New search held in flat of activist fighting against nuclear power station construction

On March 12 a search in the flat of Ivan Kruk, an activist of the civil initiative “Astravets nuclear power station is crime” was held. Yesterday a search was held in the flat of Mikola Ulasevich.

As Radio Svaboda was told by Ivan Kruk, three policemen and attesting witnesses came to his flat. They had a search warrant signed by the district prosecutor.

Ivan Kruk says that the search is connected with issuing of the unregistered newspaper “Astravetsky vestnik”.

On March 11 a search was held in the flat of Mikola Ulasevich. On March 4 Astravets police department received a report from the head of the KGB directorate on Astravets district Mr Shmurej that literature of undisclosed nature was distributed in the village of Alkhouka, Astravets district.

Nothing was found at Ulasevich’s place, but his house was pictured from inside and outside.

“Astravetsky vestnik” was published by members of the organising committee of the civil initiative “Astravets nuclear power station is a crime”.

The publication had 2 pages in A4 format, with a circulation of 299 copies, in Belarusian and Russian. In the first issue of the bulletin materials with facts against construction of the nuclear power station in Astravets were issued.

Members of the organizing committee believe that the nuclear power station “by definition, a nuclear power station cannot be built in the greatest seismic hazard zone, which is Astravets district Hrodna region”. It is stated in the text written by the chairman of the organizing committee Mikalay Ulasevich.

As we have informed, members of the organizing committee of the initiative “Astravets nuclear power station is a crime” had addressed local authorities with appeals to authorize pickets and a meeting with scientists in order to get message across to people that the idea of a nuclear power station construction in the region makes no sense.

All their requests were denied. Besides, the local newspaper refused to publish information provided by the members of the organising committee which criticized the position of the Belarusian authorities concerning the nuclear power station construction.

“All these reasons have become the cause for emergence the new publication,” Mikalay Ulasevich said.