Chronicle of searches and interrogations

At 11.30 the search in the apartment of the Minsk activist of Speak Truth Ihar Vinnikau came to an end. The police confiscated his computer, two mobile phones, flash drives and books of poetry by Uladzimir Niakliayeu.
 
At 11.45 the police tried to break the door of the apartment of Aleh Ladutska, a coordinator of the electoral team of Uladzimir Niakliayeu. The actions are directed by investigator Tsybulski from the Leninski District Police Department of Minsk.

At 12 a.m. the apartment of an activist of Speak Truth Radzivon Biazliudau was searched by officers of the Kastrychnitski District Police Department of Minsk in civvies. They confiscated his computer, five scarves For Niakliayeu, a book of poems by Mr. Niakliayeu, a file with his photo, several CDs and a flash drive.

According to praca.by, at 1 p.m. the office of the Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry was searched. The mobile phones of the Chairperson, Henadz Fiadynich, and other members of the trade union were switched off.

KGB officers interrogated Maryna Koktysh, a journalist with the opposition daily Narodnaya Volia; and someone broke into the apartment of a freelance journalist Katsiaryna Tkachenka, local press reported. Tkachenka said she is unable to enter her apartment and check if anything is missing because the lock is jammed. It is the second raid on her apartment since late December.

KGB also searched an apartment of Viktar Kalesnik, an election agent of the presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau. KGB officers had a warrant to search an apartment of Viktar’s friend in Navapolatsk, though Viktar Kalesnik resides in Polatsk. The search lasted for over two hours. Two laptops and several CDs were seized. Viktar Kalesnik insisted he had only one laptop and asked to leave his friend’s property, but KGB officers took both computers. Viktar, an election agent of Andrei Sannikau, was served a summons. He is to appear to a KGB department in Navapolatsk at 3:00 pm on 14 January.

The activist was told he would be asked about the events on 19 December.

A search has been started in the apartment of Volha Niakliayeva, the wife of the presidential candidate Uladzimir Niakliayeu, who is now in the KGB detention center. The human rights activist Alena Tankachova informed this live on air on Euroradio. According to her, Volha Niakliayeva called her saying that someone came to her and started searching the apartment.

A search was also conducted in the apartment of the Speak Truth activist Ihar Vinnikau in Minsk. A computer, two mobile phones, USB-drives and books written by the poet Uladzimir Niakliayeu have been confiscated.

The apartment of Alena Famina, a representative of the presidential candidate Dzmitry Uss in Vitsebsk, was searched on 13 January.

According to Alena Famina, the search lasted for 2.5 hours. A computer's system unit and a laptop were confiscated. ‘They said it was connected with the criminal case concerning the mass riot’, Famina has said to Euroradio.

Alena Famina has been given a writ to come to the KGB office for an interrogation as a witness on 14 January.

The head of the Homel regional office of the For Freedom movement Piatro Kuzniatsou was detained and is kept at the Rechytsa District Police Department. The office is searched.

The Deputy Editor of the socio-political newspaper Narodnaya Volia Sviatlana Kalinkina was interrogated at KGB today. Yesterday KGB officers also interrogated another Deputy Editor, Maryna Koktysh.

KGB officers confiscated the system block and several agitation leaflets of Uladzimir Niakliayeu from an activist of the Speak Truth campaign Siarhei Parsiukevich in Vitsebsk. According to Mr. Parsiukevich, the search in his apartment lasted for 1.5 hours. At first KGB officers proposed him to surrender arms, drugs and everything that had relation to the events of 19 December in Minsk. As a result they confiscated several leaflets and the system block of his computer.

The Deputy Chairperson of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Alina Suravets was interrogated at KGB on 14 January. On 13 January KGB officers also interrogated the BAJ Chairperson Zhana Litvina, and on 12 January – the Deputy Chairperson, Andrei Bastunets.

Zhana Litvina and Maryna Koktysh are considered as suspects in the mass riot case and were made to give a written undertaking not to disclose the content of the interrogations because of secret of the investigation.