Belarus-wide Youth Pressurization Starts on the Eve of Freedom Day
Activists of an unregistered organization Young Front are again summonsed to interrogations. An investigator presented to the activists Anastasiia Palazhanka and Aliaksei Ianusheuski the rulings to find them suspects in a criminal case brought under article 193.1 of the Criminal Code, activity on behalf of unregistered organization. HRC Viasna found out that KGB intends to present similar notes to Barys Haretski and Siarhei Lisichonak.
Today a pupil of the tenth grade A.Palazhanka will come for an interrogation together with her father and a social pedagogue as the law prohibits interrogating her in absence of the adults that could represent her interests.
On 4 February the police detained 27 activists of the Young Front at a sitting of the central council of the organization. Zmitser Khvedaruk and Aleh Korban were detained in an investigative isolator of KGB for three days. Now they also have the status of suspects in the criminal case. Anastasiia Palazhanka is sure that the interrogations are connected to the upcoming spring actions of the opposition.
The chair of Babruisk branch of the Young Front Valery Matskevich and a Minsk resident Aliaksei Ianusheuski have been summonsed to interrogations as well.
On 12 March in Baranavichy a KGB agent phoned to Ihar Haidur and invited him for a talk. Haidur answered he would come to KGB only in the case he received an official summons.
Today an investigator of Minsk city prosecutor’s office Siarhei Hrakhouski will interrogate a Young Front activist Barys Haretski. Last year a criminal case was brought against Aleh Korban, Zmitser Dashkevich, Barys Haretski and Siarhei Lisichonak for ‘terrorism’. Then it was stopped due to lack of evidence. However, on 15 September Zmitser Dashkevich was arrested for ‘activity on behalf of unregistered organization’ and then sentenced to 1,5 years of jail.
Artur Finkevich, another activist of the Young Frontё has been sentenced to 2 years of personal restraint. Today KGB has taken him away from Mahiliou correction labor facility for an interrogation. He said to RFE/RL that they didn’t explain the reasons. Finkevich said it was probably connected to spring actions of the opposition.
In Mahiliou summons to KGB have been presented to such activists as Rastsislau Pankratau, Maksim Azarau, Anton Ustsimchuk, Tatsiana Bulanava and Krystsina Shatsikava. According to the summonsed they will be interrogated as witnesses, but the case is not specified.
At 1 p.m. on 13 March Zhlobin KGB interrogated a youth activist Kiryl Atamanchyk on the case against the Young Front. He also said that the KGB office is going to interrogate about 20 youth activists from Zhlobin.
