Lithuania is requested information about Sasha Varlamov

On request of Minsk, the Lithuanian law-enforcing agencies ask about events in Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts with participation of Belarusian youth, held in 2010.

As "Lietuvos rytas" newspaper informed on Friday, it refers to the leader of the delegation which had visited Vilnius, Sasha Varlamov (Sasha Varlamau), who has come into view of Belarusian security officials. The Centre of Youth Fashion headed by him, had been organizing festivals of fashion, photography and design “Melnitsa Mody” (“A Fashion Mill”) for 19 years. Sasha (Alexandr) Varlamau raised the finances for holding the festival from private sponsors.

Under instructions of the Office of Prosecutor General of Belarus, officers of the Lithuanian Bureau of Criminal Police told the rector of Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts that a criminal case was opened in Minsk, and the facts of the matter concern the events held by Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, Interfax.by reports.

Law enforcement officers are trying to find out who from the representatives of the Academy contacted representatives of the Centre of Youth Fashion concerning participation in the event “Fashion Mill in Vilnius”, who made invitations and was in charge of the delegation’s visit.

The Criminal police officers are also demanding to show documents testifying participation of the Belarusian delegation in other events in the framework of the festival. They are interested in the sources of financing and in the way the performance was organized.

The head of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Emanuelis Zingeris has stated for the newspaper that after the incident with Ales Byalyatski, a Belarusian human rights activist, when Lithuania offered his bank details and information about his bank accounts, requests for legal assistance from Belarus generate serious doubts.

“In view of the recent experience, orders of Belarusian law-enforcing agencies at the territory of Lithuania generate great doubts. After the story with questions of Belarusians in the case of Ales Byalyatski, we should check trice whether there are additional undertones, additional order, as objectivity of the Belarusian justice raises doubts,” E. Zingeris told BNS agency.

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Seimas said that without additional information about the opening of the case it is hard to evaluate actions of Minsk.

“If it was an attempt of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s clan to hunt after his citizens, it should be condemned, we should find out what is the reason for such movements, we should check whether there are political reasons behind all that,” E. Zingeris said.

The actions of Minsk outraged the Rector of Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts Audrius Klimas.

In an interview to "Lietuvos rytas" he said that “such tone sounds unusual and reminds documents of the Soviet era.”

“They are interested by such facts as: have you been abroad, and if yes, why you have returned? The categorical and blunt tone of the address is surprising, as well as the exaggerated zeal of Lithuanian officials,” the rector said.

Audrius Klimas has admitted that the law-enforcing agencies probably are not obliged to inform about the criminal case opened in Belarus. “But it is obvious that the case is not immediately related to this event. Maybe these people had taken part in some other actions and violated some legal acts of Belarus or some political principles?” the rector said.

Lithuania has already been enmeshed in a scandal due to legal cooperation with Belarus. In late November 2011 the court of Pershamajski district of Minsk sentenced the leader of “Vyasna” human rights organization Ales Byalyatski to 4.5 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of all his property.

The case related to tax evasion of the oppositionist was opened basing upon information from his bank accounts received from Lithuania and Poland.

Later these countries offered their apologies to A. Byalyatski’s relatives for passing this information. The both countries claimed that Minsk abused the agreement on legal cooperation, and they did not know that the requested information concerned a human rights activist.