CIA agents and KGB blast: Spy thriller unfolding in Vitsebsk?
With four people behind bars, one released under pledge not to leave his residence, several more are intimidated and keeping silence.
"I have managed to reach the relatives of two detainees who were later released. I don't know for what reason, possibly due to fear, these people are absolutely refusing to share their story about the detention and about what was happening to them and why they were eventuall released," local rights activist Pavel Levinau tells about the suspected perpetrators of the balst near the KGB office in Vitsebsk.
Investigation is underway on hooligazim charges, but the secret services refuse to reveal the names of the alleged hooligans. It remains to be known why.
Two days after the explosion, news about more detentions came again from the northern Belarus. This time it is about the "state treason", with locksmith Andrei Haidukou from Navapolatsk and communal service worker Illya Bahdanau. The two men are connected with the Belarusian Christian Democracy. The former is now at KGB's interrogation center, suspected with CIA links (he does not speak English, his relatives maintain). Bahdanau was released under his written pledge not to disclose the details of investigation. He says on November 9 KGB agents came to search his apartment and then took him with them into a cold darkness.
"They told me to get warm clothes, because it was going to be cold. When I asked them where they were taking me, they said: You will find out, just get dressed up."
KGB agents first took Bahdanau to Navapolatsk and then, keeping him in hundcuffs, further to Minsk. He was interrogated and released into the night after having pledged not to reveal the details of investigation. He would reach home by hitch-hiking with passing cargo trucks.
The question if the 'state treason' case is somewhat linked with the explosion near the KGB building in Vitsebsk remains open. But, coincidence is alarming. November 9 - opposition activists were detained; November 11- the explosion near the KGB office. On November 9, Lukashenka removed the KGB chief. But Belarusian Christian Democracy chairman Vital Rymasheuski reckons there si is no connection.
"There is no connection between the KGB blast in Vitsebsk and these people; it can't be."
Rymasheuski believes this is a fresh incident of pressure on opposition activists and calls to free Haidukou.
Usual pressure? Even Valiantsin Stefanovich, one of prominent leaders of Viasna human rights organization, fails to recall the 'state treason' as justification for prosecution.
"They would mention some espionage cases. KGB would report how many and what. But I can't really recall the 'state treason' charges.
Anyway, there are more questions than answers. The ball is with KGB to shed some light on this case or two cases, to be more exact.
