Ales Bialiatski points at those who ordered the criminal case

"I state that this case was instigated and conducted with evident political motives, with the aim to persecute members of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, including me, for human rights activities," - stated Ales Bialiatski on 4 November, during the third day of the trial. To confirm his words, he read some documents from the first volume of criminal case # 11081100188, which were just mentioned by the prosecutor during the study of the case.

Drawing the judge's attention to the initially accusatory character of investigation, which “was evident from the first to the sixth volume of the case", Ales Bialiatski  quoted excerpts from the address of the investigator of the Financial Investigations Department, Kasynkina, to the Deputy Chairman of the Mahiliou Regional Investigation Bureau, with the request to interrogate a witness in the case: “It is also established that the funds received Aliaksandr Bialiatski as income on bank accounts in his name in the foreign banking institutions were imported to Belarus with the help of couriers." Where was it is established and by whom? The human rights defender emphasizes that these questions were left unanswered by the investigation.

Continuing his comments, Ales Bialiatski presented to the court and to the present public very interesting documents which explain everything, and which the accusation was not going to voice during the trial.

The first paper was read by the accused, is a request the State Security Committee of Belarus (KGB) of 3 November 2010 to the Deputy Prosecutor General, senior counselor of justice Shved A.I. (page 15 of the first volume of the case):

"Dear Andrei Ivanavich,

On 28 October 2010 the State Security Committee received an anonymous application # AB(?) 1776 that the representatives of the unregistered organization "Human Rights Center "Viasna” used financial means, transferred from abroad, to finance the radical opposition.

 In particular, an account in the AB DnB NORD Bankas (Vilnius, Lithuania) was registered on behalf of the head of the HRC “Viasna” Bialiatski Aliaksandr Viktaravich [the year and place of birth and the residential address are specified – ed.], and an account in the AB SEB Bankas was registered on behalf of the deputy head of the HRC "Viasna", Stefanovich Valiantsin Kanstantsinavich [the year and place of birth and the residential address are specified – ed.].

The applicant submitted Xerox copies of the documents concerning the accounts which were registered in the names of Bialiatski and Stefanovich and financial operations on them. The aforementioned financial means are imported by representatives of the HRC “Viasna” in cash in the amount permitted by law, and are used for illegal purposes, as well as for the personal use of Bialiatski and Stefanovich.

Moreover, the applicant presented certain copies of receipts of citizens of the Republic of Belarus about presentation of financial means to representatives of HRC “Viasna” (attached). At the same time, it is impossible to take a lawful and well-grounded decision on these materials
because of the absence of official information about the registration of the bank accounts in Lithuania by Bialiatski and Stefanovich, and the movement of finances on the mentioned accounts.

In the view of the aforesaid, we ask you to make an international investigative inquiry for submitting it to the competent authorities of Lithuania as soon as possible. We have reached an agreement with the head of the NCB of Interpol of the Ministry of Internal Affairs [National Central Bureau of Interpol in the Republic of Belarus – ed.] about the immediate submission of  an international investigative inquiry to Lithuania through Interpol channels.

For more information, please contact by phone 2199551 (Dmitry Aliaksandravich) or 2199525 (Aliaksandr Mikalayevich).

Sincerely,
First Deputy Chairman, Major-General V.P. Viahera.".

Then Ales Bialiatski read the instruction by Shved (page 14 of the sixth volume of the criminal case) concerning the results of the aforementioned inquiry, submitted to the Deputy Chairman of the State Control Committee of the Republic of Belarus.

“An inquiry of the State Security Committee concerning the leaders of the HRC “Viasna” is submitted to the director of the Financial Investigations Department for “organizing a check-up and taken decision in line with Article 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code, in cooperation with KGB officers. I ask you to send information about the decision to our address.”

Another document, which was made public by Ales Bialiatski, is the address of the KGB of 21 December 2010 to Zianon Lomats, Chairman of the State Control Committee (page 13 of the first volume of the criminal case):

"Dear Zianon Kuzmich,
On 20 December 2010 the Investigative Bureau of the Main Internal Affairs Bureau of the Minsk City Executive Committee instigated criminal case #10011110362 on parts 1 and 2 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus concerning the fact of mass riot.

The Pershamaiski District Police Department of Minsk conducted a search at the office of the unregistered organization “Human Rights Center “Viasna”” (Nezalezhnasts Avenue, 78a-48) within the framework of the case, as a result of which there were confiscated documents and computer equipment which are related to materials of the check-up concerning the head of the HRC “Viasna” (is kept at the fourt section of the Financial Investigations Department in Minsk and the Minsk region). Examination of the confiscated items and documents will be a legal evidence concerning the aforementioned persons. The computer equipment is at the Pershamaiski District Police Department of Minsk. We inform you for solving the question of bringing a criminal case towards members of HRC “Viasna”.

Respectfully,
Chairman of the Committee, V.Yu. Zaitsau”.

These documents speak for themselves, no comments are needed.