Justification of Belarusian regime’s cruelty by Russia looks simply monstrous

The EU and the US have announced that economic sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime can be used after the latest crackdown on the oppositional rally and unseen repressions against journalists. And Russia has taken Belarus under its shelter.

Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov told at a press-conference: “In all countries people are imprisoned for political actions, when they violate the law of the country… Many people are trying to give political aspect to these issues, throwing away the criminal part”.

It is known that Lukashenka is offended at Russian press. He doesn’t understand that Russian media present information about events in Belarus in a very vindicatory way, and it’s hard to make independent newspapers admire Belarusian government.

And a citizen of Russia, the State Secretary of the “union” of Belarus and Russia Pavel Borodin supports him. “There is no press in Russia,” he said at a press-conference. “The question is not “who is the press” now, but “how much does the press costs”.

It is not difficult to understand what Pavel Borodin wanted to say. He hinted that information about Belarusian events in our media had been paid for by somebody. A logical conclusion can be drawn from that, that journalists that gave information from Belarusian cities had been bribed by somebody. But it’s impossible to buy everyone, Mr. Borodin, and to buy people in the way journalists situated in different spots could report in fact the same things.

Armed people entered the apartment of Radio Racyja reporter in Minsk Barys Haretski and ordered: “To the wall! Hands on the nape!”

“There were six KGB officers, from major and beneath,” told a journalist Yuliya Kotskaya who was preset there. “I was isolated in a room with one officer, and Haretski was in another. Phones were seized, and they started to see over everything, to search tables, shelves, look through papers and computers. Then a senior authorized operations officer of KGB, major P.Ivanov, tried to have “a frank conversation” with me. I found out from his words that it was a planned operation of the KGB, and a country-wide operation. He said: “Shakedowns of your people are taking place across the country today”.

Indeed, on one day in 12 towns of Belarus (Minsk, Hrodna, Vitsebsk, Brest, Babrujsk, Homel and others) KGB and Interior Minister officers carried out sweeping searches in editorial offices and in apartments of reporters of oppositional newspapers, radio and TV. By the way, the apartment of a journalist Anatol Hatouchyts was searched in Homel, and he was interrogated. The president of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenka once stayed in his apartment for a night. 17 years ago Lukashenka was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet, he was fighting against privileges of nomenklatura (political establishment). He visited Homel on invitation of Anatol Hatouchyts and his wife, a contributor of the local newspaper. They have made him famous as an advocate of the nation. And now KGB officers seized two computers and a camera from their apartment.

“Five system blocks have been confiscated from our editorial office,” told the editor of the internet-resource “Pahonya” Mikola Markevich. “But while KGB officers of Hrodna region directorate had entered our office easily, while it was more difficult to enter the Belarusian Popular Front: doors were smashed with the help of an ax. They seized two computers and a photocopying machine there”.

Three majors of the KGB directorate of Mahilyou region, R. Hajshun, A. Ramanau and E. Nikitsenka, arrived to the apartment of a journalist Henadz Sudnik at 8 a.m. the search lasted for more than 2 hours.

At 10 a.m. people in mufti together with soldiers of the local military unit burst the apartment of a journalist Alena Stsyapanava in Vitsebsk. They told that a leaflet insulting honour and dignity of Alyaksandr Lukashenka had been disseminated in the city. A computer was seized from the apartment of the journalist. She was prohibited to talk on the phone during the search.

At about 11 a.m. in Babrujsk some people rang at the door of the apartment of a journalist Andrei Shobin. They said they were policemen, and warned him to stay at home, as his apartment would be searched. Shobin refused to open. Then community services workers were called in. The entrance was blocked by a car, and the door was burst. A computer with a monitor display, a notebook, a part of CDs, video cassettes were seized. Andrei Shobin was taken to interrogation to the KGB.

It was a great shakedown, in keeping with all rules of penal colony.

Special attention the KGB paid to branches of Radio Racyja, European Radio, a TV company BelSat, which head offices are situated in Poland. 30 journalists were detained. Most of them are so-called stringers, or freelance journalists, who are not officially accredited. Foreign journalists so far are not shot or they are not told to put their hands on the nape. And these are native journalists, and it’s possible to do so with your country’s journalists.

“Searches are held in the framework of a criminal case on charges relating libeling and insult of dignity of the Belarusian president Lukashenka. Many of us remember him in prison clothes with a No.1 on his chest. Andrei Abozau, Pavel Marozau and Aleh Minich were under examination for that, and they faced up to 5 years in prison. But the International Animation Association threatened to fill the Internet with thousands of such cartoons about Lukashenka in case persecution of the Belarusian colleagues would continue. After that the case was soft-pedaled. Andrei Abozau, Pavel Marozau and Aleh Minich left the country.

And not this old case is used for a mopping-up operation against journalists all around Belarus. They couldn’t invent anything better than that. But why should they strain themselves? Like in Nineteen Eighty-Four by Orwell, everything is understood right in Belarus.

People understand that the real reason was a meeting on Freedom Day, which was held in Minsk on March 25. Policemen felt free to beat up demonstrators in front of TV cameras. Four persons were taken to hospital in a grave condition. The whole world saw the crackdown on their TV screens.

Under such conditions justification of the violence over the people by the Russian side looks simply monstrous. And it reflects upon honour of the Russian regime.

The Russian Bazaar is a daily of the Russian community in New York