Information on Citizens' Appeals  

In accordance with Article 3 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Appeals from Citizens and Legal Entities" (hereinafter – the Law), citizens of the Republic of Belarus have the right to appeal to organizations by submitting written, electronic, or oral appeals.

Due to the high level of informatization of society, the number of appeals submitted through electronic technologies has recently been increasing. At the same time, it should be noted that in accordance with current legislation, electronic appeals are not permitted in all areas of legal relations.

For example, according to Article 168 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter – the CPC), citizens' statements about crimes can be oral and written. Furthermore, by virtue of Part 2 of Article 168 of the CPC, a written statement must be signed by the person from whom it originates. In accordance with Part 5 of Article 139 of the CPC, complaints can be submitted orally or in writing.

It follows that the criminal procedure law does not provide for the possibility of submitting statements about committed crimes, or complaints about the actions and decisions of the body conducting administrative proceedings, via email.

Administrative legislation contains similar requirements, which must be taken into account when submitting relevant appeals.

Assistant Prosecutor
of Beshenkovichi District     
1st Class Lawyer                                                E.L. Kabachevskaya