PRISON DIARY BY VALERY SCHUKIN :: Charter'97 :: News

Famous Belarusian human rights defender and journalist Valery Schukin is currently serving his term in the Okrestina confinement center. The Sovietsky district court of Minsk sentenced a 60-year old human rights advocate to 15 days of arrest for organizing the Protest March “CAN’T LIVE LIKE THAT!”, which was held in Minsk on April 19. Valery Schukin passed over to the “Narodnaya Volya” through those, who were set free before him, his story about the atrocities and difficulties he experienced during the Protest March’s dispersal by police and in custody. Read below Valery Schukin’s report from jail.

From intensive care to a prison bunk

When the infuriated riot policemen assailed the protesters, which sat on the pavement, and started lashing them heavily with batons, everyone tried to protect his head with the arms. Two cops attacked me. But their assault failed: I grappled their clubs and Lukashenko’s lackeys didn’t have enough strength to snatch them back from my hands.

Two more came to their help: one started delivering heavy blows with a truncheon on my back, while the second was punching me in the face. Needless to say, I had no chances against them. One of the punches in the chin knocked me out unconscious and I hardly remember anything afterwards. I only recall how they dragged me into the bus and threw on the seat. However, strong pain in the back made me stretch my body on the floor. I was groaning and moaning as they carried me out of the bus and threw on the grass.

The ambulance pulled over near me in some 15 minutes. I couldn’t put myself back on my feet and so they placed me on a stretcher and brought inside the vehicle. As an officer I was driven to the military hospital, where they were already waiting for me.

Apparently, their task was to prevent me from contacting press. The head of the hospital personally made sure I didn’t take the cell phone with me and drove my grandsons out of the chamber before I could kiss them.

I stayed overnight connected to a dropper, while in the morning my body was examined by a dozen of specialists in white garments. They took blood test a few times and checked my temperature every once in a while. I felt uncomfortable. Of course, my body was all sore but I didn’t feel like dying man all the same.

They diagnosed my inner organs and concluded that they were in good condition. The head physician, recorded on TV camera, asked me whether I had any complaints. I had none. I said that I hope every clients of theirs enjoys same near perfect treatment. “You are all equal to us,” – replied the head of the hospital.

After that I was told that my treatment can be resumed at home and was offered a ride. I didn’t counter and hobbled towards my room. They got me dressed in my stuff and asked to wait until they document everything on paper.

We chatted for some ten minutes. All of a sudden the door went wide open and there rushed in four law-enforcers with lieutenant-colonel at the head.

The doctor immediately left the place. The cops grappled me and delivered to their vehicle and further into the Sovietsky district police station.

It was the second time that I got taken to jail from the hospital. Last time I was hospitalized with leg’s trauma. Having made sure that the bone was whole, they sent me back home for recreation. But in the outer court I was ambushed by police.

This time the military medics not only basely turned me in to police, but even issued a note, reading that “2nd rank captain V.Schukin can be held in Okrestina jail”. I’d like to give tribute to the doctors from the 9th civil clinics, who, in a similar situation, declined to issue such document. Then the Sovietsky district law-enforcers grabbed me in the hospital corridor, when I walked to the breakfast, and dragged me into the police court in the medical gown.

The civil doctors failed to protect me from the uniformed assailants, but they never broke their Hippocratic oath.