Statkevich addressed law enforcement officers: “Your friends and relatives will come to the square” (Video)

Military servicemen and officers have been urged to preserve their honor and not to allow involving themselves in crimes.

“I am addressing you not as a candidate for presidency, but as an officer, as a lieutenant colonel, who understands your situation perfectly well,” the presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich said in the beginning of his video address posted by BelaPAN.

“The regime is trying to draw you in its dangerous games, to make you accomplices of its crimes. One person is trying to persuade you that he is the Commander-in-Chief, he is the president, and he has a right to give any orders. It is not true. He lost this right in 1999 (the official finishing date of presidential term, without considering the result of the referendum in 1996, when the count of presidential terms started all over again – BelaPAN), and then, when he ran for the presidential race, rigged the result. Now he is the former Commander-in-Chief and the former president,” Statkevich said.

Statkevich addressed officers of law-enforcing agencies with an appeal to recall that in 199 “Viktar Hanchar and Yury Zakharanka were abducted, tortured and murdered.”

“Officers and soldiers who have executed this criminal order became whipping boys. Some of them are imprisoned for 20 years. Some have disappeared, probably forever. Some are walking among us with guards. But these are guards not to protect from us. It is protection from those who had ordered him to kill witnesses. Do not think that our regime is unique. The former president Bakiyev takes a rest in our country. He also ordered the military to shoot, and they shot. They executed the order, and they thought they were obeying the Service Regulations. And then they stood trial. They were convicted and punished harshly. And he is taking rest here. Another example: our neighbour, Poland. Special task force received an order to shoot at miners. And that order was executed. They stood trial recently – after more than 20 years. They are punished cruelly as well. In Chile 500 officers are still in prison for fulfilling Pinochet’s orders. I remind that the coup d'état in Chile took place in 1973. Pinochet died in his warm bed. And they are still in prison,” Statkevich underlined.

“Sometimes it is enough just to obey laws to retain honour and oath. Lets’ take the early voting. Sergeants and officers of police stand guard over ballot boxes. A crime would be committed in front of your eyes. It happened in 2008 already. But out of 6.5 thousand electoral districts, and the corresponding number of sergeants and police officers, there was only one lieutenant colonel Kazlou, who acted in accordance to the law: he tried to report the crime. Do the same! After all, document the fact of a crime by persons who committed it,” Statkevich urged.

“And finally, on December 19 thousands of citizens of Belarus, your neighbours, acquaintances, and maybe even friends will come to squares in Minsk. When they learn that the election has been rigged again, they will protest. And the regime would cover over by you again. Consider the situation you could find yourselves in. Keep your honour. Do not allow them to involve you in crimes. Serve to the Constitution and the nation, as you had taken an oath to,” Statkevich said.