Police Beset Office of Belarusian Helsinki Committee

05.02.2005.

On 4 February policemen of Homel Chyhunachny Police Board together with the road police detained the deputy of Rahachow District Deputy Soviet Zmitser Shkulkow in the taxi near the railway station. They searched his belongings and found 2 000 copies of fly-sheets of “Partnership” initiative concerning the reform of Belarusian housing economy.

The police took the deputy to a police point, confiscated the fly-sheets and composed a report for illegal production of printed production the content of which is allegedly aimed at doing harm to the state and the public order. The head of Homel regional BHC branch Ales Yawseyenka and the head of Homel regional “Partnership” branch Sviataslaw Shalamaw came to the police to support the detainee. When the deputy was released, they returned to their office in 50 Years of BSSR Street. When they were about to leave the office and go home, the police started knocking on the door and turned off the electricity:

-- We looked out of the window. Two cars and a police bus stood there. They beset us from all sides so that we wouldn’t escape through the window, -- said Ales Yawseyenka.

The police beset the office room in house No. 11 in 50 Years of BSSR Street for about two hours. People from Homel and the village of Biarozka came to help the heads of the public organizations. Only about 8 p.m. the Yawseyenka and Shalamaw managed to go out of the office.

The deputy of Rahawhow City Deputy Soviet Yury Hlushakow witnessed that the siege of the office was directed by the major lieutenant of Homel Chyhunachny BBIA Aliaksandr Koshman:

-- Koshman came up to me without any reason, demanded to show documents and examined my belongings. My deputy certificate had no effect. He said it was forged.