Belarusian mercenaries arrested in Libya

About three dozens of Belarusian servicemen have been detained in different parts of Libya during military operations.

Charter97.org has been informed about that by Mikalai Khalezin with a reference to a source in the National Transitional Council of Libya.

According to Khalezin, about 20 persons remain in custody, while 10 were killed during the seizure. Investigators are questioning the rest of the Belarusians. They are trying to find out how the Belarusian military had got into Libya and what they had been doing in the riot-hit country. According to the source, most of the detained were snipers.

We have asked Mikalai Khalezin to comment on these reports:

- Mikalai, what are your sources of information about Belarusians in Libya?

- It has been provided to us by representatives of Libya close to the current leadership of the country.

- Could you tell the exact number of arrested Belarusian mercenaries?

- It does not seem possible to give exact figures, as interrogations are underway, the identities of the mercenaries and their national identities are being established. There was a figure announced: about three dozen people, more than ten of which had been killed during the military operations, and several shot after the seizure.

- Is there information what these people are and what they had been doing in Libya? Who had taken them to Libya, who had formed the group and exercised leadership?

- So far we can just say that it was not a spontaneous mercenaries’ enlistment, but a scrupulously organized process of Belarusians transfer to Libya. I repeat, questioning continues, and I hope that more detailed information would be available in a short time.

- What these people can expect now?

- They are people are outside the law. And notably, they are outside both Libyan and Belarusian laws, as mercenary activities are criminally punishable in Belarus. We shall stay in contact with our Libyan partners in order to try to sort out the situation thoroughly.