Alena Maslyukova: The Plant Management in Svetlahorsk Knows That It Falls Apart

What is hidden behind the walls of the Svetlahorsk plant?

The bleached pulp plant in Svetlahorsk, which construction causes indignation among local residents, issued an internal document banning employees from carrying mobile phones to the plant, as well as taking photographs and videos at the plant. Two days before the document was issued, it was informed that the plant ceiling breakdown. Are these events related to each other? Charter97.org asked human rights activist and environmental activist Alena Maslyukova for comments:

- The fact is that this document was signed in April but issued only yesterday.

When in January we recorded an unauthorized dumping of waste in Biarezina (in fact, it was an accident), the photos confirming the emergency appeared on the Internet.

After that, the employees of the enterprise told in one-on-one talks that the management and even the KGB officers were looking for people who posted the photos. Repeatedly there was information that the plant workers were intimidated and forced to keep silent about events there.

Just yesterday we saw the document where the General Director of the plant ordered to ban mobile phones with cameras, the Internet; making pictures is allowed only to few people.

I believe that this order violates basic human rights. What right do they have to order people bring only certain versions of mobile phones?

Secondly, the question arises: what are you doing at this plant, if no pictures are allowed there? Is this a military site? Do you produce explosives there if people cannot make pictures?

I think this is an absurd situation. This is not a commercial secret, we just want clean air in our city.

And when the plant, which hasn't officially been put into operation yet, has its roof ruined, the question arises: this plant really needs to be closed down, doesn't it?

I think that even the management realizes that the plant is falling apart and such orders are issued.

As for the accident, people barely managed to leave this shop. There were employees there! The lab technicians were taking some measurements. As soon as they left the shop, a part of the roof broke down, I was told that some liquid had spilled. But what made me angry was that the concern's press secretary, Ruzhana Navitskaya, was trying to make people look like fools and said that "this is a scheduled repair". It's just immoral, one shouldn't do that.

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