KGB confirms arraignment of Siarhei Basharymau and Anton Surapin

KGB informs: The State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus has initiated and investigates a criminal case on features of a crime under part 3 of Article 371 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus concerning the fact of unlawful crossing of the state boundary of the Republic of Belarus by citizens of the Kingdom of Sweden at a light airplane.

The citizens of the Republic of Belarus A. Surapin and S. Basharymau were detained on suspicion of aid in the commission of the crime and given charges under Part 6 of Article 16 (assistance in the commission of a crime) and Part 3 of Art. 371 (illegal crossing the state border of Belarus) of the Criminal Code.

To provide an objective criminal investigation and to ascertain all the circumstances of violations of the airspace of the Republic of Belarus and the Lithuania the State Security Committee proposes the citizens of Sweden who participated in organizing and implementing the illegal movement across the state border to arrive in Minsk to take part in the investigation as suspects, including for the confrontations. Final process decisions will be taken towards the Belarusian citizens who are defendants in the case as a result”.

By this statement the Belarusian authorities confirm that Basharyman and Surapin are in fact hostages in this.

According to information of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, charges to Basharymau were issued on 16 July and to Surapin – on 23 July. It’s quite interesting that the KGB statement doesn’t indicate the dates when the charges were given.