Babruisk police “questioned” and “examined” blogger Aleh Zhalnou for more than 11 hours

Babruisk blogger Aleh Zhalnou was detained in the morning of February 4 and released only after spending 11.5 hours at the police department.

“They explained it by the need to watch a video and question me and the police. During the personal search they have seized some hardware from me, allegedly to examine it,” said Aleh Zhalnou after his release.

The blogger notes that a training alert for countering terrorism was to be held at the DPD that day. He came to a personal audience with the head of the Investigative Committee at 8.00 am. At the entrance the attendant asked whether he had any weapons.

“In response, I offered him two pens, which can be used for killing someone if one has certain skills, a scarf which can be used as a halter, a baseball cap which could be also used, though I don't know how. I also remembered the keychain alarm which could explode during heating to a certain temperature. The attendant put it all down, gave me a key to the ambry, where I put my belongings and went to the meeting. However, I didn't manage to talk to the head of the Investigative Committee, as in some minutes police major Siarhei Rudzko came into the room, sad that they had received some report and I needed to go with him. As I understood from his speech, they would either search or examine me,” said the blogger.

The deputy head of the Babruisk District Police Department Aliaksandr Siarheyeu ordered to search Mr. Zhalnou in the street. Then he was put in a police car, from which he could see the firemen, the ambulance and the demining group taking part in the training.” Then Zhalnou was “examined” once again in the duty department of the DPD and put in a cell for a short time.

Only in the investigator's office, with the assistance of his lawyer who arrived to the DPD, Mr. Zhalnou managed to learn what he was suspected in. After five hours of waiting, he was issued a ruling in which it was stated that he was to be released “taking into account the disappearance of reasons for continued detention".

“I was not allowed to report about my detention. They said that they allegedly had the right to give him such possibility within 12 hours. I think it was done to bring as much suffering as possible
to my family, especially to my wife. As a result they have also deprived me of three flash drives, three phones without SIM cards and 3G- modem with a memory card. Taking into account that the
equipment which they had seized earlier still hasn't been returned to me, the fate of this items is predictable. What concerns my son Aliaksei, a criminal case against whom has been instigated, he was questioned and confronted to the traffic policemen Aliaksandr Butouski and Aliaksandr Aliaksandrau. After this he was let go,” said Aleh Zhalnou.