Archivist in prison

Dzmitry Drozd has never been involved in political activities, but before the recent election he started to collect signatures for Sannikov.

On December 19 he was detained on the Square and sentenced to 10 days in prison. After that, on February 1, he was arrested and charged under two parts of Article 293 of the Criminal Code: mass riots.

At the moment he is imprisoned in the pre-trial detention centre in Valadarski Street. A reporter of “Nasha Niva” has met with relatives of the political prisoner.

A typical multi-storey building in Pyatrus Hlebka street, a classical bedroom community – that’s where Dzmitry lives in a two-room flat, together with his mother, sister and her husband. His room looks modest; a bed, a TV set, and an old bookcase with history books. “Pahonya” coat-of-arms is glued on the bookcase.

Packs with books are kept in the corner: in December the first historical work “Landowners of Minks province” by Dzmitry was published. The presentation had taken place shortly before the events on the Square.

- He has always been reserved and has never been involved in politics. Just recently he returned from Moscow, he had been working there for 7 years.

Dzmitry is 37, and his major occupation is history. Once he finished a technical school and then he studied the history faculty of the Belarusian State University. At the same time he worked for Kodak firm.

- A new book of my son was to be published in a while… And on the Square…

On February 1 he was wake up by a ring at the door. He was invited to go with KGB officers as a witness allegedly.

But he did not return back.

- He had a lover in Moscow, they have been going about for 7 years, and then they broke up. He returned back to Minsk, very miserable and confused. The election campaign was a kind of distraction for him. I asked him about Sannikov, and he told that he wants us to have a better life.

He has a collection of old photos on the shelves.

And now he writes letters from prison. 30 persons are in the same cell with him. They sleep in turns. All of them are imprisoned for the first time. A mathematics professor, economists…. Most of them smoke, though Dzmitry could not even bear the tobacco smell. He does not smoke and does not drink.

Family members collect references from working places, from the district policeman. Neighbours do not know anything about Dzmitry: the family has been living in this flat for 36 years, but Dzmitry is so quiet that most of the neighbours had not noticed him.

As sister explained: “In the morning Dzmitry left for work, then he spent time in archives, and returned late at night.”

11 letters have been received from Dzmitry, all of them are numbered.

He informs he is going to start writing poems to find an outlet.

The girl with whom he parted before his departure, was the one who helped to make a character reference for him in Moscow. She is very concerned, too.