Andrei Dzmitryeu: What do we do in the parliamentary elections?

"Tell the Truth" activists tell Euroradio how they liked the detention center in Smalyavichy and when they plan to return there.

- What are your impressions after serving of 10 days of detention in the detention center in Smalyavichy?

Andrei Dzmitryeu: It would be easy to make a movie about some war in the basement where they kept us. I haven't seen anything like that for a long time. It reminds the KGB prison. However, all this was recompensed by the people's normal attitude to us. It was nice to receive books and to feel as a real "man in prison". There are no walks - you just sit in the cell for 10 days. However, they told us on the second day of our stay there "Our people love you like they love no one else in Smalyavichy!" Many people came, trying to pass something to us. They told us "We have no room to keep all the things they try to pass to you".

Why did they release you earlier - you were supposed to go out at 7 p.m. today, right?

Mikhas Pashkevich: I think they knew that people would come to meet us. They saw that about 30 local country-house owners attended our court trial. They did not want another manifestation in the center of Smalyavichy. Thus, they accurately "packed" us, drove us to the road and said - have a safe trip to Minsk, and please come back again! I think we should definitely return there once again, at least to provide payment confirmation for the stay in that "hotel".

Andrei Dzmitryeu: Besides, we are going to pay Br 50 thousand per day. Thus, we will pay Br 1 million for the two of us for this two-bedroom basement. They made a "luxury room" for us there - there were just the two of us, and they added no one to our cell. There was a principle - they don't bother us, and we don't bother them, or vice versa.

- What was the food?

Andrei Dzmitryeu: Just food! Potatoes, some porridge, cutlets which I didn't dare to eat even once. I gave everything to Pashkevich. And he gave it all back to the guards.

Please tell us, while Pashkevich doesn't here - did he cause you any problems? We know he likes to "fight for his rights"!

Andrei Dzmitryeu: The good thing about Pashkevich is that he has a great sense of humour. We joked a lot throughout these ten days and humour supported us. But he did cause problems! He constantly slept! I had no one to talk to! I am not speaking about his other peculiarities... But anyway, it was a good company. I taught him how to make his bed in a military style and prohibited him to eat in bed.

Mikhas Pashkevich: And started eating in bed himself on the sixth day!

And now you tell us - which inconveniences did Dzmitryeu cause to you in this "luxury room"?

Mikhas Pashkevich: If you only knew how he annoyed me! He was lying still, and then said something like "Talk to me! Tell me, how was your day?" Just imagine - a person wakes up in the morning and says - let us discuss what we will do at the parliamentary election, what are our plans?". I would say "Our plans are to serve another five days and then we'll see", and he would respond "No, we should make plans in advance". He also kept on writing something all the time. Real Lenin!

- You can compare - you were detained in the Akrestsina detention center and in the KGB prison - where is it better to serve a term of detention?

Andrei Dzmitryeu: Nowhere! Especially, when you are not guilty. I still consider it was a politically motivated sentence, it was a sort of a lesson to me and Misha - "if you go on doing what you are doing, it will be like that". They showed us that they cannot close their eyes to what happened in Smalyavichy district. The authorities did their deed, and we are going to continue doing ours.

Dzmitryeu and Pashkevich left, but promised to return?

Andrei Dzmitryeu: If they continue realization of their plans with this Belarusian-Chinese park, we will continue our struggle for the people's rights. About 30-40 local inhabitants came to our trial - I can't remember when so many ordinary people came to support an opposition member in court. This is such a base for our activity which we could only dream of.

Maybe, you had inspiration for writing poems in prison?

Andrei Dzmitryeu: There is a monopoly for poems in our campaign. However, I made a directory "Ten things you can do for 10 days of detention". I will publish it in the Internet tomorrow. Frankly speaking, I am grateful that I at last had time to read books peacefully. I really enjoyed Kundera, Dovlatov and other books. However, Misha was reading "Don Juan" by Byron and did not let me read it!