New Crackdown on Activists of Union of Poles in Belarus
According to www.charter97.org
On 29 October at the border with Lithuania the chair of the Union of Poles in Belarus Anzhalika Borys and its activists Andzhei Lisouski and Tereza Selivonchyk were detained after the customs officers found drugs. Hrodna regional customs office has brought a criminal case on drugs trafficking charges. According to the State Customs Committee of Belarus, the found substance was heroin. The UPB activists call it a provocation of the authorities and deny any relation to the found packets.
After this the leader of the Union of Poles in Belarus Anzhalika Borys has been served summons for interrogation at Hrodna regional customs office. She is to be questioned in the framework of a criminal case brought up for drugs trafficking through Belarusian-Lithuanian border. The activists were on the way home from a conference of the Polish national communities of the EU that took place in Vilnius.
‘It is an evident provocation. They were checking us for a very long time and then suddenly found three small packets with white powder in the rear-view mirror. The packets were wrapped in clean white gauze. But the day was rainy and in the case the packets were there before the customs officers found them the gauze would be wet and dirty. I am sure that the drugs have been planted to us. We were detained on the border for 10 hours. At first they searched us and then took to a soul asylum to make a blood analysis. We were convoyed to it by persons in mufti, who refused to introduce themselves. They didn’t let me make any telephone calls and treated me like a criminal! I consider it as a provocation aimed at discrediting of the Union of Poles in Belarus,’ stated Anzhalika Borys.
The UPB activist Andzhei Lisouski has been summonsed for interrogation as well. He is suspected in drugs trafficking. After the interrogation Lisouski was taken home under police escort for a home search. After the search the investigators of Hrodna regional customs office seized clothes Mr. Lisouski had on the day of detention at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.
