Mikola Statkevich: “Moral coercion is to extend”

Yesterday an activist from Barysau, Alesya Yasiuk, made a statement about moral coercion and torture by policemen. Commenting on these reports, a Social Democrat and a former political prisoner Mikola Statkevich says that he had underwent the same humiliating treatment in the detention centre in Akrestsin Street after detention for participation in a protest rally on May 1 in Minsk.

“It looks like policemen started to like undressing people lately… On May 1 I was undressed completely in the detention centre for the first time… I do not know what they were looking for. I think it was an attempt of moral coercion. I was searched three times after the trial, once I was undressed until only underpants were on, and then they wanted to look at me thoroughly… I had gone through many things, so I advised them to look from all sides. Then they stopped… But a woman’s reaction might be different,” the oppositional politician said in the interview to Radio Svaboda.

As long as “shows with stripping” took place in different institutions: in the detention centre in Akrestsin Street, in police departments, Mikola Statkevich believes that they have one high-ranking ‘stage-director’.

“There is an impression that the regime has got convinced the previous level of repressions is not effective, and it should be amplified. But it is not advantageous to increase a number of political prisoners. That is why they are trying to add moral coercion. So we should expect it to be spread,” Mikola Statkevich is convinced.

As we have informed, a pro-democracy activist Alesya Yasiuk was detained on Sunday in Bahdanovich Street in Minsk for having a few “Boycott” stickers.

In the police department of Tsentralny district two persons in mufti with a video camera undressed and searched her. One man snatched a rubber band from her hair, took off her glasses and thrown it on the floor, the other torn the case of her mobile phone and scratched her right palm till it started to bleed. All that was videoed. Alesya demanded the men to leave the room. But nobody listened to her. When she was held there for more than 3 hours, she demanded to leave. But in response policemen started to intimidate her, that she would be taken to the detention centre in Akrestsin Street and placed in one ward with homeless persons. After 6 hours Alesya was released without a report being drawn up. Major Anatol Shytyka was in the command during all these actions, as said by Alesya Yasiuk.