Vyachaslau Siuchyk: “Cattle is kept in better conditions than inmates in Staryja Darohi prison”

On May 8 after a 15 days arrest in a detention facility in the town of Staryja Darohi (Minsk district) a democratic activist Vyachaslau Siuchyk was released. “Cattle are kept in better conditions than inmates in Staryja Darohi prison. But the most awful thing is that these a standard conditions for every prison in Belarusian regional capital,” told the politician to the Charter’97 press-center.

“I was not only deprived of freedom for 15 days, but I was deprived of a right to wash hands and clean teeth, as there was no wash stand in the ward, and certainly there was no possibility to go to a lavatory. Prisoners are taken there two times a day. In a cell of two and a half to two metres where daylight is hardly seen, there were 2 more persons with me on the first days. Then as a “punishment measure” the cell was filled with drunkards why were raising roof, fighting, but after a few times seeing that it doesn’t influence me at all, I was left alone,” Vyachaslau Siuchyk told about the conditions of serving arrest.

But the most disgusting thing, according to him, was the fact that these were not some “specific conditions” of Staryja Darohi. Belarusians in all little towns (there are more than a thousand of them in the country) are kept in the same conditions. And prisons are mostly overcrowded, and prisoners under administrative arrest are kept together with criminals.

On April 23 Vyachaslau Siuchyk was sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest by the court of Staryja Darohi, Minsk region. He was found guilty of violating Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code (violation of the order of organizing or carrying out mass rallies or picketing). Siuchyk took part in setting up a memorial cross on 19 April in the Drazhna village (Starya Darohi district) in the memory of 25 civilians slaughtered by partisans 15 April 1943. The six-pointed cross of St Euphrosyne of Polatsk, a patron saint of Belarus, was set up near the catholic cemetery of the village, a part of which was burnt down, whose many inhabitants were killed or burnt alive in their houses by the partisans.

In an interview to the Charter’97 press-center Vyachaslau Siuchyk told that he finds actions of the authorities that detained and arrested him illegal. “I was near the court of Maskouski district of Minsk on April 23 because a trial over Parsyukevich was taking place there. People in mufti came up to me; they showed policemen’s identity cards, almost forcibly put him in a car and took to the Staryja Darohi police department. Flotsky, a policeman, interrogated him. During the interrogation I told that the cross, which had been removed by that time, should be returned to its place. After that a court trial took place. Mounting of a cross was called a rally. So I find actions of the authorities illegal,” the politician said.

As told by Siuchyk, representatives of local authorities testified against him in the court. Among them were a deputy chairman of the executive committee, the head of the ideology department and a police chief. It is noteworthy that the deputy chairman of the executive committee Davydau testified in the court that the memorial cross was removed illegally, in the same manner as it had been mounted”.

Besides, it is worth mentioning that Vyachaslau Siuchyk was neither an initiator nor organizer of mounting the memorial cross, he was just present when it was set up. However, he was the only person detained out of all participants.

“However I am proud that I took part in that event. I find returning the cross of St Euphrosyne of Polatsk to its place a matter of honour, so I will do my best to return it,” Vyachaslau Siuchyk said.