Sadistic policemen beat detainees unconscious

25.03.2013, 15:14

The Interior Ministry covers up policemen from Dzyarzhynsk and spreads false information.

This conclusion can be made from the information spread by the police directorate of the Minsk city executive committee, Platform human rights organisation reports.

“Friends left a restaurant in a company of their girlfriends. They noticed a police patrol. One of the men began to whistle and swear addressing the policemen. His friend enjoyed the idea and began to insult the police officers too,” the press service of the Interior Ministry reports.

According to the police, the “hooligans” showed resistance and started to fight as policemen tried to detain them. The police officers received injuries; their uniform was torn.

Syarhei Khachaturyan and Vitaly Hanchar, residents of Dzyarzhynsk, were taken to a police station. A criminal case was initiated against them.

Human rights activists tried to take an unbiased look at the situation and reconstruct the events of the evening.

The story told by relatives of one of the guys painfully resembles what happened to the Shurko brothers in Lida. The only difference is that Dzyarzhynsk policemen didn't take the young men to a forest and only beat the detainees at a police station during several hours.

Syarhei Khachaturyan after a meeting with a police patrol is in the pictures below.

The injured young man in a surgical unit at Dzyarzhynsk district hospital on March 23. He remains at hospital now.

The events of the evening were reconstructed basing on the words of eye-witnesses and the injured young men. The story significantly differs from the official version suggested by the police. According to Syarhei Khachaturyan and Vitaly Hanchar, beating was provoked by whistling and an innocent joke Vitaly said to one of the girls. The phrase “Don't walk so fast, or we'll hand you over to the police” became fatal for the young men.

Vitaly Hanchar doesn't remember many things: both he and Syarhei Khachaturyan had a concussion and retrograde amnesia, which is typical of such injuries. Vitaly lost consciousness after a baton blow. He only remembers that he whistled and shouted to the girl and the policemen. He remembers groans of Syarhei, who was beaten by the policemen, their shouts and numerous strikes.

The police officers continued to beat the friends at the police station. Vitaly Hanchar didn't suffer so severely as his friend, whom the policemen beat more brutally for his nationality.

Syarhei Khachaturyan could have been thrown into custody for three days like his friend Vitaly, but by 14:00 on March 18, he began to lose consciousness more often. The police officers understood he really felt bad and called an emergency. The guy was taken to hospital.

Realising that the words of the injured men will be regarded as their “defence tactics” and “defamation of police officers”, human rights activists talked to eye-witnesses of the incident.

Andrei Kalatsei was in a police car when Syarhei Khachaturyan and Vitaly Hanchar were loaded into the car. He also saw how they were beaten at the police station. Andrie Kalatsei was detained earlier that night after he had gone out to smoke with his friend. The night of 17/18 March was less tragic for him. The policemen understood he became a witness of beating and let him go home.

A criminal case over part 2 of article 363 of the Criminal Code was initiated against Syarhei Khachaturyan and Vitaly Hanchar. No elements of the offence were found in the actions by the policemen.

Dzyrzhynsk is a small city with most people knowing one another by sight. It wasn;t very difficult to figure out the names of the policemen who responded to Vitaly Hanchar's whistle and shouts and called an additional police patrol. They are V. Klimasheuski and D. Kastevich. Their photos are below.