Zmitser Bandarenka: “Minsk riot police really adopted many things from Germans, namely from Gestapo”

“European Belarus” coordinator has commented on the statement of the deputy minister of internal affairs of Belarus about using German “know-how”.

As informed by the deputy minister of internal affairs of internal affairs of Belarus Yauhen Paludzen, the Interior Ministry of Belarus worked out “the new order of work during street rallies”. As said by him, the method is based on the experience of German police.

Paludzen claims that in Germany journalists do not have a right to make pictures and shoot faces of policemen and participants of a demonstration. Only general views are allowed. This experience was received by policemen during their visits to Germany, and Belarusian law enforcers are going to adopt it.

“I have already said that deputy minister of Belarus is either incompetent man or knowingly lying,” Zmitser Bandarenka said to “European Belarus” website. “His recent statements that hindering work of journalists during disbands of rallies in September and October in Minsk is realization of German policemen’s advanced experience and know-how just confirm that. And his statements that in the future at oppositional rallies journalists would be able to shoot only the things they would be allowed by policemen in blue and red vests, means that this high-ranking policeman instill contempt to laws, and in particular to the law on mass media, in his subordinates.

It seems to me that Paludzen has simply made “a Freudian slip” when he said that they adopted German experience. It is not a that riot policemen and policemen from the Central police department who were beating up and torturing me and my friends after the disband of the latest rally, were shouting that police is primarily a punitive organisation. During the war my grandmother, Eudakiya Zosimauna Bandarenka, was imprisoned in torture chamber of Gestapo for a month as she was a wife of a Red commander, and it was a miracle she escaped death. No words could explain what she had gone through.

In one of the issues of “Spetsnaz” (Special Forces) Belarusian magazine a “Code of honour of Nazi army officers” was published written by the raging Fuehrer. It was published as an example of behaviour for Belarusian special forces. Paludzen shouldn’t play cunning and say that Belarusian police is learning from policemen of the Federal Republic of Germany. In practice Belarusian citizens often face Gestapo’s methods of operation, and not only during mass rallies. As Alyaksandr Lukashenka said, “not only bad things in history are connected with Adolf Hitler”. And it is known that fish rots from its head, Zmitser Bandarenka said to “European Belarus” website.

That’s how journalists are beaten in Belarus. Photo journalist of “Nasha Niva” Andrei Lyankevich

One of the leaders of “European Belarus” civil campaign Zmitser Barodka beaten by riot police during disband of a rally of solidarity (February 16, 2009, Minsk)

Vintsuk Vyachorka is trying to protect his son Franak from amock riot policemen during the rally dedicated to abduction of Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski (September 16, 2008, Minsk)

Riot policemen carry beaten-up “Young Front” leader Zmitser Dashkevich into a paddy wagon (March 25, 2008, Minsk)

Belarusian police wants to prohibit journalists filming all these things.