Nyaklyayeu: We will set concrete examples of tortures

He is asking to support Belarusian human rights organizations and independent mass media, to assess the situation in Belarus and join the international supervision of the problem of political prisoners in our country.


Euroradio: What the appeal will be like?


Nyaklyayeu: "We are going to collect all the evidence about the things going on in prisons including tortures. It will not be just an SOS sent to the world, it will be based on concrete data and facts and we will ask the international community to understand us and help”.


Euroradio: Mihalevich has already described the tortures to a lot to MEPs in Brussels and to foreign mass media. However, they cannot trust Mihalevich alone, they need more evidence. Does the Rapporteur on human rights have to visit us?


Nyaklyayeu: "There are some legal issues – if I am not invited, why should I go? He has to be invited, somebody has to apply for it and describe the things the Rapporteur will have to do on his arrival. Mihalevich made a lot of statements, many people heard them, but who is responsible for it? Who should be interested in it to make some certain steps?! We have decided to make this practical step so that they would reply when they are going to make concrete steps”.


Euroradio: Are there any problems as regards collecting examples of torture? Are people afraid to describe it?


Nyaklyayeu: "There are different people and different examples – some people are eager to describe it and others are not. I know it from personal experience -  when I was released from KGB prison I was surprised to find out that that treatment was considered to be tortures. I did not expect anything else – it was a classic Soviet prison. There is stress in every prison and there are different people, some of them are scared, others say that they need to think it over and still others do give evidence”.


Euroradio: If the Rapporteur on human rights arrives in Belarus to investigate the tortures, will he be allowed to visit the needed places?


Nyaklyayeu: "There are international agreements. It will be a serious violation not to allow them to do it if they arrive. The question “why?” will arise. If the problem is mentioned on the international level and if it will start being solved in some way, words will not be enough. They will have to demonstrate that people are not beaten and are caressed – they will have to show how people are caressed”.