Sannikov to be sent to colony with a killer from “death squadron”

6.06.2011, 3:05

A former deputy commander responsible for physical training in military unit 3214, Andrei Vasilyeu, is serving his prison term in correctional colony No 10 in Navapolatsk.

The administration of a detention facility of the Interior Ministry said presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov is to be sent to Navapolatsk colony No 10 to serve his 5-year prison term. Relatives of the political prisoner feel alarm: the colony is situated close to chemical enterprises and known for its extremely strict regime.

As charter97.org managed to find out, a former deputy commander responsible for physical training in military unit 3214, Andrei Vasilyeu, is serving his sentence in colony No 10. Military unit 3214 is a base for a special rapid response detachment.

The last episode of political documentary series Godfather (Godbatska) aired on Russian NTV said that major Andrei Vasilyeu has never hidden his involvement in kidnappings and killings of opposition leaders Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski and journalist Zmitser Zavadski in 1999-2000.

Soldier from military unit No 3214 Dzmitry Navichok told NTV that soldier Valery Ihnatovich, sentenced for kidnapping Zmitser Zavadski, former commander of 3214 military unit lieutenant colonel Dzmitry Paulichenka, and Vasilyeu are “united with blood”. Major Vasilyeu is said to be a member of the “death squadron”, a secret squad formed on Lukashenka’s order on the base of the special rapid response detachment aimed at eliminating political opponents of the Belarusian dictator.

In 2002, the Belarusian Military Court tried Vasilyeu for murdering a girl. The trial was held behind the closed doors. Vasilyeu was sentenced to 21 years in prison. However, Godfather movie claims Vasilyeu was thrown behind bars not for the murder, but for the information about loud disappearances he allegedly knows.

In a pretrial detention facility, Vasilyeu told Dzmitry Novichak and other cell mates that on July 7, 2000, as a member five-man group under command of the 3214 military unit commander Dzmitry Paulichenka, he took part in organizing kidnapping and killing of ORT operator Zmitser Zavadski and other secret operations of the special rapid response detachment.

“Narodnaya Volya” newspaper figured out location of Andrei Vasilyeu last year, just after Godfather-4 was shown. The paper appealed the Corrections Department of the Interior Ministry asking to visit Vasilyeu.

“In view of the fact that prisoner Andrei Vasilyeu, who is serving his term in correctional colony No 10, has refused in written form to give interviews to any mass media, you request for visiting the prisoner is declined,” deputy head of the Corrections Department Pratsenka wrote in the official reply.

Whether Andrei Vasilyeu refused to give interviews on his own will or was made to do so remains unknown. However, Vasilyeu gave an interview to official media this January. A special episode of Alyaksei Mikhalchanka’s project “As is. Technologies of coups” on Belarusian ONT showed him in the Navapolatsk colony. Vasilyeu denied evidence by Dzmitry Navichok and stated he had never served in the special rapid response detachment, though there are photos of him and former detachment commander Dzmitry Paulichenka, one of the suspects in abductions and killings of opposition members.

Andrei Sannikov’s family thinks his transfer to the same prison with a killer from the “death squadron” is not an occasion.

“We have received information about confinement conditions in the Navapolatsk colony and about prisoners there. We have held consultations with British and American lawyers, who gather facts on abusive actions of the Belarusian authorities. Besides, we have notified European and American foreign policy agencies. I’d like to tell the Belarusian authorities and the colony administration: if something happens to Andrei Sannikov and other political prisoners in the colony, this will be viewed as direct actions of the authorities against the regime’s political opponents,” Iryna Bahdanava, the political prisoner’s sister, said.