Yury Istomin: «There were mainly oppositionist arrested for European March in remand jail»

Yury Istomin, head of the United Civil Party Hrodna area organization, was released yesterday from Hrodna remand jail. The politician was arrested twice ahead of the European March. For the first time he spent behind the bars 5 days and some days later he was sentenced to 7 days. The both terms Yury Istomin was on hunger-strike protesting against unfair sentence.

“On the eve of the European March I wanted to go to Kyiv for some days. I went to the station to buy a ticket. As well I was going to meet my colleagues in cafe. We had arranged about it on telephone. But near the cafe the militiamen had been already waiting for us, they took me and my colleagues Zmiter Slutski and Viktar Sazonau. At first they drove us to pass the medical examination on blood alcohol concentration. We refused flatly. Than they guarded us to Leninski District Internal Affairs Department and there draw up a report that we allegedly had been using rude language. There was a quick and closed trial, where the militiamen witnessed that we allegedly had behaved incorrectly in the café, used obscene language, disturbed the visitors. The militiamen were allegedly trying to calm us, but we didn’t react. But we even didn’t enter the cafe – they took us at the entrance! But the militiamen’s evidence were enough for the judge and she sentenced me to 7 days, Slutski and Sazonau – to 5 days both”, - Yury Istomin said to Charter’97 press center.

Istomin has no doubts that his colleagues and he were detained only for their intention to participate in the European March. The oppositionists were spreading the information about the March in Hrodna and were going to come to Minsk 14 October.

After the trial Istomin, Sazonau and Slutski were placed in one cell. They at once went on hunger-strike in protest.

“The chiefs began to visit us – from prosecution agencies, District Internal Affairs Department… They asked us why we were on hunger-strike. At last they permitted to pass the mineral water to the jail”, - Istomin tells.

The politician doesn’t tell much about his 12 days of hunger-strike (two terms in succession 5 and 7 days). “I wasn’t very hard for me as I was on 15-days political hunger-strike, but it was harder for my friends…”, - Istomin says.

According to the politician, the strikers won an important concession from jail direction – three times a day they were brought boiling water. It was possible to get warmed with warm tea…

In general, Yury Istomin noted an interesting thing. On weekdays mainly the oppositionists arrested for the European March were sitting in Hrodna remand jail. “On weekend the real hooligans and scourers were brought, but they set just a day and pay fine. In general, only the oppositionists were sitting in a half-empty remand jail. When Sazonau and Slutski were released, I was taken to another cell, and I served my term to the end with the BPF Party (Belarusian Popular Front) activist Mikola Lemianouski and “Magazyn Polski na uchodzstwie” editor Ihar Bantsar... “, - Yury Istomin said.