‘I hope to God it will fall apart’. Three more persons in patriots’ case released
Syarhei Strybulski, Uladzimir Fyodarau, Alyaksandr Zimnitski – defendants in the White Legion case – were released on June, 27.
Syarhei Strybulski was detained on March 21 and was charged with preparing mass riots, and later on, additionally, with creation of an illegal armed group, article 287 of the Criminal Code. On May 24, his term of detention had been extended for two more months. On Tuesday, he was released on his own recognisance. Belsat TV interviewed the former arrestee:
“I have never been a prominent activist. I took part in monitoring elections, sometimes I participated in protest rallies. In my opinion, every citizen should do these ordinary things.
I was sort of prepared for arrest. I often went hiking. Sometimes I slept on the floor at home. Therefore, I was not shocked by prison conditions. Prison is not a resort.
But people [defendants in the White Legion case] are still behind bars, we should take care of them. Tomorrow I will try to pass them necessary things.
I hope to God the case will fall apart. If the patriots are sentenced to prison terms, it would be terrible.”
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About 30 persons – former members of the White Legion, state-authorized sports and military club Patriot, Young Front activists as well as people who are not associated with any organizations, landed up in jail after Lukashenka’s words about ‘armed militants’ posing a threat to Belarus.
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Two pre-trial prisons of Minsk, the KGB prison and the Interior Ministry’s jail, continue to hold 14 people. According to unconfirmed information, they may be tortured and drugged.
On June 7, Belarusian human rights organizations published a joint statement calling for immediate release of all persons arrested in the ‘rioting and armed group case’ after reports of torture in KGB prison.
