Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved hosted a working visit of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Igor Krasnov

The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus received a delegation of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation which was paying a working visit to Belarus. The Prosecutors General of Belarus and Russia Andrei Shved and Igor Krasnov discussed topical aspects of cooperation between the supervisory authorities of the two countries.

Before the event, the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Igor Krasnov at the Palace of Independence. The meeting was also attended by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved. 

Welcoming his colleagues at the bilateral forum held at the Dipservice Hall, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved stated: “Not only working relations, but also truly collaborating and friendly ones have developed between the Prosecutor General’s Offices of our countries, which the President of Belarus, Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko, has drawn attention to today.”

In his speech, Andrei Shved touched upon topical issues of interaction between prosecutors, including international legal cooperation, protection of the rights of economic entities and collection of overdue foreign receivables, countering extremism, investigation of the criminal case on genocide of the population of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war period.

The Prosecutor General of Russia Igor Krasnov spoke about combating crimes committed using information and communication technologies, including criminal use of cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets.

“The Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia is our main partner in the international legal field. A significant volume of requests for legal assistance, about 78%, is directed to the Russian Federation. To date this year alone, 154 requests for extradition of persons for criminal prosecution or execution of a sentence were sent to Russia, as well as over 4 thousand requests for legal assistance in criminal matters. Our requests are considered by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia promptly and in a strict accordance with international law, - said Andrey Shved. “In turn, the Belarusian party also provides legal assistance to its Russian colleagues to the fullest extent possible.”

In terms of protecting the violated rights of exporting enterprises and collecting overdue foreign receivables, the Prosecutor General of Belarus noted the efficient assistance of Russian colleagues, which in a number of cases made it possible to achieve the compliance with obligations by unscrupulous counterparties. 

The positive dynamics in the reduction of overdue debts was achieved thanks to the organized interaction of the prosecutor’s offices of the two countries within the framework of the Decision taken at the joint collegium of the two bodies.

“Last year the Republic of Belarus was exposed to unprecedented pressure. An attempt was made to implement the scenario of a “colour revolution”, to test new methods of informational influence in order to change power. The experience gained was afterwards attempted to be applied in other countries, including Russia,” said the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus.

Andrei Shved informed Igor Krasnov that the Belarusian law enforcement agencies have developed a set of legislative and specific organizational and practical measures to counter new forms of extremism, including in the mass media environment.

They include, inter alia, a package of laws on countering extremism and terrorism, developed by the Prosecutor General’s Office together with other competent authorities, as well as amendments to criminal and administrative legislation.

When discussing the course of the investigation of the criminal case on genocide of Soviet citizens, including the inhabitants of Belarus, the colleagues came to the conclusion that it is important to preserve the common historical memory of the Great Patriotic War, to prevent the falsification of history.

“In May 2021, the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Preventing the Rehabilitation of Nazism” was adopted, which established the legal and organizational framework for activities in this direction, determined measures to prevent such actions,” said Andrei Shved.

The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus stressed that on the initiative of the Office, a draft Law on the recognition of the genocide of the Belarusian people is currently being developed in the country. In order to prevent the distortion of history, the Law will provide for liability for denying genocide.

Andrei Shved informed that to date about 11.5 thousand witnesses have been interrogated in the criminal case of genocide, most of whom had been prisoners of concentration camps and death camps (7.3 thousand). They reported more than 300 previously unknown possible burial sites. The investigation team conducted over a thousand inspections, during which copies of archival documents were seized, hundreds of hours of newsreels were examined, testifying to the facts of genocide.

The Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Igor Krasnov noted the existing high level of bilateral relations and the mutual willingness to unite efforts on the broadest agenda, including in the field of combating crime. He expressed his conviction that deepening the interdepartmental dialogue is the key to ensuring the rule of law and law and order.

“Rapid digitalization processes encourage us to jointly seek new ways to counter modern criminal challenges,” Igor Krasnov emphasized. “The issues of protecting the rights and freedoms of socially vulnerable categories of citizens, environmental protection, combating corruption, as well as countering the growth of domestic violence, including against minors, continue to be in the spotlight. In this regard, a great burden falls on the law enforcement agencies and, in particular, the prosecution service.”

In order to further strengthen professional contacts, Andrei Shved and Igor Krasnov signed a Plan of Joint Events for 2022, developed in accordance with the Agreement on Cooperation between the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus and the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation.

The Prosecutors General of the two countries signed an Order on the Creation of an Inter-Agency Working Group to ensure interaction between the prosecution authorities of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation to suppress violations of the law related to non-payment for export deliveries of goods (works, services) and evasion of court orders on debt collection.

Andrey Shved thanked Igor Krasnov for constructive joint work in the criminal law field and other areas. Andrey Shved assured Igor Krasnov of his readiness to provide similar assistance to the Russian party as quickly and efficiently as possible.   

The Prosecutors General of Belarus and Russia noted the tuned exchange of information and experience, effective interaction between the bodies. Andrei Shved and Igor Krasnov expressed confidence that the productive cooperation between the Prosecutor General’s Offices of Belarus and Russia will continue.

As part of the event, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved talked with the media representatives.

At the end of the meeting, the delegations of the Prosecutor General’s Offices of Belarus and Russia took part in the solemn laying of flowers at the Victory Monument in Minsk.

Photo: Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus

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