Andrei Hajdukou: They planned to jail me for 15 years

The political prisoner has told about tortures in the KGB remand prison.

It has been stated by a political prisoner Andrei Hajdukou in an interview to charter97.org website after his release.

“I am in high spirits, and as for my physical state, I need to have rest and recharge my batteries. But in general, I feel better then there. So I am in a fairly good mood, I have many plans and I have things to do,” he said.

The former political prisoner noted that he has been transported 10 times in total.

“When I was detained, I was placed to the KGB for a month at once, then I was transferred to Vitsebsk pre-trial detention centre for almost a month, and then back again to the KGB for 5 months, and back to Vitsebsk for about three months. Then I was sent to the correctional colony #19 for 7 months, and finally when my term was coming to an end, to “Vitsba-3” colony, for me to compare and experience all the “delights” of this system. But undoubtedly the worst place of all was the KGB remand prison. It could be confirmed by the editor-in-chief of charter97.org website, Natallia Radzina. The former political prisoner Alyaksandr Atroshchankau has described the conditions in “Amerikanka” brilliantly, too. I can only add that it is very cold there, and it was absolutely impossible to stay there in winter. Everyone slept in jackets, though we woke up because of cold. In Vitsba-3 I was thrown into a punishment cell for 10 days. I had just arrived and in about 4 days I was placed into the punishment cell. While I sat there, all my documents were illegally searched through. That is, I was communicating with people who passed their complaints through me, to the prosecutor’s office for instance. They looked through all of them and some of the papers were seized,” Andrei Hajdukou said.

The activist is sure that the authorities can imprison every person, just like him.

“First me and my parents were warned many times, as we were preparing registration of “The Union of Young Intellectuals”. I had already a complete package of documents for the Justice Ministry, only a constituent conference was needed, but I was arrested three days earlier. We had been looking for fund for our activities previously, and we addressed the foundations of the US and Lithuanian Embassies, among other places. But we received no answers. Then an answer allegedly from the US Embassy was received, but in reality it was signed by a representative of Vitsebsk counter-intelligence,” he said.

Meanwhile, Andrei Hajdukou noted he had not been charged with espionage.

“I was detained on charges relating the same article under which I was standing trial, and the punishment is up to two years. Three days after detention passed, and I was to be released on a written undertaking not to leave the place. But as long as I was not witnessing as they needed, I betrayed no one and was not doing what they wanted, they re-determined the crime as “an attempted treason against the state, threat to the national security, overthrow of the existing constitutional power, forwarding informational and analytical reports.” The investigation on these charges lasted for 7 months. But this case didn’t hold water in the court. Besides, publication of my letter gained public attention. That is, I was arrested for a crime which does not present serious threat to the society, three days after it was re-defined as “an especially grave crime”, which means from 7 to 15 years of imprisonment, and during the court everything was returned back easily. Something of the kind happened to Roman Catholic priest Lazar,” he stressed.

The former political prisoner added that this article does not provide for preventive surveillance.

“However, there is a preventive control of the KGB, that is, KGB men can visit me anytime they want. But this control cannot restrict my freedom of movement in any way,” Andrei Hajdukou explained.

We remind that today at 7 a.m. a political prisoner Andrei Hajdukou was released from Vitsba-3 penal colony.

On July 1, 2013 the oppositional activist Hajdukou was found guilty of attempts to establish contacts with foreign intelligence and sentenced to 1.5 years’ term in the colony. The verdict was issued by Vitsebsk regional court at a session held behind the closed doors.

Photo by svaboda.org