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ELECTIONS 2004
TITLE: WITH THINGS TO LEAVE
Four
citizens of Belarus who came to revolutionary Kyiv are in the opposition in their country
. In the fall of 2004, they came to Kyiv because they knew
that the elections in Ukraine would be fateful. They worked as journalists — they transmitted
information and photos from Ukraine to Belarusian information resources.
They supported the popular protests, worried about Ukraine and Ukrainians.
On Wednesday,
24
November 2004 — the day the Central Election Commission announced the alleged victory
of the pro-government candidate Yanukovych — the Belarusians were already leaving for home to do their own
business. They had not reached their country for a few kilometers.
The Kyiv-Minsk train. On the evening of November 24, 2004,
four Belarusian oppositionists boarded it. Human rights activist Dzmiatser
Bondarenko, politician Dzmiatser Borodko, press secretary of the ZUBR youth movement
Alexander Atroschenkov, and ZUBR representative Vladimir Kobets.
Serhiy Yevtushenko was then working as a coordinator of delegations
of foreign observers from young Ukrainian revolutionaries. In the evening, he
sees off his Belarusian friends at the train station —
then Serhiy does not know that in a few hours he will literally have to save them.
Serhiy Yevtushenko, Advisor to the Minister
of Foreign Affairs
02:40
They lived in my apartment, were my guests, since Monday. On
Tuesday we went to storm the presidential administration with them, and on
Wednesday they boarded the Minsk train and went home.
What will happen to the Belarusians on the way to Minsk,
resembles either a spy detective or a Hollywood action movie. It all
starts right in the train car at the border crossing — on the Ukrainian side.
Vladimir Kobets, representative
of the Belarusian movement “Zubr”
03:00 The Ukrainian-Belarusian border, when you leave Kyiv, is somewhere before
midnight. Of course, we were awake. We continued to think…
Our mood was normal, we were charged with the energy of the Maidan. At a certain
moment, a woman passed by — from customs or the border guard — and collected our migration cards.
We thought we had already passed Ukrainian customs…
After that, representatives of the border guard and customs again come to their compartment. The officers do not inform about the purpose of the return visit
They only make a persistent request —
to fill out the customs declaration.
Vladimir Kobets, representative of the Belarusian
movement “Zubr”
03:52 We said that we had nothing. He still said
“fill it in.” We said “okay” and started filling it in.
The first to fill out the declaration was Zmitser Bandarenko. He was immediately asked to take his things
and leave the compartment somewhere.
Dzmiatser Bondarenko, victim,
coordinator of the civic initiative “Charter 97”
01:47:21 I was offered, — I think we were traveling in the seventh compartment, —
to go with the customs officers, with the border guard to another compartment to check things. I was
dressed at that moment in sports shorts, a shirt, and in such sports
slippers on my bare feet.
Borodka is taken to a separate compartment behind
Dzmyatser Bondarenko. Vlad Kobets, meanwhile
finishes filling out the declaration, and Alexander Atroschenkov instantly and very
falls into a deep sleep — after drinking a glass of carriage tea.
The victims are still convinced that something sleeping was mixed in that tea.
Vladimir Kobets, representative of the Belarusian movement “Zubr”
05:39 Alexander was sleeping, I continued to fill out the declaration…. After
what came from Dmitry Bondarenko’s scream from the other end of the car.. he shouted
“people, my friend, they’re killing!”. At the other end of the car there were also
some movements – where D. Borodka was being looked after. + 06:25 At that moment I was told
“that’s all, enough filling out the declaration.” I said I wasn’t finished yet —
“Let’s go!” Zmitser shouted again. And the man standing in the doorway
simply took out his handcuffs and took a step towards me.
This man, without any hesitation or explanation, put handcuffs on
Vladimir. At the same time, arrests also took place in the compartments where
Bondarenko and Borodko were. At the same time, Bondarenko is offered to go outside in
his underwear, and when he refuses, he is forcibly twisted, causing
serious injury.
Dzmiatser Bondarenko, victim,
coordinator of the civic initiative “Charter 97”
01:47:49 then the customs officer, pushing me in the back, says “go with them”.
I look – there are two gloomy-looking people standing, in leather jackets, in civilian clothes, and these people tell me to “get out of the car”.
At that moment it was night,
12 o’clock at night, outside it was 15 degrees below zero, I was in shorts, a shirt in
boots.
01:49:26
I said I wasn’t going anywhere, and went back to the compartment. And then these people in plainclothes
jumped into the compartment and said, “Quietly, quietly, don’t be afraid!” Like Yushchenko on the Maidan
to support – you are a hero, but here you are afraid…”
Dzmiatser Borodko, coordinator of the Movement
“Wisent”
02:00:29 When I heard Dmitry’s scream Bondarenko, I
tried to leave the separate compartment where I was taken for personal care. And I
tried to pass – they blocked my way. One was in civilian clothes, the other in
uniform. They pushed me back into the compartment and closed the door.
Dzmiatser Bondarenko, victim,
coordinator of the civic initiative “Charter 97”
01:50:12 A lot of different people have already gathered there. They twisted my arms,
here… Well, to be honest, I thought they were going to kill me or something. I’ve been in different
adventures, but it was scary, to be honest…
At that moment, it became obvious to the Belarusians that the
arrest was being made for political reasons. Something they were used to in their own country.
STAND UP
Foreign
citizens who leave Ukraine and
even pass border control are brutally removed from the train by Ukrainian
security officers. They are treated very rudely — they refuse to show their documents and
explain anything, they threaten them with violence, they use handcuffs and physical force.
And then they push you out of the car in your underwear onto a 15-degree track.
Even if popular protests rage on
the Maidans — do law enforcement officers have the right to such
unreasonable cruelty? Is it a crime for a foreigner to stay in Kyiv and transfer
information to foreign Internet sites?
Obviously, there is some order from Kyiv — it is not just that
so far from the capital, border guards purposefully remove the rally participants
from the train. What happens next, Belarusians remember as a horror.
Vladimir Kobets, representative
of the Belarusian movement “Zubr”
08:19 It felt like they were just trying to kill us. We didn’t understand what
was happening. After our migration cards were taken away, we thought at some point that these were Belarusian customs officers and Belarusian
border guards. But no — they were Ukrainian.
Dzmiatser Borodko, coordinator of the Movement
“Zubr”
01:59:28 I have been detained many times in Belarus. I have been detained dozens of times over the course of three
years. And this detention was a little different.
Because first of all, no one presented us with any documents — who is detaining us? There were
people in uniform, there were people in civilian clothes, but no one presented anything — we
were simply pushed out of the carriage…
After
long arguments and persuasions, an older person allows the detainees to get dressed
before taking them out onto the snowy platform. They are taken to one of these (VIDEO)
trailers at the Gornostayivka border checkpoint, where they are first
questioned.
Vladimir Kobets, representative
of the Belarusian movement “Zubr”
10:54There
were also obscene words – now you will pay for everything, Ukraine is independent
state… Which was strange — because I am glad that Ukraine is an independent state. We
fought for this when I was a student, so that our countries — Belarus, Ukraine,
the Baltic countries — would become free…
According to the victims, this interrogation consisted mainly of
threats, intimidation, and even personal insults. And it was somewhat reminiscent of the 37th year
of the last century, known for Stalinist repressions.
Vladimir Kobets, representative
of the Belarusian movement “Zubr”
12:07 The threats continued. That “you will tell us everything” – “you
will tell us everything”… “There was nothing to beat on the Maidan”, and so
on.
Dzmiatser Borodko, coordinator of the Movement
“Zubr”
02:02:10
The only thing that the border guards said in private conversations was that this was an order from Kyiv, and
you made some noise… Why and what — they refused to say in more detail and specifically
why we were detained.
The interrogation does not yield results — and could not. After all
the detainees did not commit any offenses. Nevertheless, the Belarusians are put into
a police car and taken somewhere. Meanwhile, one of the four manages to tell his friends from
the police car about the strange detention.
Vladimir Kobets, representative
of the Belarusian movement “Zubr”
14:32
I already managed to insert a Belarusian SIM card on the train. But on the way to Ripky in this
car in the dark I managed to change the Belarusian SIM card to a Kyivstar one and
send the first SMS to our friends, friends that we were detained…
The detainees are brought to the district department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the
urban-type settlement of Ripky. Then they begin to process them again.
Vladimir Kobets,
representative of the Belarusian movement “Zubr”
17:04 There are no formal grounds for detention. We were searched – nothing
found.
17:24 I heard them on the radio advising them to write down the article number, as it turned out later
that’s how they wrote it —
non-compliance with the actions… the demands of the police, something like that, in that sense. And
we allegedly refused to present our documents during the inspection. Well, it’s funny, because
when I go home, why should I refuse to show my documents to the border guard?
STAND UP
Nevertheless,
while in the cell of the regional police station, the detained Belarusians were already calm. After all
they knew that, first of all, they would definitely not be handed over to the Belarusian special services.
Because their arrival at the station was duly registered, and it seemed
that law finally reigns within these walls.
The second thing
that inspired optimism was the realization that
their colleagues already knew about the situation. A mobile phone was brought into
the
cell. Dozens of SMS messages were sent from it with an appeal
“SOS” to all possible acquaintances in Ukraine, Belarus, and the
West. That night, work began in Kyiv, Minsk, and other cities to
release the detainees from custody.
The publicity was a decisive factor in rescuing
the innocently arrested foreign citizens. The next morning, the phones at
the Ripkinsky District Police Department were busy with calls.
Сергій Євтушенко, радник міністра
закордонних справ України
06:43 Я думаю, що це приміщення райвідділу міліції в смт Ріпки ніколи ще не отримувало стільки дзвінків з різноманітних громадських організацій, з міжнародних організацій, від політиків — і українських, і політиків європейських.
Владзімір Кобець, представник
білоруського руху «Зубр»
20:48 Міліція не зовсім розуміла, що відбувається, звідки інформація у
них. Тому що в певний момент вони сказали — щось дивне відбувається, вже 300
дзвінків. Дзвонили зі Швейцарії, дзвонили з Сербії. А хлопці з «Пори»
з Києва дзвонять і кричать в трубку — «Ганьба міліції Ріпок».
Окрім оприлюнення інформації в пресі та шквалу
дзвінків, друзям затриманих вдалося організувати швидкий приїзд адвоката на
місце утримання арештантів.
Сергій Євтушенко, радник міністра
закордонних справ
05:28 У восьмій, у 9й ранку ми зрозуміли, що наші друзі зараз
знаходяться у слідчому ізоляторі. І наша задача була дуже прстою — максимально швидко їх звідти
звільнити. Для цього нам потрібні були послуги фахового юриста….
Адвокат Олександр ТРОФІМОВ у 2004 році співпрацював з
представництвом ОБСЄ. Він прибув на місце вже за 2 години, аби надати юридичний
захист в’язням.
Олександр ТРОФІМОВ, адвокат,
Чернігівський громадський комітет захисту прав людини
42:26 В тот день мне перезвонил представитель ОБСЕ в г. Чернигов и сказал
про ситуацию что на границе с Беларусью были задержаны 4 беларуских журналиста,
которые сейчас находятся в камере временного задержания в Репках….+есть
основания считать, что они задержаны были незаконно, в связи с политическими
событиями, которые происходили на данное время в Украине.
Міліцейське начальство пояснює адвокату, що звільнити затриманих можна не раніше як наступного дня — мовляв, в районному суді в цей день вихідний. Також міліціонери не допускали адвоката до його підзахисних. Але і перша, і друга перешкода були подолані. Суд відбувся майже відразу — на наступний день після затримання. Щастя, що вирок був справедливим.
Олександр ТРОФІМОВ, адвокат,
Чернігівський громадський комітет захисту прав людини
45:23 нам удалось доказать, что данные мои подзащитные не совершали состава административного проступка. В результате чего судом было принято законное и обоснованное действительно решение о закрытии дела про адинистративное правонарушение по реабилитирующим основаниям — то есть за отстутствием состава административного проступка.
Але навіть після виправдального вироку суду органи МВС не поспішають відпускати затриманих. Схоже, що хтось з Києва наполегливо вимагає, аби їх потримали в камері якомога довше.
Владзімір Кобець, представник білоруського руху «Зубр»
26:44 Хтось телефонував в міліцію, і ми бачили, що міліціянти виправдовуються перед кимось, хто дзвонив. Тому що ми чули, як вони казали «ну суд же принял решение, ну незачто! Ладно, ми поглядим». І було просто зрозуміло, що хтось телефонував і вимагав знайти підстави, щоб нас тримати далі…
Свободу громадяни Білорусі отримали тільки увечері.
Вони попрямували додому. Окрім жахливих спогадів, залишилося два наслідки.
Перший — поламана рука Дмитра БОНДАРЕНКА. Другий — факт протизаконного аресту та утримування під вартою.
Вже потім, коли в Україні 26 грудня відбулося переголосування, обласна прокуратура порушила справу за фактом перевищення службових повноважень посадовими особами, що здійснювали затримання білорусів.
Але чи є винними тільки виконавці?
STAND UP
Криминальна справа. Добре, коли вона розслідується. А коли слідчі органи відфутболюють її одне одному, аби тільки самим не займатися — як це можна назвати? Хоча подобна історія — звичайна в Україні.
Для початку Чернігівська обласна прокуратура переслала документи до прокуратури Ріпкінського району. Потім справа поїхала до Генеральної прокуратури — на підставі того, що серед осіб, що здійснювали затримання, були службовці прикордонної служби, і розслідувати таку справу має прокуратура військова.
Генпрокуратура дійсно ухвалила рішення направити справу до військової прокуратури чернігівського гарнізону. Але після кількамісячного розслідування прокурор встановив, що в діях військовослужбовців немає складу правопорушення. Гідне рішення. Класика!
Майже за рік після порушення — напередодні нового 2006 року справа повернулася туди, де її і порушили — до Прокуратури чернігівської області. А ще через два місяці — знову поїхала на вулицю Різницьку у Києві.
Проте обвинувачення досі нікому не висунуто. Справа, як і далі, розслідується без підозрюваних —
лише «за фактом скоєння злочину».
Зі слів потерпілих, в операції з їхнього затримання брало участь близько двох десятків представників силових відомств, у формі та у цивільному. Хто ж це був?
Деякі з людей у цивільному, які брали участь в затриманні, казали білорусам, що вони працюють в Службі безпеки України. Крім того, на ключову роль працівників СБУ у всій цій опер