Myechyslaw Hryb

After receiving an administrative fine for participating in a gathering commemorating the 1994 Constitution, Hryb passed the bar examination but was refused a licence by the Justice Ministry. His domestic appeals failed. In its findings of 26 October 2011, the UN Human Rights Committee held that Belarus had not demonstrated that the restriction was necessary and found violations of Articles 19 §2 and 21 of the Covenant.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

protective — Hryb is the complainant and recognised victim, not the perpetrator of a violation

From autumn 1995, Hryb attempted to reactivate Parliament despite obstruction, referred several presidential acts to the Constitutional Court and then opposed the 1996 constitutional referendum. He signed a request to impeach Lukashenko for repeated violations of the Constitution and subsequently joined the democratic opposition.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

corrective — Hryb acts as a check on power and an institutional opponent

Nineteen MPs staged a hunger strike inside Parliament against Lukashenko's proposed referendum. Security forces forcibly removed and beat them during the night of 11 to 12 April. Hryb had assured them that their protection was arranged but was absent during the operation. The following day, he described the violence as a 'state crime' and convened the presidium; some witnesses and historians later criticised what they saw as an excessively conciliatory response.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

shared_institutional — responsibility for protection and management; no evidence that he ordered the beatings

Lukashenko's referendum was held alongside the May 1995 parliamentary elections. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly mission identified government influence over the media, campaign restrictions, multiple voting and official promotion of the president's preferred answers. It concluded that the elections did not meet the conditions for a free and fair vote. Hryb was then parliamentary chairman and had invited the mission.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

limited_institutional — parliamentary chairman who authorised the framework; main interference attributed to the executive and authorities

Belarusian Popular Front demonstrations took place in Minsk and several regions against joining the Collective Security Treaty. A historical investigation by Zerkalo reported that Hryb, then parliamentary chairman, ordered their dispersal. The source indicated that the episode resulted in the first arrests for political activity since independence, without describing the dispersal as particularly brutal.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

direct — dispersal order personally attributed to Hryb by a retrospective historical source

The Supreme Council officially elected Myechyslaw Hryb as its chairman on 28 January 1994, making him de facto head of state before the first presidential election. Historical accounts indicate that the majority close to Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich regarded him as an acceptable candidate compatible with the governing camp.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

direct_political — official election; interpretation concerning support from Kebich's camp is contextual only

Faced with deadlock over certain constitutional provisions, Hryb proposed a named-ballot method allowing votes to be collected over several days to reach the required majority. The Belarusian Popular Front maintained that parliamentary rules required voting to take place on a single day and described the procedure as irregular. The Constitution was ultimately adopted on 15 March 1994 and signed by Hryb.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

direct_procedural — Hryb proposed the voting method and signed the Constitution

During the 1994 transition, Hryb remained politically close to Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich, supported his presidential candidacy and did not lead opposition to the proposed monetary union with Russia. He later explained that he had perceived the risks to sovereignty without vigorously opposing them at the time.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

shared_and_limited — political support established, but Kebich directly led the monetary union proposal

Hryb supported Kebich in Belarus's first presidential election. Opposition figures subsequently alleged that the administrative apparatus had favoured Kebich before the first round. No qualified evidence, however, links Hryb to falsification of voting or counting.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

low — political support established; no qualified evidence of vote manipulation by Hryb

As chairman of the parliamentary security and defence committee, Hryb actively supported Belarus joining the Collective Security Treaty concluded in Tashkent in 1992. The decision was contested by the Belarusian Popular Front and other sovereignty advocates, who saw it as excessive military alignment with Russia.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

direct_political — chairman of parliamentary security committee advocating accession

Appointed head of the Vitebsk regional police in 1985, Hryb led the investigative phase that resulted in the identification and arrest of serial killer Gennady Mikhasevich. The case exposed a judicial disaster: Hryb subsequently stated that thirteen people had been wrongly convicted of crimes attributable to Mikhasevich and that one person had been executed.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

corrective — Hryb led the phase identifying the real killer; earlier convictions are not attributed to him