Tesak’s buddy Maluta could have participated in attack on Sannikau

He is covered by Belarusian KGB that is why Maluta evades all the accusations unpunished.

As the charter97.org web-site previously reported, Russian fascist Maksim Marcinkevich, known as Tesak, was detained in Minsk and then released with the obligation to show up on the first demand. The Investigatory Committee of Belarus reported that Marcinkevich was ready to cooperate with the investigation.

We would remind that he is accused of violating the part 3 of the article 339 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus – especially malicious hooliganism with the use of weapon. The punishment provided for that crime is imprisonment from three to ten years. According to the investigation, on 15 February there was a fight near the building of the eye clinic between Tesak and two of his acquaintances, Belarus’ citizens, and three anti fascists. As the result one of the antifascists was stabbed and received a penetrating wound. The fact that the antifascists did not file an application to police was the reason for releasing the ultra-right activists from jail. One of Tesak’s buddies is a former leader of a neo-Nazi grouping of the National Socialist Association Siarhei Karotkikh known under the nickname Maluta, in Russia he is suspected of organizing the explosion in Manezhnaya square in 2007.

Radio Svaboda reported today that Siarhei Karotkikh (Maluta) was a friend of Valer Ihnatovich, life-sentenced for the murder of a journalist Dzmitry Zavadski. At the end of 1990-ies he could participate in Russian National Unity’s actions against democratic activists. He is covered by Belarusian KGB that is why Maluta escapes all the accusations unpunished. This person is more dangerous than Tesak, a former official of a Belarusian prosecutor’s office Dzmitry Petrushkevich is sure.

“I remember well the rumors that together with his people he beat some oppositionists in 1999, - a former official of a Belarusian prosecutor’s office Dzmitry Petrushkevich tells to a Radio Svaboda’s reporter. – Now it turns out those were Andrei Sannikau, Dzmitry Bandarenka and Aleh Biabenin. And if we compare the facts from his biography and add another release, than I personally don’t have any more doubts that he cooperates precisely with Belarusian special services”.

“Sannikau lay in a puddle of blood and several people were kicking him. He was being actually murdered, - the coordinator of the European Belarus civic campaign Dzmitry Bandarenka tells. – I have some skills acquired when serving at special mission military unit, Eastern martial arts experience, but this did not help. I simply ran out to the road”.

“Lukashenka then said: fascists beat fascists”, - Bandarenka says. They cleansing of oppositional politicians started exactly with the attack on the leader of the European Belarus, former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau – he is sure.

RNU’s activists attacked the politicians in February 1999.

Bandarenka says that the attack was guided by the leader of the RNU Gled Samoilov. “There were three of us, there were 20 of them, - he explains. – Bebenin got into a hospital then, he had his kidneys damaged. Sannikau had two ribs and nose broken and a brain concussion”.

Petrushkevich is a former official of a Belarusian prosecutor’s office. He participated in the investigation of the cases of the disappeared politicians. He now lives in the United States. He was disturbed by the release of Siarhei Karotkikh (Maluta). “We can treat Marcinkevich’s release differently, who allegedly agreed to cooperate with the investigation… but the fact that Maluta was released the next morning goes out of bounds”, - Petrushkevich writes in his blog on Belarusian Partisan web-site. Petrushkevich is sure: Belarusian special services has been covering for Maluta since the end of 1990-ies.

“Maluta was brought to RNU by Ihnatovich”

Siarhei Karotkikh was born in 1969. In Russia he is known as one of the heads of the extremist organization National Socialist Association. Although he was kicked out of it for harming the organization.

The rumors that Maluta is a Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation’s (FSB) agent are there in Russia as well. Moreover, Maluta is considered the organizer of the explosion in Manezhnaya square in 2007.

Since the mid-2000s his name has been associated with the name of Maksim Marcinkevich (Tesak). Maluta is a Belarusian citizen himself. Tesak is also nostalgic for his Belarusian roots.

Before becoming known for his activities in Russia, Maluta managed to show his capabilities in Belarus. He was a member of the Russian National Unity here. And he was brought to the organization by no one other than Valer Ihnatovich, who was later sentenced for kidnapping and murdering a journalist Dzmitry Zavadski.

“There was a person in military uniform, - Banderenka keeps describing the attack of the RNU’s activists. – We thought it was simply some officer. But alter they told us at a police station that it was Ihnatovich. In fact Ihnatovich commanded the attack on Sannikau then”.

“Ihnatovich was the one who brought Maluta to RNU, - Petrushkevich states. – They were fairly close. But despite that, Karotkikh took a higher status in the organization”.

Why? According to Petrushkevich’s version Maluta could provide the financing. But where this financing came from – it was dangerous even to dig into this issue then.

“Everyone knew about Karotkikh’s connection to the special services already back in the 90-ies (there were only differences as to the degree of their closeness), many facts actually took place”, - Petrushkevich writes in the blog.

“Karotkikh was Samoilau’s deputy, in fact the second person in the RNU, - Dzmitry Petrushkevich says. (According to Radio Svaboda’s information, Maluta headed one of the RNU’s units Variag) – And Ihnatovich was responsible for the issues of operation support. They had a fairly serious organization in terms of physical preparation. They then held multiple marches with the slogans “Russia, Serbia, Belarus”.

Bandarenka is sure: such organizations are always guided by special services. And in Belarus these connections are the firmest. “There was a curator Ihnatovich, a former Almaz officer”, - Bandarenka says.

This version is confirmed by Petrushkevich as well: “They then spoke about the connection of Samoilau (the leader of Belarusian RNU) with the FSB, and then it was more dangerous than any KGB or riot police”.

“All in all it was a scary time which you try to forget and not to recollect in details”, - Petrushkevich confesses.

“In 1999 Narodnaya Volia newspaper together with Charter’97 held a competition “Elect you own government”, - Dzmitry Bandarenka tells. – And the readers called Henadz Karpenka the head of the government, Hanchar – the Minister of Justice, Ghyhir – the Minister of Economy, Sannikau – the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zakharanka – the Minister of Interior etc.

Kaprenka then dies, Ghyhir gets arrested, Zakharanka, Hanchar and Krasouski disappear. And Sannikau was attacked and remained alive by a miracle”.

The criminal case about the attack on the democratic activists was closed. Bandarenka faced several years in prison since there were injured on the part of the fascists because he protected himself.

“And the police of Pershamajski district took joint raids together with RNU activists in that time. The activists wore uniform with swastika’s. There were threats to my family. They threw the newspaper “Russian order” with a swastika in my mailbox, - Bandarenka explains. – Ihnatovich then easily came to police stations. I then asked policemen: how is that that fascists with a swastika walk in here? And they said: well, he is our former buddy, he was in our MIA’s system”.

Maluta is covered for by special services. This follows from his biography.

Ihnatovich and Samoilau had serious disagreements. Samoilau was more interested in the ideology, wheres Ihnatovich and Karotkikh stood for more extreme methods, - Petrushkevich says.

Later the leader of Belarusian RNU Hleb Samoilau was murdered at the entrance of his house. This happened on 5 August 2000.

“The investigation of Samoilau’s murder was held together with the criminal cases of the disappearances of Belarusian politicians, - Petruskevich says. – And Karotkikh (Maluta) has a witness in the investigation”.

At some point Petrushkevich dealt with the case.

“In the case of Samoilau Karotkikh was a secondary witness, - Dzmitry tells. I did not question him then. I got this case only four months after the murder and then it was considered a dead end. Almost no one worked on the case and there were only general phrases on the protocols of the questionings”.

Petrushkevich questioned other RNU members, but they all behaved reserved. Dzmitry tells that cooperation with law enforcing agencies is against the rules of such informal associations. That is why now no one filed an application against Marcinkevich and his comrades. “And what Marcinkevich writes on his account in Vkontakte social networks, that there are applications being composed against him – it is not true”, - Petrushkevich states.

“I do not have any reasons to assume that Karotkikh murdered Samoilau, - he says. – But it was surprising that no one checked his possible involvement in the murder. They inspected whoever else but not him”.

Petrushkevich says, that even back then they were told that “it is better not to get involved in this case”. “We had two people died of those who were involved in the case. I do not claim that they were killed, but the very fact did not add to the desire to work on this”.

“That Karotkikh is covered for by Belarusian special services is obvious from his biography. He was never held responsible in Belarus, whereas in Russian he was wanted on the case of an explosion, - Petrushkevich concludes. And now he was released again. And it is strange to me that the Belarusian opposition does not care at all about the case of Karotkikh. Almost no one even recalls him”.

The latest time when the name of the RNU was discussed was connected to the kidnapping of FEMEN activists in Belarus. The girls then said that the people who tortured them called themselves the members of this organization.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Belaya Rus to form alliance with Polish Self-Defence

An agreement on cooperation was signed by Polish radical party Self-Defence (Samoobrona) and pro-Lukashenka Belaya Rus.

Self-Defence leader Lech Kuropatwinski said to journalists in Minsk on February 26 that “criticism of Lukashenka and a poor state of the Belarusian economy by the Polish media doesn't reflect the reality,” BelaPAN news agency reports.

The Self-Defence delegation is on visit to Belarus. An agreement on cooperation with Belaya Rus organisation was signed during the visit on February 26.

“We have enough courage to say that criticism of Belarus by the Polish media doesn't reflect the reality. It concerns both Alyaksandr Lukashenka and the economy,” Kuropatwinski said.

According to him, the Self-Defence delegation visited a dairy factory and Zhdanovichy agricultural plant. Kuropatwinski said he was “impressed by the level of milk processing in Belarus” and “astonished by the efficiency of tomato growing technologies”. He also noted that he was interested in purchasing Belarusian tractors, because the organisation has the right carry out economic activity.

Kuropatwinski says that Self-Defence doesn't find it a problem that Belarus, unlike Poland, is not a member of the EU. “This fact should not hinder the development of our bilateral relations. We are doomed to cooperate, if I may say so,” he said.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Lukashenka frightens business

The dictator warned Belarusian business of the “inadmissibility of financing opposition”.

“If any of the businessmen finances the fifth column or to negatively influence the society in any other way, then I will consider that they (the businesses - Interfax) have joined the political struggle, the struggle against the state. And there we have separate laws, so they should not feel offended these businessmen”, - Lukashenka stated on Tuesday at a meeting on the activities of the Council for Entrepreneurship Development, Interfax reports.

Addressing the members of the renewed Council he warned them of the mistakes that the previous convocation made.

“I want you to clearly realize: any attempts of businessmen to influence the state authorities in order to obtain a cover for their good life will turn a failure for such initiatives and structures”, - the ruler said. According to him, for the work of the Council “it must become a norm not to lobby for the interests of separate companies, but a large-scale comprehensive activities”.

“Not pushing for preferences and budget subsidies, but increasing the input of the private sector into the GDP production, increasing the effectiveness of our economy”, -Lukashenka stated.

The dictator turned attention to the fact that the Council for Entrepreneurship Development – “is practically the only council created with him”. In due time, Lukashenka noted, “new people appeared, a lot of confusion, many of those in the law enforcing agencies and among the officials who wanted to provide covers and make money on businessmen”. “There were many of those who wanted to bend businessmen over, put them in jail, sink them”, - he stated.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

It is time Europe stops flirting with the dictator

A round table on the situation in Belarus was held within the winter session of the PA OSCE in Vienna.

The list of participants included leader of the civil campaign European Blearus, former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov; chairperson of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka; director of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Zhanna Litsvina; daughter of the former presidential candidate, now – political prisoner Mikalai Statkievich Katsiaryna; UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus Miklós Haraszti; Chair of the Commitee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions of the PA OSCE Matteo Mecacci; delegations from the USA, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Georgia and other countries.

Katsiaryna Statkievich told about the situation of her father, how he is tortured and pressed in prison. She pointed out that Mikalai Statkievich urges not to make any deals with the dictatorship, because it will only bring more suffering for the political prisoners, a charter97.org correspondent reports.

Zhanna Litsvina was talking about the situation of the Belarusian press. She also told about the repressed journalists, in particular, about Iryna Khalip, Andrzej Poczobut and Anton Surapin.

Andrei Sannikov gave his opinion about how the West should act regarding Belarus:

“I said that for one year ago, at that time, I was prison. I had little hope to be released some day. But when the European Union introduced the sanctions, Dzmitry Bandarenka and I were released. I am convinced that this is the only way to make the powers release all prisoners of consciousness.

The OSCE has an extensive experience of dealing with dictatorship. Lots of concessions have been made for Lukashenka. But it has only made the dictatorship stronger. A war has been declared against an entire nation. Human rights activists report that one third of prisoners are innocent. From my personal experience I know that the number is even larger.

I suggested getting back to what was started in the early 2000s: to limit the Belarusian “chamber of representative’s” membership in the OSCE until all political prisoners are released. It’s time Europe stops flirting with the dictatorship. The European Union, the Council of Europe and the OSCE should start speaking in one voice, maybe resume their “triple” cooperation, because today Brussels is trying to find a way to cooperate with Lukashenka, while a commissioner of the Council of Europe has all reasons to believe that asylum is needed in the countries that border on Belarus in order to receive Belarusian oppositionists, human rights activists and journalists,” Andrei Sannikov emphasized.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

They lied again: Passports are still needed to use internet

Passport control remains valid in internet cafes despite the statements by the authorities.

They demanded a passport in all the places for public internet use, where the journalists of Euroradio went.

“The service is not provided without a document – Lukashenka’s decree. Nothing was abolished”, - a girl at the Main Post Office says a bit nervously.

At the office of Beltelecom in Engels street everything remained as it was before too: “I do not know, who wrote what, we did not have any order”.

At the internet café Sojuz-online the situation is the same – they need a passport or any other ID with a picture, even a library card will work.

“Nothing was abolished, now it is up to the company, - the explain the Council of Ministers’ resolution. – Our enterprise considered it necessary to keep the document check. They rather made a recommendation to us”.

“The point is that it is allowed with a passport and with another document. If a person comes without a passport, they do not have a right to demand a passport, they must register him with another document”, - they explain the situation at Beltelecom.

The Council of Ministers’ resolution No 1191 provides for other variants of users registration, for example, according to club cards, sms or by the means of photo and video registration. But it is also not obligatory. They are developing the possibility of a sms registration at Beltelecom. Other internet cafes may themselves decide which registration approach to use, when following the resolution.

In July 2010, when the decree No 60 came into force, any document with a photo was needed in order to use internet – a passport, student card or a driver’s license. It turns out that no changed have been made in the rules of internet use at the public access points.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Tortures in Lida’s police department: Questioning ended with hospitalization

Policemen-sadists beat the detained with fists and sticks and sprayed gas in their faces.

The tragedy took place in the night on 18 November 2012, when three Shkurko brothers were peacefully relaxing in a disco bar Prospekt (LIda, Pobedy avenue, 145). Soon the middle brother went away on business, and the younger Bahdan Shkurko and the older Ivan Shkurko remained at the disco. It all went like at all discos of the kind – champagne, which, according to the local tradition was not poured in glasses, but served with the cork cut off, friends, whom they had not seen for long time, loud music and wonderful mood, which the security of the disco bar did not like for some reason.

As it turned out, one of the security men in the disco bar was an underage teenager, a student of Lida’s college. It is unknown how he was hired for a job which presumed night shifts, the web-site of the human rights organization Platforma reports.

The whole evening he tried to start a hand-to-hand fight with Bahdan, the youngest of Shkurko brothers, which was recorded by the surveillance cameras.

Not resisting to the policemen, who arrived, Bahdan, the youngest of the brothers, goes to the exit, but the policemen start beating him absolutely unexpectedly. Bahdan tries to remain with people around, hoping, that someone would stand up for him, but he is being pulled out of the hall, farther from someone else’s eyes, and severely beaten and… sprayed gas into his face.
As it almost always happens, no one comes to the rescue to a person being beaten, even more so the security guards and the disco bar’s administrator join the execution. Each of them tries to hit harder, the kick him, beat until he faints.

Only his brother Ivan responds to Bahdan’s calls for help. Seeing what is going on, he tries to stand up for the brother and becomes an object for the beating himself.

He is being sprayed gas into his face as well. Trying to help Bahdan at least somehow, Ivan is trying to pull of the policemen off him but he slips and falls together with the policeman.

Later, in the police protocol this fall will be qualified as a secret technique, used by Ivan Shkurko, and it will be the reason for the further tortures.

The policemen swearing and threatening grab Ivan Shkurko and push him into a police car. All the attempts to call for help are being suppressed by fist and stick hits.

Then, apparently feeling their total impunity, the policemen-sadists start torturing Ivan. They beat him with sticks, throw him to the floor of the car, take off his jeans and underwear and then spray gas into his anal. The young man in pain is being constantly beaten on the floor of the car and taken to a city’s vacant lot.

There Ivan is pulled out of the car, thrown at the ground and the beating proceeds. Then it became apparent that Ivan fainted because of the beatings, the policemen-sadists, not hiding their pleasure, started peeing on his head. The attempts to protect himself were suppressed with beatings and threats “Lie down, bitch, or we will bury you here”.

It is horrible to even imagine that it is not a detective story about criminal showdowns of the 90-ies, but November 2012, a Belarusian town of Lida, the main characters are simple Belarusian policemen.
The tortures at the vacant lot were stopped by the order to come back to the police department that the policemen received. Beaten and humiliated Ivan was taken with them, apparently because they did not have enough of their undivided power over a helpless human.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Dictator blackmails Latvia over sanctions

The Belarusian ambassador to Riga again threatened to reorient cargo flows.

Alyaksandr Herasimenka expressed his regret that Latvia joined the EU sanctions and hinted the move could endanger Minsk-Riga cooperation in strategic directions, including the transit business, Reitingi,lv website reports.

The Belarusian Embassy in Latvia held a number of meetings with representatives of the Riga Duma, Riga Business Club and other representatives of the Latvian business community.

“We regret that Latvia has joined the anti-Belarusian sanctions of the European Union, because such a step cannot be viewed as readiness of your country's political leaders for partnership with Belarus in strategic directions, including the transit business,” Alyaksandr Herasimenka said.

However, Belarus still refrains from diverting freight traffic from Latvia's sea ports. According to the ambassador, this step may confirm Belarus's serious intentions to secure traffic flows to Latvia and in the reverse direction. Moreover, Belarus's export opportunities grow 30-40% annually, so the practical component in the Belarusian-Latvian transit cooperation will be defining.

It is not the first time Belarus has blackmailed the Baltic States.

Independent economists note that it is not profitable for Belarus to re-direct its traffic from Lithuanian and Latvian ports to, for example, Saint Petersburg.

It should be reminded that the EU imposed sanctions as a response to repression and human rights violations in Belarus with the aim to release the Belarusian political prisoners.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

UN Council to discuss situation in Belarus

The EU proposes to address the Belarusian issue at the UN Human Rights Council session.

“A key EU priority for the 23rd session of the HRC in June will be the situation of human rights in Belarus which continues to give rise to grave concern,” the Council conclusions on the regular UN Human Rights Council session reads.

The document, which was adopted by the EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, reads that the European Union's priority at the forthcoming session will be the grave human rights situation in Syria. The EU will insist on the need for accountability and preventing impunity for the serious human rights violations and abuses in Syria.

The Council also draws attention of the UN Human Rights Council to to the persistent critical human rights situation in the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea. Together with Japan, the EU will propose the creation of an independent inquiry mechanism in support of the Special

Rapporteur, Interfax news agency reports.

The EU will actively support the extension of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Islamic Republic of Iran who should urgently be granted access to the country.

The Council's conclusions stress the importance of addressing key human rights concerns in Sri Lanka, Mali, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Riot police is now hired through ads

The personnel situation is critical with riot police in Pinsk.

The local city police department put an advertisement on the Pinsk TV channel about hiring new policemen.

According to the commercial, in order to become a riot police member minimal requirements are needed to be satisfied: a secondary education and the age below 25 years. It is separately emphasized that having served in the military is not compulsory. The same basic requirements are there for applicants for patrol police service, Euroradio reports.

We would remind that the riot police brigade was created in Pinsk in 2012. Since the very beginning the riot policemen were promised a decent salary and after five years of service – a preferential rate mortgage.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Yury Zisser: 'Radzina, I’ll put you in jail!”

The deputy head of the Operational and Analytical Centre under the Aegis of Lukashenka (OAC) and the owner of TUT.by Internet portal demonstrated the level of free speech in Belarus at the OSCE conference.

The conference “Internet 2013 – Shaping policies to advance media free” is being held in Vienna on February 14-15.

Besides the official Belarusian delegation to the OSCE, charter97.org editor-in-chief Natallia Radzina, deputy head of the Operational and Analytical Centre under the Aegis of Lukashenka Uladzimir Rabavolau, TUT.BY portal owner Yury Zisser and Internet researcher Mikhail Darashevich were invited.

As charter97.org website has learnt, the OSCE invited only Natallia Radzina and Mikhail Darashevich, but Uladzimir Rabavolau and Yury Zisser were invited on recommendation of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The official media said before the conference that Belarus is represented only by the latter two, emphasising that the main chastener of the Internet, the OAC, is the “independent Internet regulator” and Yury Zisseris a representative of the civil society that takes part in discussions on Internet “regulation”.

The OAC deputy head participated in the discussion “The Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Internet Governance”. Speaking in a propagandistic manner, he said “the right to access to information is guaranteed by the Constitution”, “Belarus doesn't restrict the freedom of expression”, “we have no natural resources, so intellectual potential is very important for us”, “we want to get into top the 30 countries with the most developed Internet technologies”. He noted the monopoly of Beltelecom Internet service provider hindered the OAC, but this problem would be solved soon. Rabavolau noted the cancellation of passport identification of users in Internet cafés was the special merit of official Minsk in securing the right to access to information.

As for the blacklists that include pro-opposition resources, among them charter97.org, the websites Belorusski Partizan and Viasna human rights centre and even blogs, Rabavolau said: “The state has the right to decide what people should do in governmental bodies. They mustn't read Charter'97 website, but work.” He said the state regulates the Internet also because it creates the national legislation.

Editor-in-chief of charter97.org Natallia Radzina took the floor after Uladzimir Rabavolau. She explained to the audience how Lukashenka's decree on Internet regulation really worked in Belarus.

The journalist noted that the OAC is a security agency founded for censorship on the Internet, which is becoming more and more dangerous for the regime for inability to censor content and the growing audience of independent websites. “Even their coat of arms looks like that of the KGB. Their former chief heads the KGB today,” the journalist noted.

According to the decree of the Belarusian dictator, ISPs register users and keep information about the services rendered to them. The OAC made a list of websites that cannot be opened in governmental agencies.

“As most economic sectors are state-owned in Belarus, independent website lose large audience as a result of the decree. In 2010, when the decree was adopted, charter97.org was put on the blacklist, website founder Aleh Byabenin was killed, there were two raids on the website office, equipment was seized and journalists, including me, were arrested. The OAC representative now boasts to the OSCE that passport control in Internet cafés was cancelled. What a great progress! What can he say about journalists Iryna Khalip and Andrzej Poczobut, who were sentenced to restriction of liberty? When will the death of Aleh Byabenin, Dzmitry Zavadski and Veronika Cherkasova be investigated? Where is your 'freedom of expression', if the country has no independent television, radio and almost no independent newspapers? You don't have answers. Don't go there or be silent and don't tell this blatant lie,” Radzina said to Rabavolau.

The journalist emphasised the second important aspect: under Lukashenka's decree, websites of Belarusian firms and enterprises are not allowed to have hosting abroad.

“Why did the MFA recommend to invite Yury Zisser to the conference? Why is he always seen together with the OAC representative? It is because he owns the biggest hosting company in Belarus and the decree gave him super profits. That is why this businessman says the decree on Internet censorship was adopted after consultations with the civil society. It was an ordinary corruption deal, a deal between the government and a businessman,” Natallia Radzina said.

Yury Zisser's reaction to the speech of the charter97.org editor shocked participants of the session, among them representatives of MFAs of the EU member states and the US Department of State. The businessman shouted: “I will put you in jail for [the words about] corruption! Don't return to Belarus!”

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Freedom Day celebration moved to March 24

The organising committee on celebration of Freedom Day decided to hold main events on March 24, Sunday.

The celebration plans were discussed by representatives of BPF party, the United Civil Party, For Freedom movement, European Belarus civil campaign, the organising committee to create Belarusian Christian Democracy party and Belarusian Movement, Razam solidarity movement and Pahonya artists' association.

As BelaPAN news agency learnt from BPF head Alyaksei Yanukevich, the organising committee took a decision to apply for a march from the Botanical Garden to the Peoples' Friendship Park and a rally in the Peoples' Friendship Park. Representatives of BPF, UCP, BCD and For Freedom movement plan to sign the application and file it next week.

An application for leasing premises in the Tractor Plant Culture Centre was already lodged to have celebration there at 5 p.m. On Match 24. Pahonya association plans to open an exhibition in the BPF party headquarters on March 22.

According to Yanukevich, the march and celebration will focus on independence protection and the release of political prisoners.

The organising committee decided to prepare a “wide appeal” inviting famous people, political leaders and ordinary citizens to join the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the Belarusian National Republic.


Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Main castigator of Belarusian Internet to visit OSCE conference

The Operational and Analytical Centre under the aegis of Lukashenka announced itself an “independent regulator of the Internet”.

Official BelTA news agency reports that Belarus will take part in the OSCE conference “Internet 2013 – Sharing policies to advance media freedom” scheduled for February 14-15 in Vienna.

The official Belarusian delegation is represented by Uladzimir Rabavolau, the first deputy head of the Operational and Analytical Centre under the aegis of Lukashenka. He is expected to participate in the discussion “The Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Internet Governance”.

Yury Zisser, the founder of TUT.BY Internet portal, will also attend the conference as a representative of the “civil society”, BelTA reports.

The pro-Lukashenka news agency preferred not to mention that editor of independent website charter97.org Natallia Radzina was also invited to the conference.

According to Uladzimir Rabavolau, Internet technologies are vigorously developing in Belarus; the external gateway is expanding; the number of Internet users is on the rise. Belarus is implementing large-scale projects in information and telecommunications, like construction of a new transit communication main line, introduction of LTE technologies, and creation of the single data transmission network. Belarus’ efforts and achievements will be presented at the forum.”

“The Operational and Analytical Centre acts as an independent regulator of the information and telecommunication industry in Belarus; it maintains close ties with the civil society,” Uladzimir Rabavolau said.

Businessman Yury Zisser said in an interview with BelTA: “The government consults with civil society. In many countries of the world Internet regulation is based on interaction between the government, private business and public associations.”

He also raised a question of the restricted access to Internet resources, which is voluntary for ordinary users. “For half of the year I have never had any problems opening Internet websites,” Yury Zisser said.

The editor-in-chief of charter97.org, Natallia Radzina, comments on the situation:

“Lukashenka's decree on Censorship on the Internet was adopted in 2010. It obliged Internet service providers to register users and keep information about the services rendered to them. Owners of Internet cafés were obliged to check passports of visitors. The control over the Internet was given to the Operational and Analytical Centre (OAC). The OAC and other authorised bodies make lists of banned resources. ISPs must block access to them for governmental bodies, educational and cultural institutions. Some pro-opposition resources, including the website Charter'97, were banned.

The 'independence' of the OAC is illustrated by the fact that centre's first head Valery Vakulchyk finished the higher courses for military counter-intelligence in 1992 and worked for state security bodies since 1991. He headed the Operational and Analytical Centre under the aegis of Lukashenka in 2008. He became head of the Investigation Committee in October 2011 and chairman of the KGB in 2012.

When the OAC speaks about close ties with the 'civil society', I ask myself: What ties do they mean?

I'd like to ask the OSCE: How is it possible to give the floor to a punitive agency?”

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Lukashenka - banker for outlaws

Dictatorial Belarus has become a reliable bank for world's totalitarian regimes.

The Sacramento Bee (the US) published a caricature some days ago depicting three famous dictators. Bashar Assad brings a camel loaded with money he stole from the Syrians while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is waiting his turn. Both rulers want Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to store their money.

The Western media recently wrote how he earns on cooperation with rogue states.

“Lukashenko attained absolute power in his own country and is now using Belarus’ isolation for his own ends,” Digital Journal (the US) reports.
“Iran and Syria – two countries the US sees as the key members of an “axis of evil” – military dictatorships fueled by huge amounts of oil money are in financial isolation, prohibited from trading with most of the world’s countries. Both these countries are most likely using Belarus as a key transfer point for financial flows, setting up banks in Belarus and spending the money to purchase arms or food in Russia and Europe,” the article in Digital Journal reads.

“In addition, Belarus, with its opaque financial system closed to international observers, may hold some assets of Libya’s former leader Muammar Qaddafi’s family.

Lukashenko first met Colonel Qaddafi in 2000, the leaders exchanged brotherly kisses, and were on friendly terms since, until Qaddafi’s death,” the article reads.

Lukashenka, for his part, gains from his friendship with pariah states:

“Alexander Lukashenko is relying on injections of Syrian and Iranian money to avoid the need to privatize major Belarusian assets, as he cannot afford to relinquish control over them: they provide the bulk of the nation’s hard-currency revenues.”

These data can be confirmed by statistics: over the past five years, Iran’s investment in Belarus has increased from US$ 6 million to US$ 1 billion. The investment may double by the end of 2013, official Tehran assures.

It should be reminded that Italian La Stampa recently wrote that Iran registers its banks in Belarus to bypass international sanctions.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

The Netherlands can impose economic sanctions on Lukashenka

This statement was made by Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans.

He didn't rule out the possibility of imposing new economic sanctions on the Belarusian regime in case of human rights violations. Frans Timmermans said it during his official visit to Warsaw, Polskie Radio reports.

“We can apply economic sanctions if necessary. There is no unambiguous opinion on their effect among my European colleagues. I think the support of civil society in Belarus is not less important,” the minister answered the question if the Netherlands was ready to stop buying oil products from Belarus.

Frans Timmermans emphasised the necessity of supporting the independent media and European Humanities University.

The Netherlands is the biggest importer of Belarusian oil products. Trade turnover between Belarus and the Netherlands made 10% of the total trade volume in 2012.

The Belarusian opposition called on European countries several times asking to reduce oil products import and stop backing the regime.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Tortures in Stasi and KGB

In the GDR the same methods were used to harass women as in today’s Belarus.

Recently Radio Svaboda told the story of Edda Schönherz, a famous German anchorwoman who was a prisoner in the Stasi jail between 1974 and 1977.

I was shocked by that story: it turns out that for 40 years ago, in the GDR Ministry of State Security women were tortured the same way they are tortured by the Belarusian KGB today.

And now it seems even more odd and dreadful that right before the “bloody” December 19, 2010 Belarusian punishers went on a training course to Germany, the real democratic Germany, not the GDR of the 70s.

When I was reading “Prison and Freedom” by Mikhail Khodorkovsky I noticed an interesting thing: the harder it is to survive a conviction, the less emotional the story gets. The feeling must be hidden really deep inside, so that only facts are translated to the paper.

This article, too, merely compares the tortures.

Stasi jail: Their attitude was horrible. We were the enemies; we weren’t treated as human beings. My period stopped in jail. The cycle was restored only some time after I was freed.

KGB jail: Once, during a night interrogation, chief of the investigation isolation cell of the Belarusian KGB, colonel Aliaksandar Arlou, who was trying to force me to “acknowledge guilt”, said: “You will not leave the jail earlier than in five year. And mark my word; by that time you won’t be able to have children.”

And indeed, he did everything to keep his promise. First of all, he commanded to put me in a cell with no toilet or bed. I had to sleep on the wooden planks on the floor in a cold cell in January. I was allowed to go to the bathroom once in three-four hours, only during the daytime, only accompanied by warders. Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. I had to stay in the cell.

I stopped drinking water. I could only drink one-two tiny cups of tea, just to keep myself warm. But my body was torn by pain. The bladder seemed to be exploding. Sometimes, at night, I had to sit up and swag as a lunatic. And I immediately heard the warder’s angry shouts. He was watching us 24 hours per day. He yelled at me to lie down, because it was prohibited to sit up during the night time.

As a result, my pains became chronic. After an examination, the prison doctor told the nurse to write an application to the prison chief and demand to arrange for more frequent toilet visit for the inmates of my cell. I recall how he whispered to her: “They’ll regret if they don’t stop, because the consequences for the health will be deteriorating.”

After that, we were taken to the toilet once in two-three hours. But the same routine remained for the night time.

Stasi jail: We had to undress in front of a female warder and put our hygiene pads on a table. We had to stand there naked while she was searching through the tampons. Then the woman would put on gloves and examine every orifice on my body. It was shocking.

KGB jail: There were no female warders in the KGB jail. The female inmates of the isolation cell were “guarded” only by men, mostly in black masks, armed with batons and tasers. They were defiant; they were yelling at us and insulting us.

I recall how shocked I was when one of these “masks” shepherded me, like cattle, to an interrogation. A gorilla-like warder ordered me to run on steep stairs with very narrow steps “face down, hands behind the back”. Stumbling, nearly falling, tears covering my eyes, I could see nothing when I was running downstairs.

A woman who worked in the accounting department took us to shower once a week. But when she took a sick leave, the same masked warders took over her role to accompany us to the bath. The door to the showers had a window that was not to be shut. While we were trying to wash ourselves in the short time we had, the entire warder shift would gather by that window. After such a shower I felt dirty, as if they spotted on me. Even in the toilet, male warders were watching women through a pip-whole.

There was only cold water in the cell tap, which made it very difficult to perform the necessary daily hygiene routines. They gave us water-boiling devices for one hour every morning and evening. During this hour we had to heat several jars of water for all the women in the cell. The jars were so small that we only could heat one jar per person.

All the cell inmates were watched 24 hour per day. The warders (only men) were watching us through a special pip-whole nearly non-stop, with five-minute breaks. We had to cover a part of the cell with sheets to wash. Sometimes they would allow it, sometimes they would demand to take away the sheet because it “blocked the view”.

Once a month the public attorney paid a visit. His inspections were nothing but a show. It was meaningless to complain and expect him to help. But the prison administration’s reaction was quick. Once a prisoner complained, and right after that most of the inmates, including us, were prohibited to lie down during the day time.

It is nearly impossible to be sitting from 6 a.m. till 10 p.m. on the iron beds, the back starts to hurt. You get very sleepy if there is no interrogation, or if you’re tired from reading. If you lean against the cold walls you risk getting ill. So we were sitting leaning on each other’s backs until we got the merciful permission to lie down.

Stasi jail: Psychological tortures were numerous and diverse, designed to break the person. For example, you don’t know what’s going on with your family, and they tell you: your husband says that he is with another woman now and that it’s over between you two. You are completely isolated, and the only person that tells you about your home is the investigator. It almost drove me insane.

KGB jail: We were also kept in complete information isolation. We got neither letters from our families, nor even newspapers (TV-sets were removed from our cells during the first days of the arrest).

I wasn’t scared for myself, I didn’t care. But I worried a lot about how my elderly parents were dealing with my arrest. My mother anticipated the disaster. She came to visit me in Minsk just two days before the presidential elections, and already during the first days of my arrest she stormed the KGB isolation jail and insisted on leaving parcels for me. Meanwhile, my father got even older. He had no energy for the publicity, he kept everything inside his heart, his home, in Kobryn.

I remember worrying about my mother’s fragile health already when I was a child. She went through several surgeries, she suffers from chronic diseases. The KGB knows that. The chief of the jail was obviously enjoying himself when he told me: “You’ll be released in five years; your mother will be dead by then. She can hardly stand on her feet when she comes here to leave those parcels for you.”

And I was going insane thinking about my family’s suffering…

Stasi jail: Threats and physical violence were common during night interrogations.

KGB jail: It is against the law to interrogate prisoners during the night time. However, in the KGB jail I was raised from the wooden planks even after 10 p.m. I had to throw some clothes on and go.

Igar Shunievich, today – minister of interior affairs, back then – head of the KGB department on corruption and organized crime, summoned me to one of those night interrogations.

I was exhausted by day-time interrogations that could last for hours, and almost always I was there alone, without my lawyer. Sometimes there were 3-4 interrogations a day, with the investigator or prison chief. For me, it meant no lunch and no dinner.

In the evenings, after all the interrogations where I had to concentrate in order not to say something that could harm other political prisoners, I had no strength left. Those who summoned us to night interrogations planned to finish and break the exhausted prisoners.

As we found out later, the men were tortured both psychologically and physically. The former political prisoners Andrei Sannikov, Ales Mikhalevich, Dzmitry Bandarenka, Aliaksandar Atroshchankau and others have already told about these tortures.

I believe that we’ll hear much more about it when Mikalai Statkievich will be released. Sometimes I was placed in cells close to him. I couldn’t sleep because of his cough attacks that were so strong that one could hear them through the thick prison walls.

Stasi jail: They didn’t let us sleep, they made us stand, they kept the lights on for days. We got no blankets, and in winter it was freezing.

KGB jail: In the cells, the lights were on all the time. It was prohibited to cover one’s face with a handkerchief or blanket to rest from the bright light of the bulb. If we did that, they could come in to the cell and order to remove the blanket.

It was cold in the cells. Right under the ceiling, there was a tiny window with a grid. I was freezing; the cold went up even from the floor. We got blankets but they were worthless. It was a great relief when they allowed families to send one blanket per inmate.

My bronchitis became chronic. The disease came back each time I got a little bit better. The cold tap water that we used to wash the dishes, the floors in the cell and our clothes made it even worse.

It is better to stay healthy in the Belarusian prison. They won’t let you die - they don’t want the paper routine. But they won’t give you any medical aid. That night on the square I was assaulted and definitely got a concussion, my ears were bleeding, but the prison doctor concluded that I was “adapting to the cell environment”. They called the ambulance when the headaches became unbearable, but they didn’t let me go to the hospital for a scan despite the recommendations of the ER-doctors. They just gave me a pain-killer.

You breathe dust instead of air in the cell. This dust has been gathering for decades in thick layers on the radiators. You wash your face in the morning, and in the evening the cotton pad you use to clean your face is black.

The most important thing: in jail, you’re not a human being, you’re cattle. Their goal is to destroy you human dignity. You can forget who you were before. There, in jail, you’re nobody. A creature with no rights, somebody they can do anything with. And you get this message every day and every minute from everyone – the warders, administration, investigators.

You feel it when you are walking to an interrogation with your head bent down, your hands behind your back (the men were even handcuffed); when they come with individual searches and raids several times every week to inspect all your belongings, every hygiene pad and every tea leaf; when they move everyone around in the entire jail and switch cells – which means that you must leave the cell that you did your best to make better, pack all your stuff (even the heavy madras, pillow and “bed” - wooden deck) and move to another dirty cell in 10 minutes. First you think you’re being released, and your heart stops – but then it falls back down to the pit of hopelessness and despair.

When you are in the investigation cell, you haven’t been convicted yet, your guilt hasn’t been proven. But it doesn’t matter. For them, you are a criminal, a finished person not worthy of any respect.

***

At first I was scared of the warders in masks. But then it even gave me hope. I realized that they were afraid to be recognized. So maybe they did understand that sooner or later they’d have to pay.

The people who were responsible for the repressions in the GDR, communist Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Rumania have been punished. In these countries, the victims still find and recognize their tormentors. And all of them are tried, disregarding their age.

I am convinced that the same will happen in Belarus. I think I can recognize them by eyes. I tried to look in their eyes, tried to memorize…

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Former political prisoner Artsiom Grybkou died in car crash

The tragedy happened on 13 December 2012.

“He died in a car crash, but I do not want any resonance”, - Artsiom Grybkou’s widow Sviatlana told to Radio Svaboda.

Grybkou’s aunt Liudmila confirmed the fact of her nephew’s death and said that she did not know the details.

According to the desire of Artsiom Grybkou’s relatives he was buried in Karelichy district at his motherland.

Artsiom Grybkou was born on 6 January 1989 in Karelichy. He studied in Minsk light industry college, the arts college in Mir. In 2008 he graduated from a builders’ college in Karelichy.

He did not participate in political parties and movements. He was employed at different working jobs.

At the time of his detention he worked as a loader and a hydraulic press operator in the Gippo trade center. He was detained on 19 December 2010 in Nezalezhnasci square after the protest action against the falsification of the election results. He spent 10 days in the prison in Zhodzina. On 12 January Grybkou was taken to the jail in Valadarskaha street in Minsk from his workplace.

Later he was released and then detained repeatedly; they kept him in the KBG jail. Grybkou was accused of participating in the alleged mass disturbances.

On 26 May 2011 the judge of Lenin court of Minsk Liudmila Grachova sentenced Grybkou to 4 years of imprisonment. He served the term in the colony No 2 in Babruisk. He was released from the colony on 13 August 2011.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Arrests at Lukashenka’s executive office

The dictator confirmed that a part of the officials from the executive office were arrested.

Lukashenka has expressed a number of critiques towards the executive office, pointing at the facts of manipulation with economic indicators in the state agency and also at serious drawbacks in the work with personnel, Interfax reports.

“Inexplicable, to put it mildly, manipulations with economic indicators take place. Moreover, direct financial violations are being revealed, which become an object of consideration from a Criminal Code standpoint. It's beyond human understanding how that became possible in this agency”, - Lukashenka stated on Thursday at a meeting on the issues of increasing the efficiency of the dictator’s executive office and its subordinate organizations.

He pointed at serious drawbacks in the work with personnel. “Not only do not they grow professionally, but often they degrade in business and moral senses, it lead them to a jail”, - Lukashenka said. In regard to this, he emphasized, “young prospective managers are needed, chief specialists, able to revive the economy, financial policy, investment activities”.

The ruler stated that the necessity of today’s meeting was explained by that the results, that the organizations with the executive office’s structure reached, “are very unsatisfactory”. “I consider the main reason for today’s conversation to be the dangerous stagnation in the work of such an important agency as yours, and it (the stagnation -Interfax) becomes apparent almost in everything”, - he stated.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Will the cases of the kidnapped oppositionists be ended?

In 2014 the limitation period expires for the investigation of the criminal case on the kidnapped Belarusian oppositionists.

The investigation of the criminal case has not been moving the past years, and they may be ended in 2014 due to the expiration of the limitation period, Deutsche Welle reports.

Human rights activists and oppositional politicians accuse the authorities of inactivity and insist that the crime are requalified so their investigation could be continued. Anatol Liabedzka, the chairman of the United Civic Party, among the leaders of which were Zakharanka and Hanchar, calls their disappearances a “political murder, the traces of which lead to the top leadership”. That is why, the politician believes, the leadership of the country does everything in order to postpone to the very last minute and then just send the cases to archives.

Aleh Alkaeu, who is now in emigration in Germany and who is a former head of the jail No 1 of the Interior Ministry of Belarus in Minsk, where death penalties were executed, told that the prosecutor’s office for more than ten years has had the report of Mikalai Lapatsik, the head of the Chief Department of Criminal Police of the Ministry of Interior.

According to Alkaeu, he reported to the then head of the MIA Uladzimir Navumau bout the involvement of the then commander of special police forces Dzmitry Paulichenka as well as the Secrety of the Security Council Viktar Sheiman in the kidnappings of the oppositionists.

The head of the juridical commission of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Garry Pahaniajla brings attention to the fact that some investigative activities were carried out before the November 2000. However it was exactly that November when Sheiman was appointed the Prosecutor General, after which everything went silent, according to the lawyer. Only the terms of the investigation kept being prolonged.

As to the criminal case of Dzmitry Zavadski, who disappeared without a trace in July 2000, then, Pahaniajla emphasized, it was suspended in 2006 and ever since the investigation has not moved even e bit.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Ahmadinejad invites Lukashenka to Iran

The Belarusian dictator is expected to visit Iran.

Iranian ambassador to Belarus Mohammad Reza Sabouri said Iran was ready to invite Lukashenka, Interfax news agency reports.

“We have invited Lukashenka to pay a visit to Iran several times. I will ask him when he plans the visit if I meet with him,” the ambassador said Tuesday at a press conference in Minsk answering a question about the expected date of Lukashenka's visit to Iran.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Google's executive chairman puts Belarus on par with Zimbabwe and North Korea

Rogue states want to know who hides behind each account on the Internet.

The tendency may grow further and spread to other countries, writes Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt in his book “The New Digital Age” co-written with Google Ideas chief Jared Cohen. The Wall Street Journal publishes extracts from the book.

“States like Belarus, Eritrea, Zimbabwe and North Korea — authoritarian, with strong personality cults and a pariah status elsewhere in the world — would have little to lose by joining an autocratic cyber union, where censorship and monitoring strategies and technologies could be shared,” Eric Schmidt thinks.

The authors also suppose that many governments will not tolerate anonymity on the Internet.

“Some governments will consider it too risky to have thousands of anonymous, untraceable and unverified citizens — “hidden people”; they’ll want to know who is associated with each online account, and will require verification at a state level, in order to exert control over the virtual world.

Within search results, information tied to verified online profiles will be ranked higher than content without such verification, which will result in most users naturally clicking on the top (verified) results. The true cost of remaining anonymous, then, might be irrelevance,” Eric Schmidt writes.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Embassy security staff on dictatorship's service

Officers of the Belarusian police began to write down passport information of all visitors of the embassies of the US, the UK and Germany.

The website charter97.org received this information from Anatol Lyabedzka, the leader of the United Civil Party.

”It is used in the embassies of the US, the UK and Germany. Police officers from the embassy security personnel write down passport information of all people who enter the diplomatic mission building,” the politician says. “It's clear that it explained by additional security measures, but the data will later be sent to the KGB.”

The actions by the Belarusian authorities violate the Vienna Conventions, one of the basic regulatory acts on diplomatic relations.

”It is not only a violation of diplomatic conventions, but also a violation of civil rights of Belarusians. It resembles the Soviet times: everyone visiting western embassies must be registered by the authorities. This person is included in the list of people suspected of contacts with foreign states.

It is usual in totalitarianism. It's a pity that embassies reconcile with this lawlessness. These measures are against them too. I know that western diplomats often close eyes to human rights violations in relation to both citizens of the country and themselves to be able to work in Belarus,” Marek Bucko, the deputy head of the Polish Freedom and Democracy Foundation and former first secretary of the embassy of Poland in Minsk

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau