Official warning instead of flowers
On 19 December Tatsiana Shambalava, an electioneering
agent of Vital Rymasheuski, was detained at the protest action in central Minsk and sentenced to 10
days of arrest. She kept a hunger-strike during the whole arrest term. However,
after her release she was required to pay for 'getting meals three times a day
at the expense of the state'.
In the evening of 14 February Andrei Makhunou, an officer of the Mahiliou
Region KGB Department, came to her apartment to pass her an official writ for a
talk on 15 February. When she joked why he had come to a girl without flowers
on St. Valentine's Day, he smiled and answered he would try to correct this
mistake the following day.
On 15 Febraury Tatsiana came to the KGB office together with human rights
defender Barys Bukhel. However, the latter wasn't allowed to represent her
interests. Makhunou passed to the activist an official warning and said: 'It's
instead of flowers'. The warning concerns articles 193.1 and 293 of the
Criminal Code – 'activities on behalf of unregistered organization' (she is a
member of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy) and
'participation in 'mass riot'' (for participation in the 19 December action).
According to this document, the activist was also put in a prophylaxis register
on 9 February.
