Militia robbed “European Belarus” activists in connection with “theft”

Bursting into apartment of oppositionists, militia and secret service officers follow a well-established procedure.

As the Charter’97 press center has already reported, 10 militiamen burst into an apartment, hired by activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Paval Yukhnevich. They opened the door with the help of an apartment’s owner. Militiamen said their visit was connected with a criminal case instigated over a theft. Two computers, a camcorder, a camera, stickers “European Belarus”, EU flags, and portraits of missing opposition leaders were confiscated during the search.

Youth leaders Yauhen Afnahel, Paval Yukhnevich and three more activists, who were in the apartment at that time, were arrested and guarded to the Pershamaiski district militia department for questioning. But not in the criminal case over a theft. Militiamen didn’t remind about it any more. The guardians of order were interested only in one thing – where the activist had got the printed materials, which were regarded by militiamen as “anti-state”. The oppositionists were released after questioning, bu thte confiscated things weren’t returned. Militiamen refused to say grounds on which they seize4d the computers, but EU flags and portraits of the missing politicians and political prisoners will be apparently checked for “anti-state character”.

It is not the first case when militia officers have burst into apartments of democratic activists and conducted unlawful searches, arrests, confiscated equipment and printed materials. They usually say they have received an “anonymous telephone call” or a “witness” has come to them, who states that she saw this or that oppositionist on a scene of a crime. As a rule, all these pretexts appear to be far-fetched, there are no witnesses, and the militia just needed an excuse to visit an apartment of an opposition activist.

It should be reminded that Alyaksandr Atroshchankau, spokesman of the civil campaign “European Belarus” has been seeking office equipment, he was seized ahead of the European March in Minsk on October 14, 2007, for a year.

Officers of militia and KGB burst into a flat, leased by Atroshchankau, on a pretext of “smell of a dead body from the flat”. Neighbours allegedly complained at the smell. As the results of the search, two computers and archive materials were seized. Atroshchankau got 10 days of administrative arrest traditionally accused of “swearing in public”.

On June 12, the activist went to the KGB department to clear out the situation. But instead of hearing of his complaint, Atroshchankau was guarded to the Tsentralny district court of Minsk, where he was sentenced to 15 days of arrest. Alyaksandr Atroshchankau had trial without witnesses and a lawyer. The seized computers, printed materials, and EU flags are still in the KGB.