Attempt to break work of Charter’97 website, or In search of a bicycle

On April 26, at 12.30 p.m., officers of some sections of the Leninski district militia department came to an flat rented by journalist of Charter’97 website Natallya Radina. Militiamen tried to seize computers.

Entered the apartment, militiamen of the Leninski militia department of Minsk said they were questioning the dwellers of the house in connection with a fact a bike was stolen at a firm nearby. Having seen computers in the flat, they called for reinforcement. 7 militiamen from section for corruption and economic crimes, criminal investigation and preliminary investigation inspected the apartment.

Staff of Charter’97 website was covering a traditional opposition rally Chernobyl Way online. Militiamen ordered to show passports. They found it “suspicious” that there were so many computers in the apartment, and got especially worried when they saw a photo of Alyaksandr Lukashenka on a website on one of the computers and an orange flag of the Ukrainian revolution with a text “Yes!”.

One of the militiamen said: “today is April 26, a rally is being held in Minsk. You might transfer information and coordinate actions of the demonstrators.”

A few reinforcing officers arrived. They immediately stated that they would issue a resolution to seize all the computers in the flat, in order to find out “which websites are visited from them, what emails sent and what information is contained there”. When militiamen were said that journalists of the Charter’97 work there, they immediately called their commanding officers. After consultations on the phone, some militiamen left the flat. Two more militiamen were interrogating journalists for about an hour and a half, copied their passport details and left the flat only after 3 p.m. when the “Chernobyl Way” was over.

There is no clear answer to the question why the militiamen have visited the Charter’97 press-centre on the day when the Chernobyl Way is held. Journalists of the Charter’97 do not exclude that power ministries wanted to thwart their work on covering the oppositional rally. But it is also possible that our brave militiamen have sent their best forces (officers of three different departments of the Internal Affairs Ministry!) to find one stolen bicycle. It is really commendable. We wish militiamen success in finding the disappeared bicycle. It wouldn’t be hard with such a "can-do" spirit.