Vittnesmål från Vitryssland

> The week after the elections in Belarus - protests and demonstrations in Minsk> Eyewitnesses - reports>

Ekaterina, participant at the protest camp, teacher:The tent camp was surrounded by state observers. The authoritieswanted to make an end to the protest camp through famishment, coldnessand the impossibility to go to the toilet - it was like the blockadeof Leningrad (St. Petersburg). The police and the military arrestedeverybody who went to the camp place with bags - because they carriedwater, food, thermos flasks and warm cloths. When these people hadluck only the bags were taken away. In the worst case they were sentto prison for 10 days! But despite of that, the people were inventive- they hanged sausages over their bodies, they dressed with severalpullovers, to take them off at the camp. Outsiders could have noticethat there is an unusual high amount of corpulent people near thecamp. One of these people tried even to bring one transportabletoilet, but he was beaten severely. Afterwards he had no face anymore- just bloody pieces of skin. I remember one old woman, who wanted tobring us some sugar - more than sugar she could not afford with herpension. She was caught by "men in black", they found sugar with herand then they forcefully fed her with this sugar. She screamed: "No, Icannot eat sugar I'm a diabetic". Some <> started tolaugh and shouted: "Now you will know, (abusing word), what it meansto come here with sugar. (abusing word) go away!" Somehow she couldescape and she brought us half of the sugar packet, the other half waslittered on the street.>

Denis, participant at the protest camp, student:What impressed me the most? One young woman, about 27 years old, alonely mother with two children - one is three years old, the otherfour - she came to the comp and took people from the camp with her, toget them out of the camp. She has also got me out of this camp: likethat we went, one of her son on her arms and the other one on my arms.She brought the most costly treasure in her life in danger, herchildren, to help us, to save us, the children of someone else.>

Stephan, participant at the protest camp:All together there was no one who drank. The people, who came to thecamp, were ready to die for their opinions - nobody was in doubt thatLukashenka was able to give the command to shoot at the people. And inthis situation, can there be any mood for drinking? But regularly some<> appeared - we called them like that - young menwith bear-bottles, who tried to get into the camp. And one meterbeside of them there was the camera of - let us say - the BelarusTelevision. We didn't let them in, everybody shouted: "Go away, youdevil-servants!" Everybody laughed and that was the only way we couldsend them away.>

Leonid Petrowitch, worker:They gave 12 days in prison to my daughter for just being in the camp.One policeman told me before the court: "When she will start cryingand begging for excuse, then we will immediately let her go." Whocried got only four days of arrest - these days which they have spendin prison already. But her they gave 12 days. She did not cry. Andafter the court I went to the October Place - to that place, where somany days my daughter stayed in a tent-town, in the coldness, in thestreets. She was there for her beliefs, for her convictions. There wasno camp any more but it wasn't hard to find this place. People broughtflowers to this place, where there were once 35 tents. The men of thespecial force of police took the flowers away ant spurned them orthrew them away. Can it be that flowers are also dangerous for theauthorities?>

Svetlana Iwaniwna, mother of one participant at the protest camp, in pension:Several people disappeared without any message on the 25th March.Relatives cannot find them. Crying mothers are standing for days infront of the walls of the prisons, holding signboards: "I'm lookingfor my son". Or: "Please help me to find my daughter." And they arebringing food and warm cloths to someone's children in hope thatsomeone's other mother will give food to their children.>

Maxim, doctor in an ambulance vehicle:I am surprised, as a medic, about the scenes in the television showingwounded police and men of the special force of police. They evokeassumptions of lies about what happened with the men of special forceof police, while they were forcefully dissolving the protest meeting:1) despite of being allegedly wounded accurately, effusions and otherswounds would be visible. But there was no drop of blood. Behind theiodine stained on the head there were no wounds to see. It was clearthat the scars which were medicated, were old ones, they were lightant no hair is growing on that spot. There is no blood and no otherindices of recent injuring. 2) In their fighting-wear it cannot bethat they have been wounded so severely. To get the nose broken, theprotesters had first to break the safety glass of the fighting-wear.The hit had to be so impossible strong and furthermore I can assumethat if the glass would have been broken faces of these men would havebeen injured by the glass shards. And more improbably is that the legof the policemen was broken. The leg was shown within a temporarysplint and not in cast. When a wounded comes to a hospital, before heis brought to a sick room, some radiograms are made, the splint wouldbe taken off and the leg would be put in cast. Thus, when the leg ofone of these policemen would be really broken one would see his leg incast, or in bondage, when there is no severe infraction or there is noinfraction at all. 3) It is strange also that all the men of thespecial force of police and other policemen have been in one sickroom. Usually one with the nose broken would be send to other hospitalsections then one with a leg broken and with head injuries e.g. onewould be send to surgery or to neurology. It's all just a lie.>

Paul, student:Yesterday the television of Belarus started a hysteric campaignbecause some of the protesters have attacked the reporter of BelarusTelevision with snow balls during the protest meeting. Well, I wasthere and I have seen everything with my own eyes. And yes, on the25th or March people were throwing snow balls on thetelevision-reporting team. I have also seen that one young man couldnot resist kicking the reporter in the back. In the scene of BelarusTelevision it was told that the reporter got the diagnosis:concussion. It's interesting where is the brain of this BelarusTelevision reporter, that to get a concussion it is enough to kick himin his back?>

Olga Michailowna, in pension:My grandson was put into prison for 10 days because he wanted to bringa thermos flask with tea to the camp. He is a student in the 5th term.In former times I used to argue with him - he was against Lukashenka,I supported Lukashenka. But now I even don't know in which prison heis kept. He just could call me: "Grandmother, don't worry, I'marrested." But why - because of the hot tea for freezing people? Iwent to a shop and bought there a new thermos flask. I filled it withtea and went to the October Place - and then I understood. My grandsonwas right. This cannot be a good government, sending people to prisonbecause of a thermos flask with tea. My grandson - he is not acriminal. Criminals are those who put him in jail. Why Lukashenka isso afraid to loose his power? In other countries other Presidents arenot as much afraid to go. It seems to me, that he robbed a lot, thathe did so much wrong, that he is afraid now that the truth will bediscovered as soon as he will leave. Because otherwise, when he is anhonorable man and not a theft, what is he afraid of? - A thermos flaskwith tea in the hands of my grandson?>

Irena, participant at the protest camp:In a van we were beaten cruelly, we were insulted, our mobiles werespurned. One woman was smashed up so severely, that she could nothingremember but her name. In front of the jail on remand we were keptuntil the morning, outside in the freeze, with the face towards thewall. To the toilet only those people were brought who had their passwith them. The police even didn't conceal that they had no place forthe arrested. The authorities announced that the courts have to workon Saturday. Every accused was placed with the face towards the wallto prevent him to see the faces of those people who judged over themand the special force of police told the judge how they have arrestedand kept the accused persons. Of course they lied. The lawsuits of theparticipants on the protest meetings were held as follows: "Familyname?" - "Iwanow" - "15 days arrest. The next one!" About such thingsI've only red in books - about fascists. There were many women kept,especially elder women. At the same time televisions lied that everywoman was released. The Belarus televisions lied only: with pleasurethey have told about drunken youth who have fun at the October Placeand who wanted to pick a fight. They have shown one <> of ayoung drunken man who tried to pick a fight but this man wasrecognized as a member of the Belarus Television.>

Jury Wassiliewitch, a jobless:We got the idea to go to the prison to claim the release of thearrested. There was a disciplined group going, stopping at everytraffic light. The cars hooted giving us a sign of their solidarity.There were people leaving the busses and trams joining us. On thestreet Dserdshinskowo we met some special force of police. First theyonly hit with their bats against their shields. And the peopleexclaimed: "We are not afraid!" Then the special force of policeattacked us. After the first attack, it was really scarring. It wasclear that there was no escape. And first it was only a noise grenade.But then the special force of police didn't use only noise grenadesbut also tear gas and they beat the people cruelly. There were woundedlying on the streets. People said there have been dead, but the policetook their bodies away. When busses of the special force of policepassed by, the people were screaming: "Murderer!" "Fascists!"Immediately two of these busses stopped and the special force ofpolice men started to break the crowd up. Some vans came. The peoplewere smashed up and pushed into the vans, also Alexander Kosilina.Until now nobody knows what happened with him, where he is, if he isalive…>

Maria Iwanowna, lecturer:I am a lecturer in the Technical College of Minsk, department Nr.8.They took some students out of their lectures at 12pm and brought themto the meeting of BRSM (Belarusian Union of Youth, pro-Lukashenka), infront of the USA embassy in Minsk. All the students are underage. Oneweek before we, as lecturers signed a paper where we were forbidden totake part at meetings of the opposition. It is worth to remind thatevery action in those days, held in front of the embassies ofEU-countries and USA were not censured. Their participantsdemonstrated at command of the BRSM against the policy of the EU andUSA regarding their relation to the dictator of the Belarus Regime.Why they are allowed without any consequences to offend the embassiesis clear. In Belarus only those are arrested who are engaging forfreedom and justice in their own country.>

Alexander, participant at the protest camp:Since morning there was a circle of pensioned people - those, who areagainst Lukashenka. Thanks to these grandmothers and grandfathers,they have protected us. But there were also full busses of opponents.Some raged pensioned people ran out of these busses and were filmed bythe Belarus Television. Their eyes - rage, mindless rage. Theyscreamed: "How much have they paid for you all standing here?" But arethere people who are ready to die for money? Idiocy! The people werethere for ideas, without any hidden, false mind. Why didn't thesepensioned people screamed how much Lukashenka has paid - from ourpockets - to all these reporters of Belarus Televisions and otherBelarus medias, how much he spends for the salaries of the specialforce of police men, of the police, special army forces, secretservice (KGB) and for all the arrests and not for sure knownassassinations. And how costly were the concerts <>? Idon't belief that international stars are such fans of Lukashenka,that they performed for free - isn't it probably that they havereceived enough of money for this show? And the commissions, which get<> for <>? And where does he get themoney from? From our pockets!>

The father of Andrei:Every day I pray for those people who were standing there at theOctober Place. I'm convinced that those who are responsible for thosesmashing ups, provocations and arresting of inculpable people willhave to give responses to the population and especially to God. In thetelevision they are telling that at the October Place there is ameeting of drug addicts. But are there any attestations that drugswere found in the blood of this particular person - of just one personwho participated at the protest camp? I'm sure that there are no suchthings; otherwise they would show these documents 24 hours in thetelevision. So why lying that there are only drug addicts? I'm surethat the so called addicted have titles as professors and mandate aspresident contestants. And in general, it's surprising that the policedidn't find at the October Place together with syringes and pornomagazines, some bombs, tanks, packets. It seems they didn't lookproperly.