“I took to the streets not against Lukashenko and not for Tikhanovskaya, but to protest against what was going on”
Mit einer roten Markierung markiert trifft besonders hart
Mit einer roten Markierung markiert trifft besonders hart
On an August evening, Alexander and his friend were walking the streets of Minsk. Near GUM (State Department Store) they were grabbed and beaten by riot police (OMON) and taken to Oktyabrsky District Internal Affairs Department. In there, the beatings continued, accompanied by torture and humiliation. Then Alexander was taken to Zhodino prison, where he spent three days. However, that was not the end of the story. The persecution continued - a few months after his first detention, Alexander spent three days in the Detention Center on Okrestina Street (Okrestina), and now he is facing another trial.
Alexander was detained at 2.30 a.m. on his way to the hotel
Alexander grew up in a very decent and educated family. They lived poorly, but Alexander’s father, a smart and talented man, was looking for a way out of this situation. And at the end of the 80s, he started his own business. He did it all by himself; good connections and nepotism were out of the question. Business was booming, and after a while, Alexander’s father became a big player on the Belarusian market. In addition, he became not the last figure in Belarusian politics.
“During the 1994 Presidential Election, any candidate would have welcomed the support of someone as influential as my father. He picked Vyacheslav Kebich to vote for. Back then, there was still free and independent media and something that resembled independent television. It was a watershed moment. The events of August 2020 were as crucial as that Election in the 90s. I had always been a fairly apolitical person, remaining in a ‘sleep mode’, so to speak. I just wanted to vote for a candidate I considered acceptable, I was not going to get involved in anything. And here we go - 80% of the votes for the current president. I can boldly declare in any court that I voted not for Lukashenko.”
On an August evening, Alexander and his friend were going to one of the gambling clubs in Minsk downtown. They waited for the evening rallies to end and agreed to meet outside the Sports and Culture Palace of the Belarusian Railroad Company.
“After midnight, the Internet still did not work and we had no idea about where and what was going on in the City. The bridge leading to the Independence Square was blocked off and we had to continue on foot. At the National Bank, we saw the first cordon of riot police with shields. No one paid any attention to us and did not say a word. We weren’t wearing any symbols, just sports suits. We decided to reach the Victory Square, and then to turn to Zybitskaya Street. By the Circus, there was another police cordon.”
Alexander and his friend had a short conversation with the law enforcers, from which it became clear that it was impossible to reach the Victory Square. So, the men headed directly to Zybitskaya Street to a gambling club.
“This, of course, could have served as a proof of our innocence during the detention, but the law enforcement officers did not want to hear anything. I told them that it was easy to trace our whereabouts by our phones, and to look at the CCTV footage and to look for our names on the lists of the Club visitors. But all I got in response was vulgar and insulting language. That’s the way they communicate. I’ve never heard so much foul language in my entire life. We stayed for about forty minutes in the Club. We lost as much money as we wanted, and on the way back we decided to throw a few more coins into the machine in Minsk Hotel.”
At 2.30 a.m., Alexander and Dmitry were walking past GUM (State Universal Store), the Hotel was only a short distance away. And then, near GUM on Independence Avenue, there was another police cordon. Could the friends be lucky a third time? Alexander got a bad premonition.
“A riot police (OMON) officer in a balaclava approached us, “Where are you walking from?” We answered that we were coming from a gambling club and that we wanted to continue gambling at the Minsk Hotel. He suddenly pulled up my hoodie; I was wearing a white T-shirt with my portrait on it, I had received it for my birthday (laughs). But apparently the white colour was enough for them. Or, he decided that the portrait was that of some opposition candidate. Someone in charge yelled out, “These are our clients!” And I immediately got punched in the head. No one answered our questions about what was going on - the more we asked, the more we were hit. I did not see my friend at the time of the beating, and he did not see me. I know that he was beaten more severely, but at least he was not sent to Zhodino prison - at least that was a positive thing.”
“I have preserved this white T-shirt, I haven’t washed it since August, there is a police boot print on it”
Alexander and Dmitry were shoved into the minivan; police pushed them inside with their feet, although the friends did not put up any resistance. There were already six people inside. If anyone tried to say anything, all of them got hit. Then a regular MAZ bus pulled up and the detainees were transferred into it. The beatings continued, now with police boots. But that was still nothing compared to what happened at the police department.
“I have preserved this white T-shirt, I haven’t washed it since August, there is a police boot print on it. We knelt or lay facing the floor and it was unbearable. My whole body went stiff and sore. If anyone tried to change the position a little, immediately he was hit. Those OMON officers spoke exclusively in foul language, the kind of imbeciles’ language that even the Stepianka (one of Minsk districts) thugs would not tolerate.”
The bus started to drive, but not very far. It stopped again near the Stolitsa Shopping Center. Police officers began to transfer the detainees into the police prison vans. That was the only time when Alexander was able to stand. Together with three other detainees, he was placed in the so-called ‘glass’ (an individual cell). That cell was designed for one person, but four detainees were crammed in. The fact that Alexander was in the ‘glass’ saved him from being beaten during the trip, those who were sitting on the floor had a hard time.
“Some young guys tried to ‘turn on a dime’ and yelled, “I voted for Lukashenko!” But they didn’t get beaten up any less for that. Those OMON officers were simply insane, because it’s not acceptable to hit a lying man in the chest.”
“Some young guys tried to ‘turn on a dime’ and yelled, “I voted for Lukashenko!” But they didn’t get beaten up any less for that”
Fully packed prison vans arrived at Oktyabrsky District Internal Affairs Department. All the detainees were placed against the wall, then forced to get down to their knees, then to squat; their hands were tied behind their backs with plastic restraints. This is a torture and pain technique: you don’t seem to be beaten, but try squatting for half an hour or longer.
“I had never been in that kind of situation before, but I always wanted to write about something like that. I’ve been involved in journalism since the 90s, my articles are published here and in America. And for my inquisitive mind, this detention was incredibly interesting.”
By 4 or 5 a.m., the detainees were taken to the conference hall decorated with the portraits of the honourable ‘law enforcers’. By that time, new shift of police officers, more or less decent for the time being, had arrived.
“Our throats were dry, we couldn’t even speak properly. They thought we were drunk. And we just couldn’t say a couple of words, there was no saliva. It was like you really had drunk a bottle of vodka.”
Alexander was lucky, his restraints were not too tight and he was able to free one arm, stretch and massage it. But there was a guy sitting in front of him who just couldn’t stand the pain any longer - he was crying. And while no one was watching, Alexander tried to help him loosen the restraints.
“We sat with our heads down. If anyone looked up at the faces hidden by balaclavas, they were immediately beaten. The officers were afraid we might remember them and recognise them later. It was understandable: if I were doing something terrible, I would also have preferred to remain anonymous.”
“Our throats were dry, we couldn’t even speak properly. They thought we were drunk. And we just couldn’t say a couple of words, there was no saliva”
The detainees asked to use the toilet, asked for water, and they heard the usual foul language in response.
“I remember one guy, Volodya. He kept saying, “You have no idea who my mother is. You won’t be here tomorrow!” Volodya, if you read this story, contact me, I want to find out who your mother is. You just never said who she really was (laughs). But there is nothing funny here. I feel sorry for the guy. He got beaten up really badly, there was a lot of blood. All I heard was, “Your mum won’t help you!”
The detainees were taken to the third floor one by one, and there were 50-60 of them in total. For any attempt to joke or talk, they were severely beaten.
“I remember a guy who looked fine before he was taken away. He came back looking as a Dalmatian, with a huge spot on his face... He tried to say, “Why? I did not resist!” But he wasn’t very good at articulating this, as I thought his jaw was broken. I thought, “Fuck, I’m going to get it too!” I’m a sociable and peaceful person (the last time I got into a fight was in the 7th grade at school). I know how to resolve conflicts verbally, but there I realised that I was going to have to take a beating for everything. It took about 2 to 5 minutes per person. Some came back weeping, some were yelling, “Bitches!” My turn came.”
On the way to the interrogation, Alexander was hit on the back with batons and kicked. Any attempts to say anything were met with more blows. He was led into the office with the words, “Welcome a client!”
“Two men in balaclavas were standing there, and one, wearing a jumper and plain pants, was sitting at the table, not even trying to hide his face. First question, “What’s your name?” “Alexander.” (Suddenly I got punched in the kidneys, and I naively thought we were having a conversation) He wouldn’t even let me finish any sentence. He said that everyone was saying the same thing, “I was not involved in the riots, I did not take part in the rally.” But that was true! All those people may have voted for Tikhanovskaya and not for Lukashenko, but they were detained just on the streets, not at the rally. Yes, we were curious to see what was happening in the City. And it’s my f.cking city, I have the right to walk around it at any time of the day or night.”
The man, who was not hiding his face, kept asking questions, and then one of the men in a balaclava hit Alexander with his helmet. It was very painful, but left no visible bruises. Then he was ordered to kneel down. For refusing, Alexander was hit in the right leg with a baton and fell down. He was beaten over the body and neck, they stomped on his body with their feet. Then they asked the standard questions, “Who did you vote for?”, “What do you dislike about the Country?”, “Why did you go out?” And they ordered him to unlock his phone. Alexander refused and was punched again, his phone was smashed against the floor.
“They clearly had a time limit of five minutes per person, and with me they weren’t going to get off the schedule. But I think I got less beaten than the others. Maybe it was because of my age; after all, I was in my forties, and they mostly grabbed the young ones. But I said what I said. I’m not an 18-year-old student who can ‘change his shoes’. I would have been struck dumb if I had lied that I had voted for Lukashenko.”
Yes, we were curious to see what was happening in the City. And this is my f.cking city, I have the right to walk around it any time of the day
Alexander was taken back to the conference hall. After a while, he saw his friend, Dmitry, also being taken away. After five minutes of ‘processing’, Dmitry was brought back. The friends could only exchange glances.
“He is certainly a great guy, he didn’t even make a sound. He just sat down and looked at me. I thought they probably had not hurt him. I was wrong. He is a very educated man, he has two university degrees in economics and philology. You have to admit, it is difficult to hit an intellectual. Later his photos circulated all over Minsk - there was not a single undamaged spot on his back.”
Finally, the detainees were given something to drink - some dirty can and plastic bottles were filled with tap water and brought into the hall.
“The water smelled of something chemical, but nobody cared about that. I was so thirsty that I would have drunk myself the two liters they gave for all. But there were a lot of people waiting for their turn, so everyone took a sip and a half and passed it on. Later, it was also possible to go to the toilet. I drank water from the tap, I think I swallowed all the chlorine deposit of Oktyabrsky District Police Department (laughs).
Soon the detainees were led out into a small corridor. They had to stand with their heads down and their hands behind their backs. The law enforcers, who were passing by, kicked them and repeatedly said, “Well, puppies! Now your life is split into ‘before’ and ‘after’. It will never be the same again!”
There were two desks and officers sitting at them with the stacks of papers.
“You come up to a desk and again they swear at you, “Come on, sign it, you faggot!” When you request to read the document, you get punched in the kidneys. Anyway, everyone started signing the papers. I was no different from the others, but I managed to notice that according to the report I had been detained at Bogdanovicha Street, 6, that I had not obeyed the police orders, insulted the officers, resisted and shouted out ‘Zhyve Belarus!’ (Long Live Belarus!).”
The ‘witness’, who gave the statement according to the report, was a man by the surname Khudoba. Later, while chatting on-line with other detainees, Alexander got to know that that person had ‘witnessed’ the events in several different locations at the same time. Such an omnipresent ‘witness’ Khudoba.
“I said that I had been detained at a different location and that I would not sign anything. They replied, “It doesn’t make any difference where you were detained, just sign it!” I told them, “Look, I know my rights, if you want to hit me - go on, I already don’t feel anything anyway.” I was told I could write “I don’t agree with the report”. So I did.”
Then the detainees were put into the cells. Alexander’s cell was designed for four inmates, but there were 11-12 crammed in it. He thought that he would soon be released and later summoned to the court, but that did not happen. The police prison vans arrived, the order was given, “Get out, you will go to Zhodino (prison)!”
“The transfer to the police prison vans is a humiliating procedure, as is everything in that system. I complied with all the requirements. Why would I want to suffer an unnecessary head injury? One of the officers tightened the plastic restraints, and then an OMON officer showed up, “Why are the restraints so loose?” And when he tightened them, my arms immediately went numb. Looking back, I must say that it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. It was even worse than the humiliation and the beatings.
If you are bullied by someone with a superior intellect, it can be more or less bearable; but here you are humiliated by some lowlifes, the trash of the society, who are recruited to the riot police only because they aren’t needed anywhere else.”
Inside the prison van, everyone was lying face down on the floor, leaning on their knees. Two officers entered and the detainees were taken to Zhodino.
“Those two officers seemed to be quite decent, they just tried to adapt themselves to the situation. When I told them I was not feeling well, one of them suggested I lie down on my side. Wow! Everyone started asking to loosen the restraints at least a little bit. One of the officers replied, “Guys, I can’t help you. We don’t even have anything sharp to cut the restraints. And if they later see the cut ties, we’re screwed.” But at least, they maintained a decent psychological atmosphere. For example, they would tell us how much time was left to get to the destination. In those circumstances, it helped a lot. When I was getting out of the van, I even thanked them.”
Plates were taken away; we could not keep any food, but we hid bread to feed those who would be placed in our cell later
So, they arrived in Zhodino. There, thanks to the abovementioned officers, plastic restraints were cut. Alexander was left with huge blisters around his wrists. The prison van was waiting its turn to enter the jail premises. The two officers closed the van door and allowed the detainees to sit as they pleased, but as soon as voices were heard outside, they had to get back on their knees.
“We were taken out and found ourselves at the mercy of the military. I would like to say right away: nobody laid a finger on us here. For a very long time, we were squatting, walking through the long corridors, waiting in the basement. This was probably done to confuse us, so that we would lose our bearings and wouldn’t be able to escape.”
“On the first day, in a cell with 12 bunks there were 12 inmates. I made the acquaintance of all of them. I didn’t feel hungry, but I was thirsty, so I ran straight to the water tap. I had never tasted better water than in Zhodino. In the morning, we were fed and I greedily ate everything. Plates were taken away; we could not keep any food, but we hid bread to feed those who would be placed in our cell later. I shared stories about my foreign trips, we invented games, we kept ourselves busy. We became friends, to this day there are about ten of us communicating in the online chat. And to this day we still meet up occasionally. Not that we have much in common, but we have some shared experiences.”
On the third day, at 2.30 a.m., an officer entered the cell and called out Alexander’s name. He and two other guys were taken out. On the ground floor, the detainees were put up against a wall, and Alexander heard, “Well, today is your lucky day!” They were taken away to look for their belongings. Alexander managed to recover his bag, but his wallet and money were missing. Alexander had no idea how he would get home.
“It was 4 a.m. I stepped outside and looked around. There were a lot of people outside the prison gate, cheering and shouting, “You guys are heroes!” But believe me, we didn’t think so. Volunteers immediately offered their help, and I got a free ride home in a brand-new Volkswagen, munching on sandwiches and drinking water, which made my feeling of joy complete. On the way, I learned all the news of the last three days. They had been awful, but the encouragement and support brought me almost to the point of tears. Most of all I feared the reaction of my family, but all my relatives and acquaintances understood me well, and they were ready to fight this lawlessness with even more enthusiasm.”
Shortly after this, Alexander fell ill with Covid19 and spent two weeks in the hospital with pneumonia. At the same hospital, his injuries were examined and documented. The doctors and nurses understood where he had come from and what he had been through. They baked cupcakes for him and treated him to gingerbread.
“They treated me with some injections. I didn’t have to buy anything, everything was provided. I wonder whether they spent their own money on these medicines and procured them through their own channels, because there were no such medicines available in the hospitals.”
For about two months, Alexander did not receive any subpoenas. He thought everything was over. But it wasn’t. At the beginning of October, he retrieved a notice from his mailbox saying that there had been a Court trial scheduled for 12.30 a.m., which, of course, had been held in his absence. He was fined under one set of charges, and given a warning under the other (resisting the police). Alexander filed a complaint and appealed to Minsk City Court. And on October 25, he joined the rally to protest against the lawlessness in the Country, in particular, against the lawlessness he experienced on the night of his detention.
“I took to the streets not against Lukashenko and not for Tikhanovskaya, but to protest against what was going on. I realized that it was impossible to live in such a Country. I participated in a rally, but unlike others, I did not wear a mask. Hiding my face is not really my thing. And I was captured on video footage and that was how they identified me.”
“Two weeks later, I received a call from the police department. “Well, we’ve identified you on the video. Come over, we won’t detain you until the trial,” they promised. But I still put on the trainers I had worn in Zhodino (they were already without laces), a tracksuit without laces, grabbed a bag with a roll of toilet paper and some other essentials and headed to the police department. But this time they did not deceive me, I was not detained.”
The investigator showed me the video and the black and white printouts: - Is it you?
- You would not believe, but it’s me.
- I’m sorry, Alexander Alexandrovich, but we have to point out that you were present there. And don’t get us wrong, but it’s no longer Article 23.34 Part 1, but part 4 of the same Article.
- Excuse me, but what does that mean?
- It means that there will be no long term imprisonment, but there may be a short term arrest and a bigger fine compared to Part 1.
- Ok, go ahead.
Alexander gave his written statement and was released. The next subpoena arrived at the end of November. The trial regarding the cancellation of the charges under Part 1 and the trial regarding new charges under Part 4 of the Article 23.34 took place one after the other. Thank God, they did not take place on the same day. So, the verdict concerning Article 23.34 Part 1 was cancelled in Minsk City Court, and the next day Alexander went to Oktyabrsky District Court.
“I told the Judge the whole story, including the cancellation of charges under Article 23.34 Part 1. She listened to me attentively and did not interrupt me:
- Since that verdict was overturned, why should I try you under Part 4?
- I haven’t thought about that.
- That’s what I’m here for - to think about it. We will send the case back to the Department of Internal Affairs. Later, we will certainly consider it, if the statute of limitations does not expire (according to the Code of Administrative Offences, a penalty can be imposed not later than two months after the date of the offence).”
I was satisfied with our conversation.
In late December, Alexander again received a subpoena regarding the first case (well, this time it arrived in advance). But a couple of days later, someone called him by his name, when Alexander was approaching the entrance to his residence building, “Good morning, we have to detain you now, let’s proceed to your apartment.” Alexander’s wife was shocked. They started to search the apartment, as they were already charging him with a criminal offence.
- Were you at a rally on October 25?
- I’ve already been interrogated in this regard, just today I have to go and sign something.
- We are detaining you regarding that case as well, but this time it is qualified as a criminal offence.
- What do you mean?
- You were shouting out something, insulting someone, blocked the road, interfered with the traffic. We’ve taken some time to think about it and we’ve decided that your actions should be considered to be criminal misconduct. So we’re undertaking a search.
- Ok, go on with a search, there is no password on my computer and I’ll give you my phone voluntarily.
They found the walkie-talkies I used on my camping trips. Then they searched my other apartment too, but the search was formal, I didn’t actually reside there. In response to my question of whether I would return home later, they said that everything would be fine. At that point, I realised that this time they weren’t going to let me go. I told my wife, “Pack my things up!” (frankly speaking, in such times it’s wise to have a bag already packed and ready in advance).
Already in the car, they admitted that I would have to spend at least three days at Okrestina. Why didn’t they tell me that in the first place?! I could have at least taken a shower. They took me to GUBOPiK (Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption). There, one guy was trying to ‘handle’ me, saying that I had to repent and record a video with apologies. He said that for 26 years all of us had lived well, and then some Tikhanovskaya popped up. My answer was, “Yes, I participated in the rally on the 25th, and if I have to go to jail, I will, but don’t you threaten me.”
“Yes, I participated in the rally on the 25th, and if I have to go to jail, I will, but don’t you threaten me”
“Then they took me to the Investigative Committee. There was no harassment or pressure. They provided a free lawyer, recorded my statement, asked for my phone and computer passwords and confiscated my gadgets for the period of the investigation. From there, they took me to the Temporary Detention Center on Okrestina Street. Strangely enough, during all that time I was not once insulted or handcuffed. Yes, they called me ‘you’, but it must be a habit inherited from Lukashenko - to address everyone as 'you' (similar to ‘tu’ in French and ‘du’ in German).”
“I think they were instructed to behave in a different way, so that no one would say that in August 2020 they had been beating someone here, it looked as if they were trying to show that they were decent and polite officers. The conditions in the cell were also excellent compared to those in August: in a cell for five inmates there were not more than 4 people, as for food - 9 points out of 10, of course, considering the place we were in. Unlike in Zhodino, chunks of lard weren’t floating in plates; there were bones in fish balls, well, it was ok. There was hot water, and crucially! - the toilet was not clogged.”
As they had promised, on the third day, Alexander was released on parole. Later, he was summoned again to be lectured on ideology. Now he is awaiting the results of the technical expertise of his gadgets. Alexander does not know how his case will end, but he guesses that it will not be limited only to a fine. He says they may sentence him to ‘khimiya’ (forced labour facility away from home town) or to a term in jail. He hopes it won’t be too long.
P.S. Alexander filed an appeal with the Investigative Committee. Interrogations and trials against Alexander still continue. His injuries were examined and documented in the hospital.
*August2020 thanks Human Rights Center "Viasna" for help in preparing the material.
Alexander was detained at 2.30 a.m. on his way to the hotel