KGB: Alesin connected to espionage case

The State Security Committee (KGB) acknowledged arrest of the journalist.

Radio Svaboda has been informed about that by Alyaksandr Alesin’s children, who referred to the phone call from the KGB on December 8 in the afternoon.

“We received a phone call and were told that charges had not been filed against him yet. They said that the investigators are more interested by the man he met in a café, not our father. As for that man, he is suspected of spying, and while he was with our father, his status is to be defined as well. We hope that it won’t come to serving charges on him,” the children of the journalist informed.

The daughter of the journalist, Volha Alesina, told Nasha Niva that nevertheless the charges had been filed against Alesin, but he could be released for health reasons.

“We received a phone call from the KGB today. We were told our father was charged under Article 356 “Treason against the state” and Article 356 Part 1 “Divulging state secrets to a foreign state, foreign organisation or a representative, or espionage,” she said.

The punishment provided for by this Article is imprisonment for a term of from 7 to 15 years.

In addition to Alesin, charges are filed against a diplomat of one of countries. Relatives do not know who that person is. However, it is known that he is not imprisoned, as he is defended by a diplomatic immunity. “We have been told that our father is the key defendant in the case,” Volha said.

So far the family has no information whether Alyaksandr Alesin had a meeting with a lawyer, they do not have any contacts with a public defender.

“Today I asked a KGB officer whether we can hire our own lawyer. And he answered that there is no point in that, as father could be possibly released on health reasons on his own recognizance,” Volha informed.

Volha Alesina says her father has heart problems.

We remind that the military expert, an analyst of “Belarusy i rynok” newspaper Alyaksandr Alesin was detained by special services on Tuesday, November 25. As said by a source of charter97.org, Alyaksandr Alesin was arrested in a café in central Minsk as a suspect in espionage. He had a dinner with an unknown man there. The KGB denied comment on the arrest.

Alyaksandr Alesin is a journalist, an economic commentator of “Belarusy i rynok” newspaper. He is specialized in military analytics. He holds a Grand Prix of the award “Golden Pen” among journalists covering automobile topics in business and republican mass media (2008).

Photo: Euroradio