Lukashenko amends law to allow law-enforcers fire at civilians

• 6 February, 16:11

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law allowing law-enforcers open fire at civilians in a move that is expected to make the country more authoritarian.   

Lukashenko made relevant changes in the Charter of the Internal Service of the Armed Forces on Monday. The changes to the law exempt the military from responsibility for the use of weapons “taking into account the circumstances, the nature of the crime and the identity of the criminal.”

The amendments specify that servicemen will not be held accountable for damages resulting from shootings conducted “in accordance with joint military statutes.”
Previously, Lukashenko approved revisions to the "Law on State Security Bodies," granting special service personnel the authority to use firearms against women, children, and individuals with disabilities in situations involving "armed resistance, armed or group assault, or other actions posing a threat to life or public health."

Lukashenko signed yet another law in his favor on January 5. The law envisages protections for former presidents, their family members, and the criteria for their successors.

Belarus has become more authoritarian since 2020 after contested presidential election that ensured Lukashenko’s sixth term in office. The elections were described as non-democratic by Western observers and were followed by mass protests and crack down on the opposition forces.