Andrei Haidukou’s mother: Trial should be open

Reports say that it is Vitsebsk Regional Court who is expected to hear the case of Andrei Haidukou, a 23-year-old employee of the Navapolatsk-based “Naftan” refinery, who is accused of “high treason”. Volha Haidukova, his mother, hopes that the trial will open for all to learn the details of the case. After all, the espionage charges brought against the Navapolatsk guy seem absurd to many.

Volha Haidukova says she does not know any details of her son’s case:

“I cannot imagine what he could to face the charge which is punishable by 7 to 15 years in jail. It’s not his job – what state secrets can an ordinary worker of “Naftan” know? So then it’s his civil activity which is to blame; he went to the silent protests, he was an observer in the elections, in Sannikau’s team and with our local opposition nominees. They threatened him not to go into politics, but could they talk him out of this? I’ll put it like this: I do not know a greater patriot than Andrei! For those who searched for benefits for themselves, have long fled the country. That’s what they told him: “I want to live well, so I have nothing to do in this country! And Andrei wanted to be well here, so that everyone here could be well. Maybe it’s that organization that he wanted to register? “The Union of Young Intellectuals”, an international organization. Some guys have quit the idea, but he decided that it should exist. He had been preparing the documents just before his arrest...”

Andrei Haidukou was arrested on November 8, 2012 in Vitsebsk, allegedly “while making a dead drop with information that may be of interest to foreign intelligence services”. That is what the official report by the KGB says. Since then, the mother has not seen her son: she was twice denied visits, citing “unreasonableness”.

“The family knows nothing about the case. Andrei writes in his letters that we should not worry, he cannot tell us anything, because the letters wouldn’t be allowed by the censorship. Maybe he was trying to do something like this in the very first month of his arrest, for his letters just did not reach us. Now I only know from the lawyer if he’s well, or if he needs something? The lawyers gave a subscription not to disclose the secrets of the investigation, so I do not know. So what’s the case about? They gave us back the computer after a search with no explanation; neither his father nor sister has been called in for questioning... What’s in that case? If the court will be a closed one, so there really is something wrong, they are just hiding information from the people!” says Andrei Haidukou’s mother.

So far, she says the cause of the arrest is as follows: her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and someone took advantage of these circumstances. Yet, nothing is known of the exact reasons for the arrest, and the mother says there’s possibility of “framing” and fraud. And therefore she insists that the trial should be open.