Blogger Ales Krutkin Shared Detective Story About His Release

Was the police scared?

On Friday, December 13, Polatsk blogger Aliaksandr Krutkin, who served 15 days in prison for a repost on Facebook, was released. The policemen took him to the other side of the town, away from his friends, who were waiting for his release near the central police station. Releasing Krutkin, they asked his friends not to hold "mass events" near the police.

According to Vitsebsk Viasna, the friends were waiting for Krutkin's release from the TDF starting from 5 p.m. But the policemen refused to report on his whereabouts. Along with Polatsk residents, activists from Minsk, Vitsebsk and Vorsha came to express their solidarity. Only after 6 p.m. Ales' mother was informed that her son had been taken from the district police department to the other side of the town, to the police station of the Marynenka district.

Ales was met at the terminal bus stop. It turned out that the police had transported him at 16.00 - away from those who were meeting him near the district police station. Releasing Krutkin from the station, the police offered him to call his friends so that they would not hold a mass meeting at the door of the central police station.

Ales says that on December 12, he was fined 50 basic units (about €500) in absentia by a court in Minsk.

He also says that his mother was able to send him a care package only once during the whole period of his detention, she was not allowed to do it again, as Ales had violated the detention regime in the TDF. However, Ales himself does not know exactly what the violation was.

According to Krutkin, another court hearing is scheduled for December 17 (14.00) in Polatsk. Ales is accused of insulting policemen. He believes that they will fine him once again.