Siarhei Kuntsevich: We Should Take To Streets And Demand To Release Political Prisoners
- 5.06.2017, 14:41
Society should constantly focus its attention on this issue.
The activist of the Belarusian National Congress Siarhei Kuntsevich spent more than two months behind bars. He was released last night. In an interview to the webite of the Belarusian National Congress bnknews.org Siarhei told about his detention on the eve of the action on March 25, about tortures he endured in the KGB jail and called to continue the struggle for the release of all political prisoners.
– Sergey, congratulations on your release! How is the mood?
– Thank you for your congratulations and support. The mood is cheerful.
– Tell, please, how and where they detained you.
– It happened on March 24. I was in the garage owned by my mom. The door was open. Suddenly, people in masks broke into the garage, began to threaten me, immediately informed me that they would plant me some bottles. After that they put me in a "UAZ" and took me to the KGB. The next day, March 25, they took me to the neighborhood of the Academy of Sciences, where my car with sound reinforcement equipment was parked. Hey filmed a video there which was later broadcasted on BT (Belarusian television – endnote).
– While you were behind bars, it became known that torture is used against political prisoners.
– On March 24, immediately after my arrest, two investigators interrogated me in the KGB pre-trial detention center. They tried to get information about the location of Mikalai Statkevich. Naturally, I didn't say anything. After that, the investigators went out, and two masked men entered the room. They began to threaten, pull me by the hair and use an electric shocker on me. Then they transferred me to cell №17.
I spent 14 days in the KGB pre-trial detention center. I slept on a board, in the afternoon I could only sit on a chair or stand. Dry hunger strike, on which I went the first three days, caused problems with the kidneys. Nobody provided me any medical help. They did not let medications or letters reach me. Then I was transferred to the "Valadarka". I started to receive newspapers. Jail staff allowed me to receive only letters from my relatives, though not all of them. Much of what I wrote to my relatives, also did not pass the jail censorship.
– What is your status now?
– I am still an accused in the case of "preparation of mass riots", I am prohibited from leaving the country.
– Did you know about what was happening in the country, about repressions, about other political prisoners?
– I knew only what was written in the newspapers that I was given. I knew that hundreds of people were detained on March 25, I knew about the action of solidarity with us on May 1. I knew that about 20 political prisoners were behind bars due to false accusations, despite the fact that some so-called "human rights defendants" claim that there are no political prisoners.
All criminal cases instituted on the eve of Freedom Day are provocation by the authorities. Dictatorship bases on people's indifference. We should actively fight for the release of political prisoners, support those who remain behind bars. Society should constantly focus its attention on this issue – only this way we can force them to stop repressions. We should take to the streets, should hold protest actions and demand the release of political prisoners by all lawful methods.