New searches and interrogations
Liubou Kameneva, an activist of the
Belarusian Christian Democracy, was interrogated at KGB on 5 February. She came
to the KGB department at 10 a.m.
together with her attorney. However, KGB officers refused to admit the attorney
to the interrogation and threatened they would treat it as a ‘refusal to give
testimony’.
The interrogation lasted for about an hour. The investigator hinted he knew
everything about the activist. He even offered her a cup of green tea without
sugar (the way she likes it). The room where the interrogation took place was
decorated in the Christian style: there was a Bible, calendars with photos of
Belarusian temples and even a Valentine card from a joint action of the BCD and
the Young Front hanged on the walls.
Hlybokaye
On 28 January Kastus Shytal, an observer of the civil campaign Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections
and member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, received a telephone call from
the local police inspector Alkhimionak.
The policeman tried to invite Kastus for a talk concerning the election
monitoring. He also said that the police had received a ‘paper’ concerning the
activist. Soon after it police officers paid a visit to Kastus’ mother and
tried to question her concerning his activities as an election observer. Nex
time they tried to pass her a writ for her son, but the woman received to take
it as he didn’t live with her.
Kastus Shytal considers such actions of the police as persecution for
registering violations of the electoral legislation at the election precinct #2
in the town of Hlybokaye
during the presidential election.
Homel
Three KGB officers held a search at the apartment of Uladzimir Siakerka,
the Chairperson of the Homel region organization of the Fair World Party. Siakerka was away in Rechytsa at that time, at an
assembly of the Fair World. The
search was conducted in connection with the ‘mass riot’ criminal case.
On 19 December Uladzimir Siakerka monitored the presidential election at an
election precinct and didn’t participate in the mass action of protest in
central Minsk. Nevertheless,
he was interrogated by KGB some time after the action.
Asipovichy
Aliaksei Tsiulkou, a deputy of the Asipovichy District Council, member of
the Belarusian Christian Democracy and electioneering agent of Vital
Rymasheuski, was interrogated at the local KGB.
On 4 February Tsiulkou received a telephone call from Vadzim Marozau, a KGB
officer from the Asipovichy inter-district KGB department, and invited him for
interrogation. However, the activist was going away on a mission and refused to
come to the KGB without an official writ.
He found a writ in the mailbox on his return home. The interrogation lasted for
two hours and concerned the events of 18 and 19 December. By the way, Aliaksei
Tsiulkou didn’t manage to come to Minsk on 19
December, as he was set down a minibus in the town of Rudzensk. The activist refused to answer the
questions why he had been going to Minsk
and who had invited him to come there.
Haradok
Leanid Autukhou, Chairperson of the Haradok organization of the Belarusian
Popular Front Party and activist of the Speak
Truth campaign, was interrogated by KGB when he came to the police department
to change his old passport.
On 19 December Leanid observed the presidential election in Haradok. He didn’t
manage to get to Minsk,
as he was followed by unidentified persons till late in the evening.
On 13 January his apartment was searched by the KGB. They confiscated several
CDs and flash cards – the computer had been confiscated earlier because of
Autukhou’s failure to pay a fine imposed on him for holding street actions with
the use of national white-red-white flags.
On 7 February Autukhou was also summonsed to court to remind that he needed to
pay the fine timely. Being unemployed, he pays 10,000 rubles (about $3) a
month. The confiscated computer was sold for 360,000 rubles (about $120). He
needs to pay 1,066 rubles (about $355). The court warned Leanid that he could
be drawn to administrative responsibility for the failure to pay timely.
