APPEAL TO BELARUSIAN CITIZENS AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

On March 30 2006, Alexander Kazulin, leader of Belarusian social democrats and presidential candidate at the recent elections, who was detained on March 25 during a demonstration in Minsk, was officially charged with crimes on the basis of two articles of the criminal code. Article 339, part 2 incriminates malignant hooliganism, and article 342, part 1 incriminates organizing of mass disorder. These accusations could lead to a sentence of up to 6 years imprisonment.
“The accusation represents an obvious crude provocation and falsification of facts, - said Mr. Kazulin in a statement from his prison cell in the town of Zhodino. – The political purpose is clear – it is the elimination of a political opponent.”
Facts
On March 25 2006, in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, a rally and a demonstration took place in order to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the Belarusian People Republic, to protest against falsification of the elections results, and to support the democratic candidates, Alexander Kazulin and Alexander Milinkevich.
The rally and demonstration attracted over 20,000 participants and were entirely peaceful. Despite the absence of any threat to safety, the demonstration was stopped by special forces and brutally dispersed. During the dispersal Alexander Kazulin was violently beaten and arrested. Over 50 persons were arrested along with him. Many of the demonstrators received serious injuries.
For more than 20 hours family members and supporters of Mr. Kazulin were denied any information of his whereabouts, whether he was alive and what was his medical condition. Despite giving no information to relatives, the authorities immediately released the official interpretation of the events.
The authorities’ interpretation
General Naumov, the minister of interior, placed the blame for the March 25 events entirely on the opposition. He accused Alexander Kazulin of calling for a violent overthrow of the authorities, including the physical elimination of the head of state, and storming of a pretrial detention center. He accused the demonstrators in detonating explosives and using metal piping pieces against the policy. General Naumov is denying the use of force against the demonstrators. On March 28, during a meeting with the senior government officials, president Lukashenka fully approved the police actions.
This interpretation is in keeping with the overall propagandists and repressive campaign unleashed by the authorities against the opposition, which is accused of preparing a violent regime change following the scenario of the “color revolutions”, under direction of the West. On such charges, were arrested and are still imprisoned at KGB Alexander Shalaika, Nikalay Astreyka, Timafei Dranchuk, and Enira Branevitskaya. They are accused of crimes according to the article 193, part 2, of the criminal code, discreditation of the state. Also arrested at the pre-trial detention center is Yuri Radzivil, whose car was shot at by special forces on March 2 right after the government’s first assault on Mr. Kazulin. Despite the fact that Mr. Radzivil was the aim of the shooting it is he who is accused of assaulting a police officer.
Over 1000 people have been arrested in the recent weeks on similar charges in the course of the government’s campaign of repression.
What really happened?
The March 25 gathering at the Kupala park was a natural continuation of the non-stop protest on October square, which began on March 19.
The forceful demolition of the protesters’ tent city on the square, conducted by the police at night on March 24, and the concurrent massive repressions, instead of the intended intimidation had as their result a tide of new protest energy that brought over 20,000 people to the streets on March 25.
At the end of the rally, the leader of Belarusian social democrats, presidential candidate Alexander Kazulin supported the calls to march towards the pretrial detention center where hundreds of protesters removed from the square were being held. He did not call to storming the facility, but only to declaration of support of the relatives, friends and fellow protesters who had been held in overcrowded cells, kept freezing in the prison’s back yard, denied even the right to receive food packages from families. Mr. Kazulin did not call for a demonstration, and he certainly did not organize it.
At the same time, his call to march to Akrestin street was met with enthusiasm by the majority of the meeting participants, especially the young, whose protest energy needed an outlet. As experience of all democratic states and past events in Belarus shows, the youth demonstration would have taken place in any case, even without Mr. Kazulin’s call. But without guidance by an experienced politician such as himself it would have been likely to become less orderly.
Alexander Kazulin took charge and did all he could to ensure that it was peaceful and orderly. The demonstrators were moving only on sidewalks, stopped at red lights and were carrying flowers.
Mr. Kazulin halted the demonstration more than 50 meters (150 feet) away from the chains of armed special forces commanded by the infamous cornel Pavlichenko, who is widely suspected of masterminding the kidnappings and alleged killings of the opposition leaders several years ago. Mr. Kazulin personally approach the police commanders for the negotiations. Unfortunately, his efforts did not succeed. Having turned back to the crowd, Mr. Kazulin raised his hands in a typical gesture signaling people to stop and turn around. At that moment, he received several heavy punches into his back. He continued to call on the demonstrators to turn back and move in the direction of the nearby church, to pray for freedom. The church’s priests were trying appeal to the special troops, with no result. The order to start the violent clean up was given. Several noise grenades detonated.
The Belarusian Social Democratic party has a multitude of photo and video documents and witness testimonies that would allow to conduct an impartial investigation and punish the real perpetrators of the violence in Minsk, the direct executors of the order who were photographed beating the protesters.
The party calls on the citizens of Belarus to join in our appeal to release Alexander Kazulin, Yuri Radzivil, Mikhail Marinich, Sergei Skrabets, Alexander Shalaika, Nikalay Astreyka, Timafei Dranchuk, Envira Branevitskaya and other political prisoners.
The party also calls upon the international democratic community – parliaments, governments, civic organizations, politicians, scientists and all people of good will to support the efforts of Belarusian democrats to release Belarusian politician and scientist, professor Alexander Kazulin, and all political prisoners that have been thrown to jail by the dictatorship.
The international solidarity of all people of good will has saved lives and fates of freedom fighters on many occasions in the course of history. We have faith in the triumph of justice this time also.
Bureau of the Central Committee of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada)
March 30, 2006