Basharimov’s girlfriend: “I was being held in “americanka” for a day”

A friend of the realtor, who leased out an apartment to the director of the Swedish Studio Total, was released after interrogation.

"Euroradio" reveals new facts of the sensational case.

"I know Sergey for more than a year. Friends introduced us. For several years his business is leasing out apartments for short periods. He has four apartments, as far as I know. And through mutual friends we began to meet with him", - tells Irina about her acquaintance with Sergei Basharimov.

Now he is one of the most famous Minsk realtors in the Internet. And all because of the history with the "toy troopers". That was Basharimov who leased out an apartment to Peter Cromwell, the director of the Swedish Studio Total. He was also going to rent it to him on July 3. However, Mr. Cromwell did not get to Minsk and sent several sms messages about the abandonment of the apartment on Karl Marx Street. For Belarusian KGB that was enough to blame Sergey Basharimov in facilitating illegal border crossings by a group of people and place him and his girlfriend – Irina - under arrest.

"They came for me in the evening of the sixth of July. About 7 p.m.. They introduced themselves as KGB agents. Sergei was taken roughly at the same time, when was driving to one of his apartments... They told me that I have to come with them to give explanations. Without any options. They brought and put me into a cell. Interrogations were on the sixth and on the next day", - Irina talks about her arrest calmly, almost as if it was a fun adventure. But she admits that in a narrow cell of "americanka" it was not fun.

The next day she was released with the words "lucky you, because you’re a girl”. After she returned home, Irina did not find her notebook. Flash drives and external hard drive were gone too. All was seized by KGB officers while she was under interrogation.

Irina can’t talk about her talks with KGB officers because of the mystery of the investigation. The girl says that she was hoping to see Sergei after three days. Then – after ten days. But in vain. When she saw on the internet that photographer Suryapin has been arrested, she decided to tell about her boyfriend to journalists.

"His job is to lease out apartments. I do not even know to whom he was leasing them out, if there were any foreigners... In KGB I was told: "You're his girlfriend, you should know". But I knew absolutely nothing, absolutely. Even about a Swedish airplane and these teddy bears I learned only after the arrest. It's kind of absurd", - says Irina.

From a suspect Sergei Basharimov became a defendant after 10 days in the detention. He was blamed for complicity in breach of the border by a group of people. Now the realtor faces from 3 to 7 years in prison. Irina with Sergei’s mother is working hard to release him. They are hiring their own lawyer because all, that a state lawyer is capable of - is the phrase “calm down, everything will be fine". Clothes and food was delivered to Sergei only twice within 14 days. More is not allowed.

Irina is determined to secure the release of her boyfriend. "It's absurd, it is a nonsense", - repeats she over and over again.