Pavel Eutikhieu: They tortured me for passwords for an hour hitting in head, chest, stomach

A detained moderator gave an interview to charter97.org after his release from jail.

Pavel Eutikhieu says about his detention and torture by KGB officers to get necessary information from him.

“Secret services officers came to my mother's work, ordered her to return home and open the door. They entered. I didn't expect it and I had not time to do anything. They rushed to the computer. I was taken to the kitchen, where they questioned me. They asked about the things I discussed only with my friends in personal messages. So I think they read personal messages on VKontakte. They asked about our groups on the social networking website, demanded to reveal real names of administrators of the group, but I didn't tell them,” Pavel Eutikhieu says.

“I was then taken to the living room and tortured for an hour for the password. They hit me in the head, chest and stomach. The torture was performed by notorious agent Dzmitry Kalamiets. Raman Sivukhin was watching the process. When they understood I wouldn't tell them anything, they found passwords on the computer. They took me to the Kastrychnitski district police department and I told policeman Rasolka that I had been robbed (they seized the computer). He wrote down my evidence, but I am sure they later threw it in the trash,” the moderator said.

“They prepared a trumped-up administrative case against me. They wrote I had come to the police department and sworn at policemen. They wrote I had ignored their attempts to calm me down and they had to detain me. They told me on the way to the Kastrychnitski district court I would receive five days in custody. We waited for judge Hermanovich for some hours. When the judge asked me if I admitted my guilt, I replied there's no difference if I admit it or not. The judge answered we all had roles and had to play them till the end. I was given five days in custody,” Pavel Eutikhieu recalls.

“I was taken to the old building of the detention facility in Akrestin Street at 6:30 p.m. Another moderator of the group, Andrei Tkachou, was  in the neighbouring cell. He will be freed on September 6. KGB officers didn't visit me in the detention centre. They returned computers, but I am sure they have bugs and viruses,” the administrator of the group “We're fed up with Lukashenka” ended his story.

We remind that on August 30 secret services detained four moderators of protest communities on VKontakte social networking website – Andrei Tkachou, Aleh Shramuk, Pavel Eutikhieu and Raman Pratasevich. Another moderator, Syarhei Byaspaly, managed to escape. KGB officers seized computers of the moderators and received access to administration of the groups “We're fed up with Lukashenka” with 37,000 members and “Only SHOS!”with 15,000 members. They deleted the groups, but VKontakte tech support team restored the communities on September 3. KGB officers then used Aleh Shramuk's computer to gain control over the group and publish libel against other administrators of the community.

Andrei Tkachou was detained, interrogated and sentenced to seven days in custody for “disorderly conduct”. Pavel Eutikhieu was given five days in custody. Aleh Shramuk was set free at night after an  interrogation. Minor Raman Pratasevich was beaten and released.

Dzmitry Kalamiets

Raman Sivukhin and Dzmitry Kalamiets