Tatsyana Novikava: Physician Ozharovsky thrown into prison for Belarusians

The Russian atomic physician is expected to attend a conference in Stockholm, but he was thrown behind bars as a “hooligan”.

The public hearing dedicated to the preliminary report on environmental impact assessment of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, organized by the authorities, were held in Astravets last week. As everything at the hearing was predictable, the media focused on the Russian scientist, a member of the international ecological group Ecodefence Andrei Ozharovsky, who arrived at Astravets on his way from Moscow to Stockholm and was detained by Belarusian militia.

Tatsyana Novikava, the Belarusian coordinator of the Russian Ecodefence movement told Euroradio about her colleague.

“Andrei is researches an issue of radioactive waste in Ecodefence... He received higher education in nuclear physics, graduated from an institute in Moscow. He lives near Moscow now, works as a teacher in a village school,” the ecologist said.

According to Tatsyana Novikava, even RosAtom respects Andrei Ozharovski as a scientist.

“His attendance of public hearings is rather professional. He was present at similar hearings regarding construction of the Baltic nuclear power plant on the river Neman. When public representatives were offered to speak, Andrei was the third to have the floor. He prepared a media presentation, for example. People listen to him and respect his opinion at such events,” she added.

A day after Andrei Ozharovsky was detained at the entrance to the Astravets cinema hall, many Russian mass media described the experts as a “hooligan”. But it’s difficult to imagine a scientist, a former UN expert, who has two children, behaving in a wrong way at public hearing in a neighbouring country.

“In my view, such attitude of the Russian mass media is inadmissible! I saw the moment of detention: Andrei didn’t behave as a hooligan. Moreover, the arranged that he should take the materials to the hall. He wasn’t allowed to take them, so he left the brochures near the entrance. He must have been allowed in, because he was registered as a participant of the hearing. I saw the situation: people in mufti twisted his arms and forced him to get into a car!” Novikava says.

It’s good that specialists, scientists and common people, who are not indifferent, live beyond Belarus, but come here and try to solve our problems...

“In this sense I can say that Andrei is in fact serving punishment for the Belarusians! He has to spend 7 days in jail, though he is expected to visit conferences in Stockholm,” the ecologist says.

Andrei Ozharovsky appeal to the region court against the decision of the Astravets court. Under the Belarusian law, the appeal must be considered within three days. The scientist is in the Astravets detention facility. The embassy of Russia in Minsk filed a note of protest to the foreign minister of Belarus asking to look into the situation.