Former police major beaten by former colleagues (photo) 17

Vitebsk entrepreneur Syarhei Parsyukevich, released after arrest for participation in the rally of entrepreneurs, had to consult a doctor. He was beaten brutally by an officer of the detention center on 21 January. “If I hadn’t broken loose and cried for help, they would have killed me,” former police major Parsyukevich said to the Charter’97 press center.

He found actions of the prison guards to be unexpected and unreasonably cruel.

“During the common inspection a warrant officer came in and ordered to stand up. Apparently, he found I was too slow, and struck me on my legs. I resented and said he had no right for doing so. Then he offered me to go to an interrogation room, and I went there without any coercion.

When we two remained there, the warrant officer began to beat me my face. I tried to defend myself, and began to restrain him. It made him crazy. He called another officer, they put handcuffs on me, and the warrant officer began to beat me on my head, ribs, kidneys, he also kicked me. When they began to suffocate me, I realised I could not got alive out of there. I tried to break loose and shouted “They’re killing me! Help!” Only after that they stopped beating me up,” Syargei Parsyukevich told to the Charter’97 press center.

According to the former prisoner of the detention center on Akrestin Street, he doesn’t remember well the time he was beaten and the events after it, as he had shock. “Firstly, it was the 8th day of hunger strike I had after the judgement. Secondly I had an asthmatic attack and began to gasp before the warrant officer tried to suffocate me. So I don’t even remember who administered first aid to me – a local medical assistant or emergency team, who had been called for,” Parsyukevich says.

Parsyukevich comments on the reports that the policeman guilty of the battery accuses the entrepreneur with an assault: “What else is left for him to do, it’s a 100 per cent abuse of authority, a criminal accusation, so he is trying to wiggle out. But I am not convinced that he would be penalized, as at political trials judges to not listen to any arguments, but pass verdicts according orders from higher authorities,” the activist of the entrepreneur’s movement is sure.

The chairman of the Council of individual entrepreneurs of “Smalenski” market in Vitsebsk Syarhei Parsyukevich is a retired police major. He retired in 2004 in the position of the head of judicial and criminalistic department. After that he started his business activities.

He was detained on January 13. It is worth mentioning that the entrepreneur arrived to the local police department after work, though on an insistent invitation from policemen. They arrived to the market in the morning and asked to follow them. In the police department Parsyukevich was told that he was detained for participation in an unsanctioned meeting on January 10 in Minsk and was to be convoyed to Minsk.

The entire 15 days of arrest Syarhei Parsyukevich was on a hunger strike protesting against his illegal arrest. In the detention center on Akrestsin Street ambulance was called in for him 3 times, after the beating up as well.