Prosecutor General Andrey Shved administered the oath of office of young prosecutors

Today, in the Victory Hall of the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War in Minsk, a solemn event took place – the ceremony of oath-taking of prosecutors.

The event was attended by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved, the Prosecutor of the City of Minsk Oleg Lavrukhin, the Prosecutor of the Minsk Region Yuri Shchetko, as well as the abbot of the parish of the Church of All Saints Archpriest Fyodor Povny.

Young prosecutors of the country vowed “to piously adhere to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, other legislative acts and international obligations of the Republic of Belarus, to prevent any violations of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, achieving high efficiency in their work, to actively protect the rights and legitimate interests of citizens, public and the State...”

Taking the oath is a significant event in the life of every person in uniform.

34 young men and women present at the event took upon themselves an honorable and very responsible mission – to conscientiously serve the law, the people, and the Fatherland.

In his speech, the Prosecutor General noted: “Today is a very important day for you. I am sure that you will remember it for the rest of your life... The oath is taken here, in a sacred place for Belarus – the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. Remember that our ancestors, at the cost of incredible efforts, colossal losses, blood, sweat, pain, defended our country, made it possible for all of us to live. And you must carry the memory of their feat in your heart every day... The situation is such that you need to be strong not only physically, not only professionally, but also morally... you need to be honest, first of all, to yourself, to your conscience.”  

Addressing young prosecutors, Andrei Shved emphasized the importance and seriousness of the service: “In difficult conditions today, the prosecution authorities, like the entire law enforcement and state bodies, are solving the assigned tasks. You, like all prosecutors, are responsible for making decisions. Remember, sometimes one action means more than a thousand words. Today, having sworn in, you have taken upon yourself a very serious, one of the most important obligations to yourself, to your relatives, friends – to honestly, decently serve your Motherland, the Republic of Belarus.”

Addressing the young people, the Archpriest Fyodor Povny said: “The State is not an abstract word, but, first of all, people. An employee of the prosecutor’s office needs open-mindedness and a strong heart. A clear conscience, not just knowledge of the law, gives the moral right to prosecute others. And all the qualities together – conscience, a living heart, professional knowledge and service to the Fatherland – can help to keep the fine line between state and public interests. On this day, you take the oath, promise to be faithful to the Fatherland and the profession. You have chosen your direction and, following it, you can do a lot of useful things for Belarus. The country needs you and may you need Belarus. Keep faith in goodness and justice, be a little idealistic. Good luck!”

On behalf of the young generation of prosecutors, Elena Gotovchits, Assistant Prosecutor of the Zavodskoy District of Minsk, spoke with words of gratitude for trust: “Having taken the oath, we maintain the traditions of the older generation. Your professionalism is an example for us. In turn, we promise that our generation will carefully preserve and enhance the best traditions of the prosecutor’s office. We will conscientiously serve the law, the people and the Fatherland and become true professionals.”

At the end of the ceremony, prosecutors laid flowers at the obelisk “Minsk – Hero City” in tribute to the memory of those killed during the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders. An excursion to the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War was also organized for young colleagues.

As part of the event, Andrei Shved spoke to the press.

Answering the question about the selection of personnel, he noted: “For the heads of all state bodies without exception, including the Prosecutor General’s Office, work with personnel is one of the most important tasks. Only those who are not only well versed in jurisprudence, but also have a solid core, should serve the Fatherland. Prosecutors must understand that they must serve honestly and loyally. And we are doing everything to ensure that such people come to the service of the prosecutor’s office.”

As of the investigation of the criminal case of genocide, the Prosecutor General summed up some preliminary results: “At this stage, we have completed collecting evidence related to interrogation of witnesses. About 11.5 thousand people were interrogated using video recording in the territory of Belarus, now we are systematizing this evidence. We have prepared a certain amount of information for the report to the Head of State, on which we are now working together with concerned state bodies, historians, specialists, in order to present these materials to the President before the new year. And in the future, if approved, they will be used to inform officials of foreign States. In particular, the head of the International Association of Prosecutors, Prosecutors General of European States.

“In addition, with our colleagues from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia, as you remember, the Head of State suggested organizing joint work to investigate the criminal case of genocide. Now we are carrying out work related to the procedural registration of our joint activities and in the near future we will complete it... We exchange information with our Israeli colleagues. The Ambassador of Israel visited one of the places of mass extermination of people in the Brest Region. We are working with colleagues from other countries, and this work will continue,” added Andrey Shved.

Photo: Prosecutor General’s Office, SB.by

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