Viasna’s office raided again

Yesterday, on 17 January Belarusian KGB searched the central office of the Human Rights Center Viasna, as well as the private apartment and the country house of Ales Bialiatski. The searches were said to be conducted in the framework of the 19 December mass riot criminal case. It was a second search in Viasna’s office, following another one on 20 December.

According to Viasna’s lawyer Valiantsin Stefanovich, unknown persons tried to break into the premises at around 15.30. They were later joined by policemen, who produced a search warrant.

During the 20 December search, the KGB officers seized Viasna’s PCs, says Mr. Stefanovich.

After the raid in Viasna’s office, the KGB officers searched Ales Bialiatski’s private apartment and his country house outside Minsk.

“I was released then, after six hours of searches. They were trying to find something. As a result, they sized only one laptop and a pile of old papers, together with several CDs. They probably think human rights defenders have more information that could help them concoct the case. I was not interrogated”, said Ales Bialiatski to Radio Racyja.    

“We can see a mad campaign of searches and harassment going on. We can still witness illegal actions by the KGB representatives, who have repeatedly failed to give their names. Only one of them gives his name, the others not presenting themselves. What are they looking for? It must be something in the mass riot case again”, said Belarusian Helsinki Committee