Yury Lyavonau: I was pressed and threatened to be sent to a colony in Hlubokae (Video)

Yury Lyavonau, the former director of Vaukavysk-based firm Nika-trans, was questioned in Mikalai Autukhovich’s case in the Supreme Court.

Yury Lyavonau is a witness in the case of the so called preparation of a terrorist attack. As Radio Svaboda reminds, Yury Lyavonau was in prison together with Mikalai Autukhovich and Uladzimir Asipenka from February 8 to August 8, 2009.

Lyavonau lives in Moscow now looking after his ill mother. Yury Lyavonau was questioned as a witness in the court.

Yury Lyavonau said that on the first day of arrest investigators offered a version according to which Autukhovich had allegedly been preparing attempts on life of official and organized arsons. Lyavonau was pressed to admit this version. He was told that everyone pointed at him, so he needed to admit his guilt, otherwise he would be sent to a prison in the town of Hlubokae among dangerous criminals.

The witness denied evidence given by Alyaksandr Laryn, according to which the latter had allegedly talked with him in Lyavonau’s apartment about an attempt on life of head of the Hrodna region executive committee Uladzimir Sauchanka. Yury Lyavonau didn’t here from Autukhovich any plans to form a “guerilla squad”, buy arms, or take revenge on officials for pressure on Autukhovoch’s business.

What to critical remarks in relation to actions of officials, they really took place, Yury Lyavonau says. However, the witness thinks it was natural as the firm had been under great pressure since 2003. I used to give hell to officials, especially deputy minister on taxation Vasily Kamenka,” Lyavonau stressed.

Yury Lyavonau explained his position regarding Vasily Kamenka after the trial.

“In fact, he was in charge of actions against Nika-trans, which was based in Vaukavysk and dealt with international carriage,” Yury Lyavonau said. “As a director, I took part in finding ways which would allow functioning in accordance with Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s of 2003 on reducing employees working for an individual entrepreneur. Then minister of taxation Sumar called this scheme grey. I don’t know who had suggested that. He was in charge of everything related to or business. I still think there are no proofs that we violated the law.”

We remind that all witnesses in the case of Autukhovich say about strong pressure by investigators, state the Vaukavysk businessman is not guilty and deny their previous evidence.