Police lieutenant colonel: “Elections” are another attempt to deceive people

The only response to the “elections” carried out by the Belarusian authorities is to ignore them completely.

Mikalai Kazlou, a retired police lieutenant colonel and an activist of the United Civil Party, said it in an interview with charter97.org.

Minsk's Tsentralny district court issued fines to the organisers of the gathering on Freedom Square on September 23. Mikalai Statkevich was fined 9 million rubles, Anatol Liabedzka was fined 7.2 million. Uladzimir Niakliaeu has a fine of 3.6 million rubles. Mikalai Kazlou received a fine of 30 basic units (5.4 million rubles).

– How can you comment on the court's decision regarding you and your colleagues?

– They created the situation when they don't sentence people to short terms in jail but try to kill them economically. Fines are huge if you compare them to income of people. It's unclear why such cruel measures were taken and how they calculate the size of fines.

It is also a question why these trials take place. Some say the authorities loosened their grip by releasing political prisoners, for example. But trials show that nothing has changed. Everything remains the same.

The authorities falsify and will continue to falsify everything. That's why they detain and charge people.

– How can you asses the “election” campaign in the country?

– We see an attempt to deceive voters. We didn't have “elections”, and we don't have them now. The stance of the UCP and my personal position is that we must ignore the “elections”. It must be our response to the current events.

– What do you plan for October 11?

– I won't vote in these “elections”, but I am an observer. Maybe we will discuss the outcome of the “elections” somewhere in the centre of the city in the evening.

Mikalai Kazlou became known for revealing the scandalous fact of rigging results of early voting at the parliamentary “elections” in September 2008.

Mikalai Kazlou was on duty at a polling station and saw that members of the election commission cast ballots to the sealed ballot box after the polling station was closed. The police officer reported about the incident to his chiefs and wanted an inquiry to be launched, but he had to quit the police.