Ihar Kanyushnik: I am a ready to give my disability pension only to be independent!

A Minks resident detained during a silent protest action on July 3 gave an interview to Radio RSN.

Here is the test of the interview with Ihar Kanyushkin, an ordinary Minsk resident, a disabled person.

Izmailov: Hello, Mr Ihar! What is the situation with trials? Did they release everyone? Will your fellows stand trials today?

Kanyushnik: If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. When we were being fingerprinted and taken mug shots, I felt sick and had convulsions. An emergency ambulance was called and I was taken away. I cannot say what happened with the rest people in the Zavadski district police department of Minsk.

Goncharova: Do you know whether they were freed or not?

Kanyushnik: I think they were not freed. Everyone was ordered to give his belts and shoe strings. Police prepared them for arrest.

Izmailov: Why don’t you like the current regime? Why do you take to streets?

Kanyushnik: I try to change my life and the life of people I live with. I wish they could walk around the town without being snatched out of the crowd for no reason.

Goncharova: Do you think silent actions can be effective?

Kanyushnik: Frankly speaking, I don’t think so. But this is a way to show the authorities, the government that there are people in the county who are not afraid of taking part in these actions.

Goncharova: In other words, you count on attracting attention, don’t you?

Kanyushnik: Yes. To show there are disappointed people, to show that not all live well. I am a pensioner. My pension was 588,000 Belarusian rubles, which was about 200 dollars according to the previous exchange rate. Now I have 650,000 rubles, which is just a little over 100 dollars.

Goncharova: This is 3,000 Russian rubles. A lot of our listeners support Lukashenka. They think Russia needs a president like Lukashenka, who will set order. They say “we miss it so much”. Let’s try to organize communication between you and our listeners.

Listener: Hello! It’s Victor, Moscow district. Hold on, guys! There must be a good sheep in the flock. A sheep goes right, then goes left, but the other sheep in the flock scatter. This is what we will have too.

Goncharova: Our listeners think you need to find a talented organizer instead of acting like sheep.

Kanyushnik: You know, I don’t think this comparison is correct. People just go out and walk. Even if it is a silent action, what is bad if one begins to clap in the street? People draw attention to them and show they are angry with the authorities.

Listener: Vera Borisovna. I have many relatives in Belarus. They have no claims! They walk in the streets, but no one snatch them. These are outcasts of all kinds who want to ruin this republic.

Kanyushnik: God bless, let them walk.

Izmailov: Why are you dispersed, but they are not?

Kanyushnik: A lot of people, who did not participate in any actions, were just returning from work, were attacked.

Goncharova: We saw that on the Internet!

Kanyushnik: I did not participate in any actions on July 3. I came to celebrate the Independence Day. I put on my uniform coat with medals. I served in Afghanistan. I was just standing, but I was guarded to a bus and taken to a police department. I was sitting in the bus for five hours. Is this a normal country?

Izmailov: Listeners ask if you want to live like in Russia.

Kanyushnik: I was to live in a free country, where people are not detained by police for no reason and false police reports are not drawn up. The report said I was using obscenities, walked in the traffic are and did not react to warning by this violating public order. But I did not do it!

Izmailov: Do you think you love your country?

Kanyushnik: Surely I love my country!

Izmailov: What are you ready to do for its prosperity and well-being? What can you sacrifice?

Kanyushnik: I am ready to give my disability pension only to be independent!

Izmailov: Thank you so much!