneurs’ movement Igor Lendik during a press conference on 25 February in Minsk. “Entrepreneurs addressed Belarusian Minister of Taxes and Duties Anna Deiko with a warning that all the sanctions, confiscations, and penalties will be taken as political persecutions,” said Igor Lednik.
He also said that self-employed entrepreneurs in market stalls will be undergoing large scale inspections starting on 1 March – checks for documentary prove of close family ties with employees.
The Entrepreneurs’ working team requested to discontinue the repressions against active members of the entrepreneurs movement. The lawyer said that more than 50 people had been put in prison on alleged administrative charges for organising and participating in street protesting events.
Igor Lednik reckons that “the pinnacle of cynicism towards entrepreneurs is the criminal charges forced against young activist from the democratic movement Andrey Kim for alleged force he used against a policeman during a protest event”. “Now we are initiating the international amnesty procedures for Kim even before his trial, and raise a question of giving him ‘a prisoner of conscience’ status,” noted the lawyer.
The Entrepreneurs’ working team also requested to press charges against policemen who illegitimately used physical force against Sergey Parsyukevich and other participants at the protest events. Entrepreneurs also requested to free Victor Krival who is going on a hunger-strike during his second administrative detention of 15 days.
“Having used all the possibilities to protect their rights within the national legislation, entrepreneurs resorted to the international legislation that was endorsed by Article No 8 of the Belarusian Constitution,” said Igor Lednik. He said that the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE have been asked to carry out an international examination of the Belarusian President’s decree No 760 of 29 December 2006, which says that self-employed entrepreneurs are allowed to employ no more that three people from among the immediate family members.