Aleh Alkaeu: “I am ready to face trial together with Paulichenka”

Aleh Alkaeu’s book “Firing squad” includes a number of testimonies that the Belarusian authorities are implicated in abductions of political opponents of the current regime.

The presentation of this book in Dutch is to take place in The Hague in October. Colonel Aleh Alkaeu (Alkaev), a former chief officer of Minsk remand prison #1 who currently lives in Germany, said to “Salidarnasts” that he is ready to face trial for the facts which are found in his book.

- Is the Dutch variant of your book expanded a little?

- Comments of politicians and photographs were added. The text itself hasn’t been changed.

- In an interview to “Lietuvos rytas” newspaper Alyaksandr Lukashenka answered a question about abducted opponents. He was said that the guilty hadn’t been found yet. Lukashenka answered with a question: Why are you calling somebody a criminal without a trial? You are a representative of a democratic society, so you should understand that a criminal is a criminal after a court decision.” How would you comment on that?

- Alyaksandr Lukashenka is eccentric as usual. What prevents from carrying out a detailed investigation and a trail then?

Besides, are the Parliamentary Assembly members fools for him? The PACE has recognized the fact of politicians’ abduction and involvement of Belarusian authorities in the crime. Report by Christos Pourgourides and conclusions by the PACE are a basic document. The Belarusian authorities haven’t managed to disprove it, they haven’t even said anything new on this problem.

Let’s call a spade a spade: we are speaking about murdered people, not disappeared people.

- As far as I remember, the first presentation of the book was held by the presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin in the Palace of Republic during his registration by the Central Election Committee, in presence of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Then Kazulin said that a real investigation should be held, and either persons mentioned in your book should come up for trial or you – for defamation. Are you ready for such a trail?

- It’s absolutely true. I am not only ready, I insist on it. If I have slandered somebody, why don’t they start a criminal prosecution against me?! The Belarusian authorities make addresses at the international level on much more insignificant grounds. Strange as it may seem, they do not do that against me. I am ignored for some reason.

Let an investigator come here and interrogate me. I am ready to stand trial together with these people: I will answer for my actions, and they would answer for theirs. Here is Paulichenka, here is Alkaeu: please, question us. I will have a right to ask my questions as well.

It won’t be possible to use the book “Firing squad” as a fact against me: these arguments would be turned around. They would have to explain intentional suppression of facts, destruction of documents, and so on and so forth. I want such a case to be opened. But people working in the Belarusian prosecutor’s office are not stupid: they understand the consequences of that.

- How do you think, is any progress in the case of abducted possible under the current regime?

- In the present situation it is unreal. Primarily Lukashenka is not interested in that, for the reasons which are clear.

Recently Lukashenka stated: “Traces are leading to Germany”. It’s not the kind of state which cannot solve this case…

- Have you been disturbed on that issue?

- No. They already understand trap. When I have just arrived, they checked me at all levels, one could say from head to toe. And now everything is clear for them.

- Mr Alkaeu, The Hague with its UN International Tribunal has been chosen for the next presentation of your book on purpose, hasn’t it?

- Frankly speaking, I do not know: it was a decision of the publisher. He could consider this factor, or maybe it was more convenient for some other reasons. Anyway, it is symbolic.

We remind that vice speaker of the 13th Supreme Soviet of Belarus, the chairman of the Election Commission Viktar Hanchar and his friend, businessman and public leader Anatol Krasouski, a former Interior Ministry head Yury Zakharanka who joined the opposition, as well as a camera operator of the Russian ORT TV channel Zmitser Zavadski went missing in 1999-2000 in Belarus.

The world community constantly states the necessity to shed light on the fate of Belarusian oppositionists. The demands to establish the truth about their disappearances is contained in the resolutions of the UN Commission on Human Rights, of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the OSCE.

A number of high-ranking officials in Belarus, in particular minister of internal affaires Uladzimir Navumau, head of the president’s administration Viktar Sheiman, former minister of internal affaires Yury Sivakou, and former commander of special task squad Dzmitry Paulichenka are banned from entry into the EU countries and the US, because they are suspected of involvement in kidnapping of the oppositionists.