Relatives of Aliaksandr Klaskouski address procuracy in connection with the use of torture towards him and other KGB prisoners
Ludmila and Volha Klavskouskis, mother and
sister of Aliaksandr Klaskouski who is kept in the KGB jail on charges of
involvement in the riots on 19 December, addressed the Prosecutor General,
Ryhor Vasilevich.
To: Prosecutor General, Ryhor Vasilevich
Chair of the KGB Uladzimir Zaitsau
Appeal
Stop the concentration camp in
the center of Minsk!
On 28 February
ex-presidential candidate Ales Mikhalevich, former prisoner of the KGB jail, made
a public statement about the facts of the torture of prisoners in this jail. In particular, A. Mikhalevich
pointed to the fact that prisoners are beaten, forced to stand stretching their
legs far apart, stripped naked and humiliated in other ways.
His words were confirmed by another former prisoner of the KGB jail, Valery Kavaleuski.
He said that “much of what was
said by Ales Mikhalevich is the truth. This was the case with me: the
same "stretching", nudity, squats, electric light in the cells ... "Kavaleuski
doesn’t rule out that such torture can be also used towards other prisoners of
the KGB jail.
On 2 March the words of the
former prisoners were confirmed by the sentenced journalist Aliaksandr
Atroshchankau. In particular, during the trial Aliaksandr
managed to tell his wife Darya that he was also forced to undress and stretch
his legs, which caused severe physical suffering. Moreover, he was also forced to
do physical exercises naked.
During the arrest of my brother
Aliaksandr Klaskouski on 20 December 2010 I, Volha Klaskouskaya, had a
direct telephone connection with him. I heard how unknown people burst into his
apartment, how they beat and humiliated him, how they insulted his wife
Natallia with obscene language. I am ready to confirm these facts at any trial.
The unidentified bandits dragged the injured Aliaksandr away in an unknown
direction. I don’t know who these intruders are.
I am afraid that these people just hide behind the screen of the KGB, as they
showed KGB certificates to the policemen who came to the stormed apartment. One
of them contained the surname Lahun. We didn’t know anything about the fate of
our relative for more than a day. Only on 22 December we found out that he was
kept at the main preliminary investigation department of the Minsk City Executive
Committee. They refused to inform us about the state of his health.
At present we have information that Aliaksandr has fractured ribs. We also know
that his lawful requests for medical assistance were rejected by the
administration of the pre-trial prison of the KGB. Isn’t it also a form of
torture?
As it can be seen at the
official video of the interrogations where Aliaksander allegedly repents for
having come to the peaceful action of protest, his lips are blue, (which clearly indicates that he
was hit in the kidneys), he has inhibited it, atypical facial expression,
gestures and vocabulary. We have every reason to believe
that powerful psychotropic substances and other forms of torture are used
against Aliaksandr.
For instance, psychological
torture is widely used towards other political prisoner of the KGB pre-trial
prison, such as a complete blockade of any information from the outside. I,
Volha Klaskouskaya, keep sending postcards to my brother everyday, but he hasn’t
received any of them so far!
In connection with these facts, we demand to:
- conduct a thorough check-up of
the reports about the use of torture in the KGB prison;
- identify and prosecute people
who illegally burst into the apartment of Aliaksandr Klaskouski on 20 December 2010,
knocked out the door, beat him lying handcuffed, and kidnapped him;
- to prosecute the people involved
in this terrible violence.
Otherwise, you become guilty in creating the concentration camp
in the heart of Europe and inhumane torture of
innocent people as well.
4 March 2011
Ludmila Klaskouskaya
Volha Klaskouskaya
