Aliaksei Shchadrou is a 28-year-old founder of a shelter for homeless.This Belarusian graduated from medical school with a diploma of medical assistant, and had been working for the ambulance.After that Aliaksei had a difficult period in his life: he spent two years in prison for stealing drugs from his working place and selling them. In the prison he repented, became a believer, and after his discharge he has been engaged in charity. Thus, he opened the shelter for the homeless and ex-alcoholics in his village.According to the guests registration book of this “House of Mercy“, around 90 people have lived there during two years. Some of them were staying for a few days, but there were those who spent there more than a year. This winter there were 27 people staying in 4 houses of the shelter, and now the number is less then 10.

  People started to leave after 18 June, when the criminal proceedings against Aliaksei Shchadrou were initiated. He faces up to two years in prison for acting on behalf of the unregistered organization. Meanwhile Aliaksei did not manage to register his “House of Mercy” despite all his efforts: the fact, that he and his guests are praying in the ordinary house is against the Belarusian legislation.It is also not legal to stay without documents, residence permits and registration, as the guests of the shelter did.Generally, according to Aliaksei Shchadrou, his activities did not coincide with the policy of the local authorities.

“What are they saying in the executive committee? That we do not have homeless people, we just have low-income groups. But the authorities do not want to do anything with the fact that there are homeless people and they do need help.”

Aliaksei Shchadrou said that it is possible to have this shelter only because of the donations of money, food, clothing.The donations are made by the believers, the Church, as well as ordinary people, both rich and poor.

Human rights defenders: Article 193-1 violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich stresses that in 2011 the Venice Commission released its Conclusion regarding Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. The Conclusion, in particular, states that Article 193-1 violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and is a potential tool for the government in curbing civil activism, providing the authorities wide powers to interfere with the fundamental rights to freedom of association, freedom of thought, belief and expression.

During the period from 2005 to 2012, 18 members of unregistered organizations were convicted under article 193-1. Five of them were sentenced to imprisonment. Many activists have received official warnings from prosecutors demanding to stop their activities on behalf of unregistered organizations. In the courts no cases under the article 193-1 has been adjudicated in favor of the accused.

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