Russian Embassy indignant at Belarus’ Prosecutor General’s Office statement

The Russian Embassy in Belarus was taken the statement of the Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich relating the citizens of Russia, Artem Breus and Igor Gaponov arrested in Minsk in the framework of the mass riots case, with surprise and bewilderment.

It has been stated on Friday by Vadim Gusev, a counsellor of the Russian Embassy.

As said by the diplomat, “in particular, “the hope” of the Prosecutor General expressed by his during the press-conference on January 27, that participation of Russian citizens in mass riots is yet to be made clear, has left us perplexed, as well as the statement that the “break” in the investigation of the Russian citizens’ case is explained by a great number of detainees.”

“Meanwhile, the Russian citizens are kept in the Belarusian prison for a month, though no evidence of their guilt is offered. And another meeting of the Russian consular staff with the arrested fellow countrymen held just before, has confirmed that the Belarusian law-enforcers have no such evidence,” Gusev said. “Thus, as said by Breus, recently he had been visited by a representative of the Belarusian investigators’ group. During this conversation they tried to accuse the Russian citizen with the fact that some candidates for presidency in Belarus in their testimony allegedly say that they knew Breus, who in his turn denies any personal contacts with them,” “Vzglyad” reports.

Gusev has also noted that the Prosecutor General said that actions of Belarusian authorities on annulling the permanent resident card for Gaponov, are premature. However, Gaponov’s mother informs that this procedure has been already started. She was summoned into the district branch of Citizenship and Migration Affairs Office of the Belarusian Internal Affairs Ministry, and there she was informed that the procedure of annulling a resident permit of her son has been set in motion. The grounds for that were two violations – crossing the street against the red light and participation in an unsanctioned meeting, for which Gaponov had already been punished by 10 days incarceration.

Besides, the official representative of the Russian Embassy has pointed out at a very strange position demonstrated by some Belarusian state agencies in connection with the case of the arrested Russians. Thus, as said by him, “the Embassy still has not received an official answer from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus on its enquiry of January 14 concerning grounds and motives which made the authorities choose taking into custody as a measure of restraint for the Russian citizens. It is not clear why Russian citizens are still rotting in jail without evidence of their guilt, while the measure of restraint for some former candidates has been changed for a written undertaking not to leave the place.”

“At the same time,” the Russian diplomat said, “the Embassy has to state with regret that in spite of the Russian-Belarusian Consular Convention, just recently the diplomatic mission of Russia has received a document from Minsk city executive committee with information that taking into custody had been applied to the Russian citizens on the grounds of the charge filed against them back on January 5.”

“The Embassy hopes for quickest release of the Russian citizens as investigators have no evidence of their guilt,” Gusev underlined.

He added that as the first step to full release the Belarusian side can change the measure of restraint for the Russian citizens for house imprisonment. And the lawyer of Breus has filed an application to investigatory bodies of Belarus related to that.