Pressurization of Young Front Activist Alena Makarevich Continues
A week ago the activist of Minsk Young Front branch Alena Makarevich was summonsed to KGB. There she was proposed to stop her public and political activities and threatened with a criminal case otherwise.
After the meetings of entrepreneurs on 10 and 21 January, which 17-year-old Alena Makarevich took an active part in, her mother was summonsed to Frunzenski district KGB office of Minsk under the threat of firing from work. There she was proposed to sign that her daughter would no more participate in public and political activities, but refused to do it. The KGB agents threatened that a criminal case under article 193.1 (participation in unregistered organization) would be brought against Alena. They showed to the mother several video shots from the European March and the latest meetings of entrepreneurs where her daughter could be seen. They explained that after the European March they had received an order to bring a criminal case against the Young Front activists who took part in it, but later it was decided to suspend the case. However, they said, the case could be reopened if the girl stayed active.
Vasil Hryb, the headmaster of the school where Alena Makarevich learns was also summonsed to the KGB and to the Ministry of Education. Let us remind that in autumn, right after the European March, the Ministry of Education ruled to expel the activist from school. However, later Hryb had to refuse from implementing the order because of the public pressure. Several days ago the situation repeated. At the school council Hryb threatened to Alena and her mother with expulsion. He also asked questions about the Protestant church to which Alena goes. ‘When I refused to give explanations concerning my religious views and the church, he started shouting at me and stated that the Protestant church is a sect that cheats on people. I decided not to bear such insults and left his office,’ said the girl.
The evangelic Christian Zmitser Khvedaruk is sure that in the present conditions only true faith can resist to totalitarian regime. ‘In the country which practises ‘Orthodox atheism’ and everything is done to ruin the essence of man, humiliate and enslave him, manifestations of strong Christian belief doubtlessly clash with the antinational and antichristian regime. The authorities feel that unshakable faith and strong spirit wins over it. The example of the Young Front activist Alena Makarevich is one more case of persecution of Protestant believers who present a serious threat to the present regime,’ commented Khvedaruk.
