Tell the Truth! campaign punished for highlighting president's administrati

During the press conference today in Minsk on yesterday's police raids at offices and private flats of the Tell the Truth! campaign activists, expert Alyaksandr Fyaduta who is also a member of this civil initiative, explains why "dissemination of false information about goods and services" has become the grounds for persecution.

Alyaksandr Fyaduta: “We advertized the operation of the Office of the President; that's what all bloggers wrote. The action about the Tell the Truth! postcard that was supposed to be sent to the president was a propaganda action. We also advertized the operation of the Minsk City Hall which has the right to rename streets. We also advertized the operation of the Ministry of Labor, because our third action is titled "100 Unemployment Faces".



But he says the campaign has not received any money from those organizations from this 'advertizing campaign'. Instead, the campaign has got political benefits says Syarhei Kalyakin, the leader of the Just World party. Kalyakin: "What the authorities have done within 24 hours would make you do for several months. Today, the campaign has turned into a national movement from the awareness point of view. Ordinary people who heard about the detentions have begun talking about it. Although the situation is tragic, it is a very big success".



As for the charges against Syarhei Vaznyak, a member of the party's Politbureau who is at the police detention, Kalyakin says that many officials should be imprisoned under this article. "Under this Article 250 (1), if applied politically what has been done now, all the ideologists of the current regime, all the state-owned media should be imprisoned. If we regard information as goods, they give a false information about the political, economic and social situation in the country".

Politics stand behind the economic offence charges to justify the raids and detentions, says political commentator Sviatlana Navumava. "Just recently Alexander Lukashenka said that he was to prove there was a link beyween the Belarusian opposition and the Kremlin. Having heard enough of those rumors around the Tell the Truth! campaign, the authorities have pulled the trump and showed to the public a project which has nothing to do with the Kremlin. Thus, the government has acted not as a government but as a market vendor who listens to all these rumors.



In his turn, Alyaksandr Fyaduta saw blackmail attempts by the authorities behind yesterday's raids. "The Belarusian authorities are now blackmailing the West: you either make me legitimate or there will be a real dictatorship here. Simultaniously, Alexander Lukashenka has tried to blackmail Russia. This proves that the regime feels danger from the East as well", said Fyaduta.

What the regime feels now is less important than what those detained could expect. Syarhei Kalyakin said today that when Syarhei Vaznyak's relatives tried to pass warm things him a cell, a guard said that the editor-in-chief of Tovarisch newspaper was a bandit who is handcuffed and nothing could be passed to him. The things were accepted only after demands to call the superior commanders.

Human rights activist Tatsiana Protska said yesterday's searches were carried out in violation of the Penal and Procedural Code. This will be definitely mentioned in the complaints to the prosecutor. She also expressed confidence that all the detainees would be freed in three days. If they are tried, the verdict will be clearly politically motivated, she stressed.



Alexander Ulitsyoynak expressed confidence that the seizure of the office computers would not disrupt the operation of the campaign's web site for a long time. Just World party leader Syarhey Kalyakin and Popular Front leader Alyaksei Yanukevich and United Civil Party deputy chairman Leo Morgolin promised to render political support to the campaign if necessary.





The offices of the Tell the Truth! campaign and the flats of activists were raided by police on May 18-19. Office equipment, computers, leaflets and baloons were confiscated.




Photo by Zmitser Lukashuk