Blast victims waiting for compensation

Authorities promised to pay compensations to all the victims of the July 3 blast in Minsk, but those injured say they have received nothing.

Lilia, 28 is remaining in Hospital No 6 and has begun making the first steps. She says she heard the news about compensation from her ward doctor.

“They have not given anything. I am still at the hospital. They have not even removed the stitches yet. I had three operations on my leg”.

 Lilia plans to spend the compensation money to remove the scar from the previous operations.

“I went to watch this concert. I am not to blame that things turned this way. I have spent a month in the hospital and it is still unclear how my leg will recover. I am suffering a lot. I am 28 years old and I don’t have money to rehabilitate this leg”.

The European Radio for Belarus tried to find out how much compensation should be in order to enable Lilia to pay for an operation to remove the scar. At Sante medical center, it costs $12 per centimeter. It means that Lilia will have to pay up to $1000 to remove her 40-cm long scar.

Lawyer Vera Stramkouskaya thinks that the government should pay compensation since it was responsible for security during the July 3 festive events.

The amount of compensation is to be approved by the government. However, if the injured feel discontented, they have the right to take the government to court, according to Stramkouskaya.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Security has developed a draft resolution on compensations for blast victims, but it has declined a comment to the European Radio for Belarus.