Homel region: political and civic activists interrogated about the blast

17.07.2008. Tags: elections-2008, Homel.

On July 12th in Kalinkavichy a local policeman knocked on the doors of Dzianis Rabianok’s apartment. Police officer E. Drabysheuski told Dzianis’s mother that he urgently needed to talk to her son. Dzianis’ mother said he was not at home. The policeman told her he wanted to come inside to make sure Dzianis was not there. His mother refused to open the door and the policeman left.

On July 15th Dzianis found a summons in his mailbox. Police officer E. Drabysheuski summoned Dzianis to come to police station next morning for interrogation as a witness. Dzianis decided to come. He came to Drabysheuski’s office in time. When Dzianis asked why he had been summoned, the police officer replies that the special services thought Dzianis looks like the composite sketch of the offender made after the blast in Minsk and ordered him to interrogate Dzianis. On the question “why did you summon me if half Kalinkavichy residents look like the composite sketch?” the policeman replied that he was just fulfilling an order and checks everyone in his area. The questioning lasted for about 15 minutes. The police officer was interested, where Dzianis had served in the Army, and if he had had to deal with the explosives during his service, if he had ever been taught about the usage of the explosives. Dzianis said he had not dealt with the explosives in the Army, and that was put in the minutes of the questioning.

Besides that, the police officer asked where Rabianok was on July 3rd. Dzianis replied that he was at home, and did not leave the city. His mother can confirm his words. That was also put into the minutes, and the conversation ended.

In Mazyr, on July 16th, the police made telephone calls to members of Mazyr Party of Communists of Belarus Uladzimir Zhohla (65) and Yauhen Brusnitsyn (70). Both activists were invited to the police station for a conversation. The police checked if they were related to the blast in Minsk. The veterans, retired officers, said the procedures of dactyloscopy and taking full-face and profile photos under a certain numbers were quite offensive to them.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections