Andrei Dzmitryyeu: I may return there as quickly as I was released!

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu: I did not expect to be released today. It was clear that it would be a criminal case from the start. That is why I thought I would be jailed for at least 4 months until the end of the investigation. And for some time after that…...

— How did they treat you in the KGB detention centre?

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu: They were calm and indifferent. Everything was being done to keep us isolated with no access to information. They did not talk to us. Naturally, we had no TV-set, no newspapers and no sheets of paper. I did not receive any letters.

I did not meet the other detained. The system prevents you from seeing anyone else. I was jailed in a cell with people who had nothing to do with politics and had been jailed in the detention centre for a long time.

— How many cellmates did you have?

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu: Five or six – some people arrived and left. It was an ordinary cell, maybe 3x4m. There were plank beds, mattresses and pillows.

— Did you receive parcels?

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu: I started receiving parcels several days later. But I cannot say whether everything that had been sent reached me. The food was okay but my condition was so bad that I could not eat anything during the days – I did not want to.

—How did your morale change during the days?

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu: I was detained between 4 and 5 a.m. on December 20. Of course I understood that I would be detained. However, I decided not to run away and hide. I understood that I would never be able to come back if I left the country and I had not planned it.

It was not clear what was going on for the first few days, I did not know who had been arrested and who hadn’t. There was a controversial feeling that everything stopped outside. If everyone had been detained, it meant nobody would be able to do anything… However, I calmed down on the fourth day. At first, they informed me that I was accused of the organization of mass disorders. I saw familiar surnames and understood that all of us were there. I was not jailed together with them but I understood that they were nearby. I could hear the voices of Mikalai Statkevich, Andrei Sannikau and Iryna Halip going to or from interrogations along the corridor and it became quite simple.

— How can you assess the events of December 19?

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu: I am absolutely sure that some people on the list of the detained (I do not even know some of the names!) have nothing to do with the organization of any disorders. 

I can recall now that experts and people used to blame us for having no plan of actions for the square. We were all told: where are you going? You do not even have a plan! Now it has turned out that there was a plan. But only the authorities knew it. And the things that happened to candidates in the square…

— Judging by your words we can understand that some people jailed in the KGB detention centre have something to do with the mass disorders…

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu: I cannot say who is guilty and who isn’t. I should just say that I do not know some of the people! At the same time, the people I know, the people I worked with – Fyaduta, Vaznyak and Nyaklayyeu – they have nothing to do with it. I can say the same about some other people who were standing beside me and were not even in the place where the assault started.

I still think that it was a provocation. Every action should have a purpose. You do something because you count on something. The opposition received its benefits after the manifestation in Independence Square. It demonstrated that there were many protesting people. The next thing should have been the fact that the action was peaceful. It would not have allowed the authorities to react. And the outcome would have been different! However, the opposition could gain not benefit from the events that occurred in the square later.

— How do you think the situation will develop?

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu:  I do understand that I can return to jail as quickly as I was released. There is no guarantee. That is why I just enjoy what I have now… I wish the authorities made a few steps forward and started releasing people… Even on recognizance. They will not leave! Let the investigation continue but there is no need to keep people behind bars. They will be here in Belarus, they will be accessible.

I do not even understand the reason for the detention. Is this an escalation of the conflict? People are getting searched and are being kept behind bars… The European Union and USA are reacting to it again… They should blow off steam. The situation should be stopped and should be considered calmly.
— How can you comment on the TV speech broadcast by the Belarusian television on your behalf on December 20?

Andrei Dzmіtryyeu: I cannot comment on it now. I might do it in a few days.