Former SWAT Officer: On March 25 Factory-Made Grenades Of Where Used (Photo) :: Charter'97 :: News

At a press conference last week the Prosecutor General Pyort Miklashevich told that prosecutor’s office is trying to find out from which side, by law-enforcers or by protesters, special weapons were used during the unsanctioned protest in Minsk on March 25. Several hours earlier the Prosecutor’s office of Belarus declared that during the clashes of protesters with police “an unknown noise grenade was exploded, and several smoke bombs were thrown”. “The investigation has started, which side had used these weapons. We are carrying out an investigation,” Miklashevich said.

The United Civil Party press service would like to help the prosecutor’s office in this complicated case, and to offer a picture received by the media. The picture shows that factory fabricated explosive was used. On the picture one could easily see a grenade which apparently couldn’t be hand-made. Reporters contacted a former riot policeman, who took part in the dispersal of one of the Freedom marches, and now works at a plant in Homel. He told that a factory fabricated training smoke bomb is shown on the picture, which could be used only by security ministries’ officers. “It certainly cannot be an “unknown hand-made explosive,” he said.

One should note that on March 25 in the evening, making a statement in the National Press Center, the Interior Minister of Belarus Uladzimir Navumau blankly denied the version of using non-lethal force by policemen. He also said that during the clash an unknown explosive detonated. He had not mentioned smoke-grenades at all.

As we have informed, on March 25 some officers of riot police or other agencies taking part in the disbanding of the peaceful demonstration, had rifles KS-23 (caliber 23). According to some accounts, they were charged with rubber or gas bullets. Almost all policemen had gas mask container, which proves that they were ready for using gas.