Barys Bukhel: "Trade Union’s Case" Investigator Asked Senseless Questions

The human rights activist had to spend an hour and a half lecturing in the Investigation Committee.

The Investigative Committee has started to disturb actively Mahiliou activists, politicians and human rights activists in the criminal case against the leaders of the REP independent trade union, Henadz Fiadynich and Iha Komlik, Mahiliou Spring reports.

On February 12, human rights activist Barys Bukhel and activist Aliaksei Paulouski were summoned to the IC. The latter refused to go to the Investigative Committee, and the investigator had to go to his place. The conversation with the activist took place in the presence of journalist Uladzimir Laptsevich.

Barys Buchel spent about an hour and a half in the IC, and, according to him, he "was delivering a lecture to the investigator."

– I was interrogated as a witness, young investigator Dzmitry Siomin was asking the questions. It was clear that he did not have a clear apprehension of the subject. He admitted honestly that the list of questions had been lowered from Minsk, – Bukhel said.

The human rights activist was surprised by the fact that the investigator could find answers to some of his questions on the Internet:

– He asked whether the REP trade union is part of international organizations. Well, of course, it is! All this can be learned by visiting the site. He asked senseless questions. He wanted to know if I had represented the trade union in any negotiations abroad. I'm a rank-and-file member, far from the management, how can I represent the organization on the republican level?

Dzmitry Siomin took interest in financial issues of the organization.

– All his questions related to 2011-2012. That is, I had to remember what happened 7-8 years ago. For example, to whom and how I gave membership fees. How can I remember this? Moreover, REP was not allowed to issue anything through the bank at that time, – Bukhel said.

The human rights activist calls his meeting with the investigator a "lecture", as he "had to tell them about human rights and the socio-political situation in the country in laity's terms."

At last, Bukhel refused to give them signed acknowledgement of non-disclosure. According to him, there was no point in doing that.

– It's an attempt to arrange for nothing to get to the media. And such shameful interrogations must be reported, – the human rights activist concluded.

On February 13, the Investigative Committee also summoned politician Ihar Barysau and activist Aliaksandr Shautsou.