Authorities extend ‘black lists’

06.10.2008. Tags: political persecution, Belarusian Christian Democracy, Viachorka, foreign travel restrictions.
Source: Charter`97.

Some activists of the democratic movement have faced with foreign travel restrictions and the surnames of some more have been introduced into the lists for being searched on the border. The persons to whom such measures are applied cannot receive an answer about the reasons.

At present several dozens of persons who have been interrogated in the case of the blast that had taken place in Minsk on 4 July in the morning cannot leave Belarus.

Siarzhuk Vysotski, chairman of the unregistered Belarusian Party of Freedom, has addressed the Committee of frontier troops and to the Investigative committee to require explanations why he is prohibited to travel abroad.

On 24 September Vysotski was set down from a train on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. A seal for foreign travel restriction was put in his passport. On 10-13 July Vysotski was kept in the isolation ward of KGB in Minsk, where he was interrogated in the blast case. By the way, he is not a suspect in the case.

‘On the border I was told that I was a party in several cases. It is interesting for me to find out what are these cases. I petitioned the investigative committee to be excluded from the database, because I am neither an accused, nor a suspect. There’s an assumption, that it is a new method of blocking public activists,’ said Vysotski.

A youth activist Franak Viachorka was set down from a train for the first time on 28 June, on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border. On 17 July, after he was confessed unfit for army service in peaceful time, Franak tried to get to Lithuania once again. This time he was again set down and a seal for foreign travel restriction was put in his passport. Franak Viachorka has still received no explanations concerning this fact.

The database of the persons who are restricted for foreign travel is supplemented by different agencies, including the Ministry of Defense.

There are also other lists: some persons can cross the border, but only after personal examination.

Aliaksei Shein, co-chairman of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party, says: ‘Two months ago all co-chairmen of BCD were introduced in the list for complete personal search. Sometimes, when you travel by car, four hours are wasted on a search. If you go by train, the train is detained. If you use a bus, the bus is late. All people who travel together with you suffer from such a situation.

Many of them are quite familiar with such cases. The people understand, that the searched people are either representatives of democratic parties, organizations or independent journalists.’