Lawless Search in Ivan Niaveraw’s Flat

26.05.2004.

The flat of the ex-head of the Republican youth public association “Civil Forum” Ivan Niaveraw was searched by unknown persons who introduced themselves as the police.

The search was done on 18 May, but the owner of the flat found about it only in a week, on his return fro Vilnus, where he took part in a seminar for managers of electoral headquarters.

In the interview to www.belngo.info Mr. Niaveraw said that it was his mother who opened the door to two persons in the police uniform and two other in plain clothes. They said they were looking for a tool used by her son to steal cars, and showed an order for search, with the correct address, but wrong surname.

“My mother couldn’t resist to them”, -- he said. According to Ivan Niaveraw, the search lasted for about an hour. As a witness the persons drew one of the Niaveraws’ neighbors who were a dipsomaniac. “Even if she was sober, she couldn’t see everything: there were four persons in the flat and they freely walked all over the rooms of the flat.”

Ivan Niaveraw’s mother pointed out that the strangers were interested in Ivan’s son’s books and his computer as well as the statute documents of the political party “Liberty and Progress” with the creation of which he was dealing. According to Ivan Niaveraw, he applied to the Board of the Internal Affairs of Homel Regional Executive Committee to find out whether the person whose name was mentioned in the minutes of the search, really worked there. He was told that the list of the board workers didn’t include the surname. “Then I applied to Hrodna Chyhunachny Borough Prosecutor’s Office, but the prosecutor Leanid Lashkin refused to accept my application”, -- said Ivan Niaveraw. Now he thinks that the search was conducted by secret services. “To my mind, they tried a new kind of “clear-up”, for a wider use on the eve of the Parliamentary election”, -- he commented.