Anatol Labedzka Interrogated Again

On June 14 the city prosecutor’s office interrogated UCP leader Anatol Labedzka again. Labedzka is accused of defamation of the President. The authorities brought the criminal action against Labedzka after he had given an interview to a Russian TV channel. In his interview to Zerkalo show Labedzka criticized Lukashenka for creation of the shadow budget, for concealment of the truth about the disappeared politicians and for harboring money from selling weapons.

This time the interrogation of the UCP leader lasted for over 2 hours. Anatol Labedzka says he has proposed enough materials to the investigation which prove credibility of his statements. He told RFE/RL: “This time I proposed them a package of information which had been publicly voiced by the present Ministers and other top officials in Lukashenka’s circle. The documents prove I am not the first one to raise the topic. And the main point, my interview to Zerkalo was based on the statements of Alexander Lukashenka. I think it really had an effect on the investigator. Although I am aware of what power an investigator in Belarus has”.
Labedzka claims the action against him is politically motivated. He says, besides the documents he provided the investigation with, he has a number of other facts at his disposal which he is going to reveal when the case is brought before the court. Labedzka’s lawyer Paval Sapelka does not exclude the possibility that the Labedzka will be tried. Although he believes the case should be dropped due to the lack of legal grounds.
If the criminal action is brought before the court Labedzka will face up to 5 years of prison under Art 367 of the Criminal Code. Social Democrats of other countries support Anatol Labedzka. They have collected several thousand signatures under the demand to stop prosecution of the UCP leader.