Story of anarchist arrested in Belarus
I was detained on suspicion of attack on DC (Detention Center) “Okrestino” by law machinery officials on the 24th of September. After three days I was rearrested and even had no possibility to exit the detention center. That time I was accused in attack on Trade Union House. Both of these cases were opened without any direct evidence. There were spoken that I was detained “on appeared direct suspicions” in both reports. As I’ve gathered from the investigators’ behavior such direct suspicions could appear in relation to any citizen of our country. The anarchists are pulled in today, you are to pull in tomorrow.
Everything started on the 7th of September when the operatives from the Centralny PD (Police Department) with the assistance of the KGB burst into my apartment and arranged the search at 7 AM. Valiant heroes confiscated 2 PCs (you’ll laugh I’ve found one of these computers near my house one summer day in a pile of garbage, the technician soul could not stand that… but I never found out what was in it, I had no time or wish), a few SIM cards from different countries, two antediluvian phones. They also were frightened by the bookmark with “A” in a circle. Dangerous! Extremely explodes! He-he. Sappers probably examined it on a firing ground afterwards.
I was absent and I was not intended to go back home.
There was hope that the authorities will calm down and leave me alone. But it looked like “hiding means guilty” was playing all day in their heads. Consequently my mother was called for a “conversation” in KGB and they began inquiring about my personality. It happened on the 17th of September. Staying at home on the 18th of September, where the search was arranged on the 7th, I was calling KGB’s officials to the utmost for that one conversation for which they had been looking for me. BUT Saturday is for families, shish kebab and something… So I was ringing them all the week-end with no result, and then I had just bored. Finally what the specials which can’t find me even at home. I went to work later and had been working till the 24th of September – Alena Dubovik, Alexander Jerashevich and Anya Chernysheva were arrested. So I thought I was not pleased by the prospect of a call at 7 AM absolutely and decided to make one more attempt to get in touch on the phone with the KGB’s officials. They answered and invited for a conversation. Was I fool or not but I asked a man on the other side of the handset if they are going to close me up. I packed things for the departure to the DC (tooth brush, warm socks, sweater, water, books) and went to the officials after promises to talk an hour and not to arrest me.
Here come the most interesting things. I had no doubt they are interested in the attack on the Russian embassy. I was not going to panic or worry – I had been at the railway station at the time of the attack. Of course they invited me to prove it, because as it had become known observation cameras aren’t fit for the evidence base in this case. A few unidentified KGB Antiterrorist department officers were trying their best to argue me that the cameras are installed to help traffic cops sort out traffic violations in truth. It doesn’t matter that the cameras are placed inside the building. They are not afraid of putting logic into practice. The officials were growing hysterical during all the interrogation, trying to hold the conversation with restraint sometimes. Everything was coming to “you were there and we know it” in most cases. They mentioned something about the confrontation once, but the threatening was the end of it all.
Everyone promises to set free. But as we know from the history ONE CANNOT TRUST KGB. After the conversation of half an hour's duration, in the issue of which three questioning me officers had bailed up, I was moved to the DOCC (Department of Organized Crime Control). They said I had been smiling too much and being “some kinda bold” when I asked “in connection with what?”
The guys in the DOCC are less tactful and they began instantly yelling they knew it all. I was always interested in such a method… well if you know everything, so why do I sit in front of you till now? The “conversations” with the same questions and still without any reports started again. The operatives were suffering long and finally had broke up – they said I was a witness and if they would not like my evidence they jail me for a day. I had realized I would sleep at least 3 days in “Okrestino” when they moved me to the DOCC. The conversation was becoming too loud sometimes so the next door operatives gathered to watch what is going on. Once the things came to boil so they promised to throw me out the window, “and let them look for him then” I immediately remembered I had been delivered in the DOCC by the gate, through the parking. They invited the hacker driver after seeing that the threatening does not help. I’ve remembered “so what? gonna jail him with outrage” by him very well. No one had present himself during all the time being arrested in the DOCC. There were only Petes and Jones with no last names.
Riding on a service car to the Moscovskoje PD and continuing a circus. The investigator from there didn’t know I was going to come. They went to the chief of the PD for asking a permission to close me up in the suspicion of the attack on the DC on the 6th of September. He didn’t even stir because of the order from KGB – just in case I was recklessly told by the investigator in the “Okrestino” afterwards when he had come to sign the papers for my release. The arrest report was finally executed in the DOCC, and I was interrogated. They were not interested most of all in where I had been or what I had been doing at the time of the attack on the “Okrestino”, but in people I had related with, where had we get to know and how much had the chocolate cost which I had eaten on the 24th of September 2007.
They messed about with papers about 4 hours and finally I began falling asleep. But as it turned around the escort which is to deliver me to the DC doesn’t take any luggage. I.e. all thing I had prepared expecting to the trip are left at the DOCC. Lamentably, but there’s nothing for it. They threw me into the paddy wagon and carried to the DC.
DC is rather strange place. I had read *all the rules* before I got there but most of them are NOT observed. For example nobody will guide you for a walk because the DC is short of personnel to exercise something like this. The list of things available for parcels does not meet the requirements. Getting a pen or a sheet of paper is near fantastic. Prison guards do not also worry about what is in the containers you are receiving – everything I’ve got was sealed up.
I found it funny that the body search was carried out by the boyo of 25 years which lives in the same house with me. Initially he did not recognized me and was behaving quite rude. He was roaring here and there and it looked like he was not good at speaking. But he calmed down at sight as he knew my home address. He blushed for sure.
After lights out I got to the ward that became my home for the next six days. In spite of everyday mixing and transfering people from one ward to another, nobody touched me till the very end of my detention.
There is a toilet, a tap with hot and cold water, plank beds, a bench, a table and bed-side tables in the ward. The rooms can be for 2-6 people. Besides all above mentioned in every ward there is a camera that keeps watch at all your steps in order to prevent possible accidents.
Food is given three times per day:
8:00 breakfast: porridge
16:00 lunch: soup and porridge with a cutlet
18:00 dinner: porridge
At 6:00 they give you a cup of tea and a peace of bread. After that it is impossible to get something drinkable. Tap water is too chlorinated — after some days of drinking it even the most inveterate convicts have stomach problems.
Despite all the rules, one and all were thrown into the ward. During the 6 days I managed to sit together with a person suspected in a murder, sexual assault and armed assault. Most of the people sit due to the problems with alcohol — they got drunk and did some stupidity like stealing a laptop or a cellphone. There you can also learn about the methods of crime disclosure by our valiant authorities: once a drug-addict, promised to be released in his own custody, took on responsibility for 15 cases of pilferage. The police makes use of people having withdrawals, who are ready to do anything for heygh.
Everything is as usual upon the expiry of the three days. I did not expect any miracles. The investigative officer of the Moskovsky police department had released me on my own custody, and in 10 min the investigative officer of the Centralny PD processed papers for detention in the matter of the attack on the Trade Union House. Different police departments, same questions. 2 hours of interrogation and back to the cell for 70 hours. During the whole staying at the pre-trial detention center nobody came to interrogate me. It turned out to be a punitive detention without any reason. At the DOCC officers were really pride of themselves, beating breast and battologizing they are a punitive agency.
Some words about a hunger-strike. If you decide to go on it there then immediately call the head of the pre-trial detention center or the temporary detention facility, as ordinary mortal cops don't care about your quirks. According to the official papers, I was not on hunger-strike but received dietary (which I gave to my cellmates), and after the first three days the interrogating officer asked me why had I decided not to go on hunger-strike. That's the mess we are in, and in the end, after my detention term was prolonged for another three days I decided to stop the hunger-srike and was eating in a normal way.
What else to add? On the whole, I was detained for six days just because of my concern about social issues. Nowadays they punish you not only for the deeds but for thoughts as well. Sooth to say, I don't see any difference between modern law-enforcement authorities and the Medieval inquisition... the only thing is that they don't burn you on fire now — it would look too barbarically.
Igor T.
(Russian original https://belarus.indymedia.org/21276)
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