Events

“As of tomorrow you will call the shots. Your decisions will be mandatory for everyone with regard to the fight against drugs,” Alexander Lukashenko told Interior Minister Igor Shunevich. “If you send me a letter requesting the president to get involved in the process, it will be mandatory for me, too. Only by doing so will we be able to make headway”.

“If the minister gives orders regarding this topic, then the Healthcare Ministry, the Education Ministry, and other ones have to fulfill these orders,” added the head of state. “As far as drugs are concerned, your decisions will be the law for everyone. The decisions will not be made up by you in your office, but by the colonels and majors who are directly responsible for fighting this disease”.

“The situation is a serious one. We have a war on our hands,” remarked the President. “Regular police officers complain that they could do so much more if their hands were untied. Meanwhile we act like criminals by braking this process. Not for some criminal purposes but because we believe it is not important. But it is!”

“Everyone has little children and grandchildren. All kinds of things may happen to them. There are quite many children of government officials and other big shots that smoke, drink alcohol, and abuse drugs just like children of common people,” added Alexander Lukashenko.

Igor Shunevich said he believes it is high time the legislation on the Internet was corrected. In particular, he said it is necessary to ban all the Internet users from accessing the websites on the restricted access list. Besides, the Interior Ministry believes it is necessary to prohibit the creation of digital wallets in the digital payment systems operating in Belarus without forcing users to disclose their complete identity to banks. The Interior Minister said that following the existing procedure the police needs 20-30 days to get the necessary data from communication services providers and banks, giving criminals too much time to commit a number of grave crimes, cover the tracks or dodge responsibility.

Alexander Lukashenko remarked that the Interior Ministry should be authorized to get the necessary information in a timely manner. “Not every police officer should have this right. A head of a unit should be given the authority so that the prosecution or some other agency could ask the officer later why he or she needed the information and what results the information produced. You have to understand that just like our society the police takes all sorts. It is unclear why they would request such confidential information. Therefore, this right should be given to the minister and department heads. But once the information is requested, it must be made available within 24 hours or several hours. If it is not done, we will ask the bankers some pointed questions,” noted the President.

“The United States of America, ‘the most democratic country in the world’, you know the kind of democracy they practice as far as the security of citizens is concerned and other matters. A kid raises a toy pistol and they shoot him dead without talking. And nobody will blame the policeman for it! It is the law. Belarusians are democrats, we may prevent some cheats from accessing the Internet or a bank may refuse to disclose information citing bank secrecy. What nonsense!” said the head of state.

“Yes, banks may lose some revenues from this drug money in their accounts, deposits, and so on. But we are trying to resolve a more serious problem. We don’t need money like that,” added the President.

“What a mess! Drugs are mailed by parcel while we are unable to do anything about it! Get together with your colleagues and eradicate it!” Alexander Lukashenko told the Belarusian Interior Minister.