KGB puts politicians Tsikhanouskaya, Latushka, BYPOL activists ot ‘terrorist’ list
On Friday. the State Security Committee (KGB) published an updated list of organisations and individuals allegedly involved in terrorist activities. Belarusian opposition activists, bloggers, former security officers have been included in the list.
The KGB added opposition politicians Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Pavel Latushka, blogger Anton Matolka, former security officers Ihar Makar, Andrey Astapovich, Stanislau Lupanosau, Uladzimir Zhykhar, Ihar Loban, Aleh Talerchyk, Svyatlana Khilko, Mikhail Kutsko, Matvey Kupreychuk and others.
Thus, now the Lukashenka regime considers them as terrorists, along with al-Qaeda, Daesh and Taliban militants.
On March 29, Prosecutor General’s Office opened a criminal case under Article 289 of the Criminal Code (‘preparation of a terrorist act’) against Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and members of BYPOL, a campaign created by opposition-minded people who earlier belonged to Belarusian uniformed services.
According to Belarusian Prosecutor General Andrey Shved, ‘the mentioned persons tried to carry out explosions and arson on the territory of the capital and other cities’. Arrestee Maleichuk who was ‘detained red-handed’ testified about the organisers and participants of the attack, he said. In turn, Tsikhanouskaya and BYPOL have flatly denied the accusation.
On March 24, BYPOL warned compatriots that the authorities might stage sort of a terrorist attack on the eve of Belarusians’ unofficial Freedom Day for ‘discrediting the protest movement and its complete neutralization by the State Security Committee’. Two days later, the Interior Ministry responded that alleged traces of planned terrorist attacks led to the initiative itself.
In February, the KGB put on the ‘terrorist’ list bloggers Stsyapan Putsila and Raman Pratasevich as well as over a dozen persons involved in the so called cases of Mikalai Autukhovich and Ihar Alinevich.
