вторник, 20 ноября 2012 г.

”Zaitsau squared” ordered to cut KGB staff

Lukashenka gave a nickname to Vakulchyk and ordered him to significantly reduce the KGB staff.

The main reason for the dismissal of Vadzim Zaitsau from the post of KGB chief was unhealthy moral and psychological situation in certain KGB units, Lukashenka has said today introducing new KGB chief Valery Vakulchyk to state security senior personnel.

The ruler noted the recently taken decisions were caused by the moods among mid- and lower-level officers of the KGB. “I've heard their voice. I can say that I've heard your voice. I'd like to say straightly that the new chief is 'Zaitsau squared'. He is not a soft guy whom some of you probably expected,” he stressed. “He is 'Zaitsau squared', without excessiveness, without sloppy workmanship, a man dedicated to his profession, one of those few, who know really well what the president wants from the KGB.”

Lukashenka reminded that the KGB board had already discussed problems in the agency at the beginning of the year. The dictator mentioned the death of lieutenant colonel Kazak. “Of course, I had to turn attention to this situation and take serious measures. The head of the KGB internal security department was dismissed followed by the KGB chief,” he said.

”However, I'd like to emphasize again that if someone thinks Zaitsau is a bad person who doesn't fit the KGB... Maybe he is unfit, but it's not because he worked badly. He understood his tasks in his own way. Moreover, you and he were solving those tasks and demonstrated good results in certain spheres,” Lukashenka said.

According to the dictator, the agency took measures to intensify information struggle against “ill-wishers and destructive forces” and strengthen performance and military discipline among the KGB personnel. “But there were plenty of shortcomings, which were unacceptable for the KGB,” Lukashenka said adding that “Zaitsau will not stay without work. No one is going to expel him from the country.”

”You must remember that we have lots of enemies. We need to fight them ruthlessly. We need to trust the people engaged in the fight. We shouldn't see a bad person in everyone a priori. It is unacceptable for a security organisation,” he summarised.

Lukashenka thinks the KGB, as any other agency, has people in staff who “want lie down on the job, want more freedom, want not appear at work forgetting that they wear shoulder straps”. “Such people should look for another job. Don't be afraid that people will quit. Let them go. We are ready to create and creating now favourable working conditions for security officers,” he said.

“As the president, I see what is going on outside and inside our country and how much efforts I spend to keep the country, to prevent it from being cut into pieces and pulled apart,” Lukashenka continued. “You see it themselves. Seeing is not enough, we need to put maximum efforts to maintain the integrity, immunity and security of our country. We are ready to offer any conditions for such officers. Let their number be not 12,000, not 10,000 or even 6,000 people. Even if 3,000 people are left, but they will be devoted to the state. Such people Vakulchyk will work with. The rest may go wherever they want.”

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

понедельник, 19 ноября 2012 г.

KGB threatens to start criminal proceedings against BCD activist

Alyaksei Tyukkou receives threats that he may be brought to responsibility over article 193.1 of the Criminal Code.

Alyaksei Tyulkou, a member of the Asipovichy district council and member of the organising committee to create Belarusian Christian Democracy party, has been summoned to the local KGB office, bchd.info reports.

After a long 4-hour conversation, he was warned that he could be brought to responsibility over article 193.1 of the Criminal Code for “activity on behalf of unregistered organisation”.

Other members of the BCD organising committee, Anatol Terasha and Uladzimir Klimanivich, were summoned to the KGB office earlier.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

воскресенье, 18 ноября 2012 г.

Investigation Committee: No suspects in Vitebsk blast

All detained people have been released.

There are no suspects in the case over the explosion near the KGB building in Vitebsk. No one remains detained in connection with the case, Interfax-West news agency learnt Thursday from Pavel Traulka, the head of the information office of the Investigation Committee.

“More than 60 persons were questioned during the first days after the blast. One person was detained on suspicion of having relation to the blast. He was later released after a check,” Traulka said.

Scores of people were reported by charter97.org to have been detained in connection with the explosion in Vitebsk. The KGB earlier reported only about 3 detainees.

The blast near the KGB building occurred on the evening of November 11.

A criminal case under article 339 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (hooliganism) has been opened over the incident.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

суббота, 17 ноября 2012 г.

Sivakou speaks about abduction of politicians: It was my fault

A former interior minister made an unexpected statement.

“What rebukes do you usually hear from people?” a Pressball journalist Syarhei Shchurko asked the former minister in an interview.

“Perhaps, any reasonable person, who has never met me personally but only heard about Sivakou, associated my name with the disappeared politicians. Well... I am responsible for that. It was, is and will be my fault,” he said.

In 1999, acting chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus Viktar Hanchar, businessman Anatol Krasouski and former interior minister Yury Zakharanka disappeared. Later, journalist Dzmitry Zavadski disappeared, Salidarnast reminds. According to disclosed documents (including the report by deputy interior minister Mikalai Lapatik), the opposition politicians and public figures were killed by the “death squad” on the order of top officials. Yury Sivakou was mentioned among the people involved in the abductions and killings. As well as other Belarusian officials, he was put on the EU blacklist.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

пятница, 16 ноября 2012 г.

Vakulchik appointed the KGB chief

Lukashenka has appointed Valery Vakulchyk a chairman of KGB.

At the new position Vakulchyk replaced Vadim Zaitsau, who was dismissed on 9 November.

Instead of him Valiantsin Shaeu has been appointed the chairman of the Investigatory Committee of the Republic of Belarus. Formerly he was a deputy chairman there.

By his first education Valery Vakulchyk is a tankman, however in 1992 he finished Higher courses of military counterintelligence of KGB and since 1991 has been working in the agencies of national security. In 2008 he chaired the Operational and analytical center subordinated to Lukashenka. On 24 October 2011 he was appointed the chairman of the Investigatory Committee.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

четверг, 15 ноября 2012 г.

European Parliament to discuss situation of political prisoners in Belarus

The release of Belarus political prisoners remains a priority for the EU.

The European Parliament will continue its efforts to release Belarusian political prisoners and take measures to give the opportunity of visiting them in prisons. All previous attempts of MEPs to visit the Belarusian political prisoners were rejected by official Minsk, chairman of the EP delegation for relations with Belarus Filip Kaczmarek said in an interview with Radio Racja.

“The EU tries to organise such meetings in all countries with political prisoners at least for humanitarian, not political, purposes. It is sometimes necessary to check if a person is alive and see his confinement conditions. We will try to bring it to a wider scale to start a campaign, which is in itself a form of pressure on the Belarusian authorities,” he said.

According to the chairman of the delegation for relations with Belarus in the European Parliament, the problem of Belarusian political prisoners is closely monitored on the highest level. EP members are expected to return to hearing the issue of Belarusian political prisoners in December, when the annual report on human rights in the world will be discussed.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

среда, 14 ноября 2012 г.

KGB accuses oppositionist of working for CIA?

Belarusian KGB made a statement regarding the detention of a Belarusian Christian Democracy (BCD) activist.

“The Committee on national security (KGB) stopped the illegal activity of the citizen of the Republic of Belarus who was recruited by foreign intelligence services to collect and deliver political and economic information.

The KGB detained this person when he was trying to hide the data that was to be passed to foreign special services.

A criminal case has been initiated on part 1 of article 356 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus on treason by working for foreign intelligence. Presently, search and investigations are being held to reveal other illegal aspects of his activity. This person is now located in the isolation cell of the KGB,” the KGB press-service reports.

Possibly the detained activist of the organization committee of the BCD party Andrei Gaidukou has been accused of treason after a joke about the CIA.

“According to Andrei Gaidukou’s friends, he may be accused of “cooperation or an attempt to cooperate with the CIA”. But it all could just be a joke. Somehow a project within the Eastern Partnership has been linked to the case,” coordinator of the Vitsiebsk region organization committee of the BCD Tatsiana Siavieryniets told charter97.org.

According to Tatsiana, human rights activists don’t rush to support the detained activist:

”We have talked to human rights activists, but they told us that they are very cautious about this case. They need to be sure that there are really no reasons for the arrest. And how can we find out if there are reasons, if he’s been in the isolation cell since November 8?”

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau