Uladzimir Lemesh: Policemen threaten to gang rape me

Police brutality in Salihorsk.

Uladzimir Lemesh, an activist of the European Belarus civil campaign told charter97.org what happened to him at the weekend in custody and yesterday, when he was tried (a witness at the trial was the man he saw for the first time) and his flat was searched by unidentified “friends” of police officers.

– Who detained you and how? Were they in plain clothes?

– I went out to buy some food at around 16:00 on Saturday. I walked only a few metres when two men in plain clothes ran out of the block of flats and tried to catch me. They caught me up, one of them showed his police ID card and ordered to show my passport. I did so, he took my passport away and said I need to go with them “to talk”. They didn't explain anything.

We waited for a car and arrived at a police station. They made police reports, but said nothing to me and gave me over to a district police officer. I asked him why I had been detained and he said I had been swearing. The district police officer asked if I agreed to sign the report. I refused. I was taken to a temporary detention facility, where I spent two and a half days before the trial.

– What can you say about conditions in the detention centre?

– They were awful. It is a small room without beds. It was a sort of wooden stage. There were from 10 to 15 people in the room, but only 8 or 9 could be placed on the “stage”. There were three mattresses.

Those who didn't have a place on the “stage” didn't sleep at night. The toilet didn't work. We had to use a plastic bottle with water for flushing.

We didn't have any cups, so prison staff poured tea in that bottle...

– Say a few words about the trial.

– There were two police officers at the trial. I know one of them, but I never saw the other one. I said it to the judge. I asked the second policeman if he had a mobile phone when he was detaining me. He said he had.

I said to the judge that we can make a request to themobile operator to find out the policeman's location at 16:00 on Saturday. Of course, he wasn't near my home. He couldn't say what jacket I wore and what was the colour of my backpack. But the judge issued me a fine of 2 penalty units, about 30 dollars. Even after that the police officers didn't set me free.

They ordered to get into a police car and took me home. One of them said: “We'll take you to the police station now and gang rape.”

– The policemen took you home to search it. What did they try to find?

– They showed me a paper saying my flat must be searched. They took me home. They found witnesses. It was written in their paper that they had the right to search my flat because a 15-metre sign at the entrance to Salihorsk had been painted white-red-white. A criminal case has not been opened, but they are looking for grounds to open it.

Besides the policemen and witnesses, there was a man who was examining my belongings. I asked the policemen who was he and they answered he was their friend.

I asked why their friend was examining my documents, but they said nothing. A copy of signature sheets for Sannikov at the 2010 presidential election, a book by Ales Bialiatski and a white-red-white flag were seized.

– Why did the authorities begin to hunt activists again?

– Activity increased in Salihorsk in recent months: newspapers and leaflets were distributed, flags were hung out. They were given instruction to stop it. They opened a criminal case against Young Front members, conducted two searches and seized computers. Now my turn has come.

Activist of the European Belarus civil campaign Uladzimir Lemesh was detained on September 27 near his home in Salihorks. He was tried on Monday. The opposition activist was charged with disorderly conduct (article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Judge Samoilik fined him 2 penalty units.