Alesin, released from KGB detention center, says he was framed
The journalist was behind bars since November 25 on charges of cooperation with a foreign intelligence.
On the morning of 10 December, journalist of Belarusy i Rynak and military commentator Alyaksandr Alesin was released from the KGB jail. He told Radio Liberty that he was cleared of "treason", now he was being charged only with cooperation with foreign intelligence (Art. 356). The Criminal Code provides a lighter sentence for this (from 6 months to 2 years in prison), and so he was released on bail.
The expert said the date of his arrest was 25 November. He could not disclose other details, since he had been given a gag order.
"I can tell you one thing, it was a real set-up," said Alyaksandr Alesin in an interview to tut.by. He said that he had some thoughts about who could set him up, but he couldn't talk about it. Alesin told Radio Liberty that he considers it a set up by his collaborators. He stressed that 'he did nothing illegal and used the information from public sources'.
According to unofficial information, along with Alyaksandr Alesin, in the Minsk cafe KGB also detained an EU diplomat. The latter had some secret documents, and investigators tried to determine if he had received them from the journalist. Alesin neither confirmed nor denied this information. He only said that "it was close to the truth".
As Vyachaslau Khadasouski, Chief Editor of Belarusy i Rynak, told Euroradio, Alesin will rest for a few days, and on Monday he will already be at work. He believes that this "incident is over and done with". The expert also said that suffered a "little stress" and was going to rest and meet with relatives.
