KGB suspends case against journalist Alesin

Last week journalist Aliaksandr Alesin found out about the State Security Committee (KGB) suspending the criminal case against him.

"My case was officially suspended in accordance with Article 246 Part 1, paragraph 5 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Belarus - due to the inability of the investigation. I can even leave the country now -- travel from Belarus abroad," says Alesin.

According to the journalist, the reason for such decision might be that "there are statutes of limitations." The next step, says Alesin, should be a complete cessation of the criminal case.

A year ago, on 10 December 2014, Aliaksandr Alesin was released from a KGB detention center, where he was kept in "solitary confinement cell" for 21 days. The journalist was accused of espionage and had a criminal case started against him. On December 9, representatives of human rights organizations appealed to the Belarusian authorities to cease politically motivated criminal cases against some of its citizens. First on the list was the name of the former journalist of the newspaper "Belarusians and Market", famous military analyst Aliaksandr Alesin.

At the end of December 2015, the Euroradio reporter Zmitser Lukashuk asked the chairman of the KGB Valery Vakulchyk, when Alesin's case would finally be closed.

"In my opinion, the issue has been closed. I read his articles, he publishes his work, and, in my opinion, he has no problems," said the KGB chairman answering the questions from journalists.