Grettha Sabaleuskaya: General-Major Barsukou Ordered To Detain Me

Literally a year ago, only friends and acquaintances knew about the existence of the 22-year-old girl who lives in Dziarzhynsk.

However, after the autumn protests, journalists called Grettha Sabaleuskaya the heroine of the national flag, according to the HRC "Viasna".

The activist of the Belarusian National Congress received special attention also from the law enforcement officers: she was detained on September 8 immediately after the Day of the Belarusian Military Glory, was taken to the police department, where they copied her passport data and released her.

On September 15, was summoned to the Central police department of Minsk, where she simply did not go. And on October 27, a real detective story took place, and the logic of the police officers who detained her again and took to another town for a few days before the trial is almost impossible to explain. The journalists tried to do it together with Grettha.

On Friday, October 27 at about 11 p.m. somebody knocked on the door of the house where Grettha lives. "Open up, this is the police," — a female voice said. The door was opened by Grettha's mother, two policemen entered the apartment — a woman and a man.

“They said hello and asked whether I knew the reason for their visit. I said I was expecting them but didn’t think they would come so late. Then I quietly packed my stuff, I had no fear at all. I asked where they were going to take me and what would happen in general, and they replied they were going to detain me for three days,” — Grettha told.

From the house, the activist was taken to the clinic, where she was given a certificate of health; and only then, at about one in the morning — to the police station. There, Grettha was explained that she was detained for having violated Article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses and, accordingly, was accused of "violating the procedure for organizing and holding a mass event." At the Outraged Belarusians’ March 2.0, which was held in Minsk on October 21, Grettha held a banner, which was, according to the police, the main violation.

"I cannot say that the policemen of the Dziarzhynsk police department did not treat me well. On the contrary, everything was very correct. They did not hide the fact that they simply followed the orders from the above. One of the policemen said that General-Major Barsukou gave the order about my detention, " — the BNC activist believes.

As it turned out later, there were no free cells in the detention center under the Dziarzhynsk police department, so it was decided to transfer the activist to Uzda, to the local temporary detention facility, which the Dziarzhynsk police officers did the same night.

After the short procedure of registration, Grettha had to sit in the corridor for several hours until one of the cells was freed by 8 a.m. The girl was told in Dziarzhynsk that the detention center had been recently repaired so the confinement conditions wouldn’t be bad, but in the reality in was on the contrary. Herein, not only the bad conditions made a negative impression, but the behaviour of the prison staff as well.

"I was taken to a cell of 3 to 3 meters at the maximum, according to my sensations. It’s state was really bad. It was overcrowded, the linen was in terrible condition, there was not enough light, food was also almost impossible to eat. It was unreal to achieve anything from the staff. Nobody said anything, it was impossible to ask them about anything, all the answers were: "This is not your business" and "be silent." In addition to the fact that the staff were rude, they treated you like a criminal, "— Grettha Sabaleuskaya said.

In such conditions, Grettha spent Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, at about one in the afternoon, the policemen from the the Dziarzhynsk police department came for her and took her to the court.

The "trial", which took place in a small office, lasted for about ten minutes. According to Grettha, she tried to ask about the possibility of admission of a lawyer, but she was told that the case was insignificant, so no lawyer was needed.

A woman judge (Grettha did not remember the name) looked at the activist's case and, even without asking her anything, voiced the amount of the fine — five base fees. In the office, Grettha was issued a receipt and released, with a farewell advice "not to do stupid things any more."

Grettha Sabaleuskaya is an active participant in the protest actions. She independently studies the Belarusian language, since she has lived with her parents abroad for a long time, and translates from Chinese.