Pressurization of Franak Viachorka in the army
Another pressure campaign has been started in the military unit in Mozyr against a leader of the BPF Youth Franak Viachorka who had been forcibly drafted to the army.
As the website pbnf.org informs, this campaign is orchestrated by a psychologist of the squadron, senior lieutenant Dzianis Kozak. The aim of the campaign is to make Franak start speaking Russian under a threat of criminal prosecution.
Dzianis Kozak started to demand that F.Viachorka stopped answering and giving commands in Belarusian, as by this he allegedly violated articles of war by that, and ‘opposed himself to the team’.
On 10 July an ensign in duty Piskun ordered Viachorka to sing a Russian song. To the offer of the young activist to sing a song in Belarusian, Piskun said that firstly he doesn’t like Belarusian, and secondly, he knows that many soldiers and sergeants do not like Belarusian. He also added that if Franak won’t fulfill the order, a criminal action would be opened against him on charges related to the criminal code article ‘disobedience of orders’.
An ideology chief of the military unit V. Ihnatsik supported the ensign, saying that next time when orders won’t be fulfilled, the case of the young activist would be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office.
Recently similar threats have been received by another young activist, who had been forcedly drafted to the army, Zmitser Khvedaruk. The commanding officers of the unit even took Khvedaruk to the Inter- garrison Military Prosecutor’s office in Barysau. However, representatives of the prosecutor office haven’t found any violations in the actions of the young activist.
Bear in mind that on 16 July 2008, the medical board of the military enlistment office of Savetski district of Minsk found Franak Viachorka unfit for military service because of is health. A regional medical board challenged the decision. After a check up in a military hospital he received a determent till March 2009. However, on 16 January the military enlistment office of Savetski district of Minsk found Franak Viachorka fit for military service. The court of this district upheld the decision of the military enlistment office. The decision was adopted behind the closed doors in absence of the young activist and his lawyer.
At the moment Franak Viachorka is on military service in the air defense military unit 48694 in Mozyr (Homel region).
