Special Police Forces Search Flat of Valery Levanewski

At about 2 p.m. on 7 May KGB and special police forces burst into the private flat of Valery Levanewski, head of the unregistered strike committee of Belarusian businessmen. The police smashed the door of the flat. At that time there were Levanewski’s children -- 12-year old Anton and 17-year-old Katsiaryna and his mother-in-law Halina.

Anton said to RFE/RL: “My sister didn’t want to open them. Then they turned off all electricity and telephone. We began calling on our mobile and they started to break the door.

The search lasted for six hours and ended at about 9 p.m. KGB forced 17-year-old Katsiaryna Levanewskaya to testify against her father. After the search they took her to the Hrodna Regional KGB Board. All computers that were in the flat were confiscated.

Valery Levanewski’s elder son, 20-year-old Zmitser Levanewski, was taken to KGB as well.

At about 3 p.m. KGB detained Aliaksandr Vasilyew and searched his flat as well. At about 5 p.m. they confiscated computers that belonged to his son and daughter and some documents. He informed RFE/RL that the search was made within the limits of the investigation of the criminal case about distribution of printed production with libels towards Aliaksandr Lukashenka.