Aleksandr Lukashenko strips over 80 former policemen, army servicemen, prosecution officers of ranks

Over 80 former personnel of defense, security, law enforcement agencies, prosecution service officers have been stripped of their military titles and ranks. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed corresponding decree No.332.

These persons have been stripped of their ranks and grades as punishment for committing crimes, administrative offences, and actions inconsistent with the status of a military serviceman or a prosecution service officer. Those actions include being prosecuted for deliberate disclosure of professional secrets, active participation in actions that violently disrupt public order, including unauthorized rallies, offending people in positions of authority, making statements of extremist nature, and other ones. The decision to strip people of their ranks also affects former military personnel and retired personnel. In particular, some of them retired ten years ago and more than that.

Apart from that, the decree specifies former military personnel, who are now taking part in armed conflicts in foreign countries.

A presidential decree with similar content was published last year.