Police Searches Flat of BPF Member in Svietlahorsk
The search in the flat of Telman Masliukou, activist of Svietlahorsk branch of Belarusian People’s Front and chair of Svietlahorsk district organization of Belarusian Language Society, was conducted by six policemen – Kanstantsin Kukharenka, Dzmitry Rahalievich, Aliaksandr Ziaziotka, etc. -- with Piatro Zykun, vice-chair of the district police board at the head.
Kukharenka said “it smelled with drugs” in the porch and they had a recording of a telephone call to the police concerning production of drugs in this porch, that’s why they wanted to examine several flats. They presented to Mr. Masliukou order for examination. In fact, they opened bookcases and wardrobes, which can be done only during searches. One of the policemen turned on a video camera to tape the procedure, but turned it off when Mr. Masliukou asked him to show his documents.
The police confiscated some numbers of Rehianalnyia Naviny (T. Masliukou is its chief editor), materials and stickers with information about the day of solidarity with political prisoners, several UN brochures concerning the situation of human rights in Belarus, four books “Belarus – scenarios of reforms”, the book by V. Fiaduta “Political biography of Aliaksandr Lukashenka”, five computer CDs (two of them – with ads of Amway concern and two concerning the development of business in the Ukraine).
They also confiscated two copy machines. Being asked about the reason, Piatro Zykun answered he suspected these machines were used for production of printed materials that were distributed in the city at night. T. Masliukou turned the attention of the police to the fact that the copy machines were of A4 format, whereas the confiscated materials were either of A3 format (twice bigger) or produced by printing houses. Only three copies of the confiscated materials, instructions how to behave during detention by the police, were of A4 format.
On 5 December Telman Masliukou was summonsed to the police in the capacity of “law-offender” for interrogation concerning the results of the examination of his flat. The interrogation was conducted by the chair of the district police board M. Rahovich, vice-chair P. Zykun, vice-chair of the law and order department K. Kukharenka and the local inspector V. Novikau.
Being asked about the copy machines Mr. Masliukou said one of them belonged to him and the other was given for keeping by a friend and none of the confiscated materials were produced with this equipment. According to V. Novikau, the violation is that T. Masliukou didn’t register these machines at the police.
P. Zykun expressed his indignation concerning the recent publication in Rehianalnyia Naviny about the search in the flat of the local activist Vadzim Bohdan, conducted on 11 November. The policemen also asked Mr. Masliukou about the unregistered organizations White Legion, Zubr and We Remember. It had no relation to the case, that’s why T. Masliukou didn’t answer. They also said that some activists informed them about having received materials for distribution from T. Masliukou and proposed to him either to confirm this fact or write down these people (they mentioned Vadzim Bohdan, Vadzim Bolbas, chair of Svietlahorsk district BPF organization, and Sviatlana Mikhalchanka, activist of the Party of Communists of Belarus). T. Masliukou answered that in the case he passed to somebody any printed production, it had the issue data on and didn’t exceed the legally allowed circulation.
