Andrei Haidukou can’t receive medicines and letters in prison
Andrei Haidukou, resident
of Navapolatsk, has been in the KGB detention center since November 8, facing criminal
charges "for treason to the state through intelligence activities." Andrei’s
parents and friends cannot believe that he could be involved in spying, his
detention in Vitsebsk being a total surprise to them. Journalists
and human rights defenders have not yet been able to get any explanations on
the case, as even the prisoner’s letters can’t leave the jail.
The
lawyer, who met with Andrei Haidukou during an interrogation on November 22, told
his mother that he had written three letters home:
"Three
letters, and none has not reached us! We also wrote to him, sent two letters
and a postcard. Andrei received only the postcard. We did not write anything
that can be forbidden, but the messages can’t reach him for some reason. And they
did not allow receiving all the medicines, they said they needed a medical confirmation
that they were really needed. Andrei has a bad heart, he was not even taken
into the army because of the disease. And I had the medical certificates, but
now there are only copies – we gave the originals to the lawyer who prepared
the application for change of pre-trial detention. However, the KGB detention
center does not admit any copies."
Volha
Haidukova said that now it is the third lawyer working with her son since his
arrest. However,
she can’t disclose his name. The
lawyer was present during the interrogation carried out by investigator Barysevich
– he comes from Vitsebsk to Minsk for investigation activities.
"The
lawyer says that it is very cold in the KGB detention center, you could be cold
even in the couple of hours while the questioning was underway. I’m afraid lest
Andrei got ill... The lawyer passed two requests by the son, so that we paid
the money for the credit – he bought a mobile phone in installments ,
and took tests for him from the university – he is in his fifth year now. This
makes me happy – it means he has a hope of liberation, continued learning, and
generally he has a good mood," says the mother.
Andrei
Haidukou’s parents and friends believe that the charges are the pressure
associated with his public activities. He
participated in the silent protests, he was going to register a public
organization "Union of Young Intellectuals", which was created by
Navapolatsk activist Yauhen Kanstantsinau. Andrei
Haidukou was his deputy, and he repeatedly told that "people in civilian
clothes" had visited him, threatening him with problems at work – the guy
works as an operator at "Naftan" – and at University.
According
to representatives of the civil campaign "European Belarus", Andrei
Haidukou was not detained for making “a dead drop” that could be of interest to
foreign intelligence services, but for the transportation of a part of the
circulation of the newspaper "Charter'97" for distribution in Vitsebsk
region.