Belarusian military now authorized to shoot at people without warning

Lukashenka has authorized the military to shoot at people not only without a voice warning, but also without a warning shot in the air. His decree, published on the National Legal Documents Internet Portal, approved the changes in the Internal Service Statute.

According to the new wording, servicemen do not even have to fire a warning shot in cases "when the delay in its use creates an immediate danger to the life of the serviceman or other citizens or may cause other serious consequences".

Firearm can be used even against those who commit a misdemeanor.

Servicemen shall not be held responsible for the damage caused when physical force, non-lethals or weapons were used in accordance with the statute. In the previous version of the statute, the use of weapons as well as military and special equipment in excess of authority "entails responsibility as defined by legislative acts."

In an earlier development, Lukashenka authorized KGB officers to shoot into a crowd.

In Belarus, the most notorious case of killing a civilian by the military occurred on August 11, 2020. On that day in Brest, the military fatally wounded Henadz Shutau with a combat weapon. At the trial, the murdered Shutau was found guilty and sentenced posthumously, while his buddy Aliaksandr Kardzyukou was sentenced to 10 years in an maximum security prison. And special forces captain Raman Haurylau and warrant officer Arsen Halitsyn were recognized as victims.