Paval Sevyarynets: I take a shower and head for church

Euroradio: How is your work? Is everything okay?

Paval Sevyarynets: Thank goodness! I’m trying to become familiar with the machinery, spare parts and I have met a lot of interesting people. They come here to buy spare parts from the whole neighbourhood. Many of them have read about me and they talk to me. There are a lot of guests and many people visit the commandant’s office.

Euroradio: Have you been allowed to go to church?

Paval Sevyarynets: I have. The warden has given me four hours a week to go to church and to the bath-house. It is necessary to write a special application but I can go to church every week now. I take a shower at my acquaintances’ – a very good family have offered me their bathroom because the bath-house opens at 10 a.m. So I take a shower and head for church.

Euroradio: How difficult your living conditions are?

Paval Sevyarynets: There is no hot water. The water is chalybeate so we have to filter it. But people live here. More than a hundred people are serving their sentences here.

Euroradio: Let’s switch to politics. Do you think the opposition should take part in the round-table discussion?

Paval Sevyarynets: Political prisoners have not been released so far and it means that there can be no round-table discussions. Speaking about the situation in general, if Lukashenka organized the round-table discussion for the sake of Belarus’ future and for a presidential transition, the situation would resemble Jaruzelski’s situation in Poland – of course such round-table discussion would be worth taking part in. However, we do not know how real this round-table discussion is. Lukashenka is unlikely to do it.

Euroradio: What will happen if the round-table discussion is limited to the release of political prisoners and a good image for the West?


Paval Sevyarynets: I can tell you that the majority of political prisoners suffer more than I do. I think that they and their relatives are waiting for the release much more. I think that it would be okay if the round-table discussion resulted in the release of political prisoners. However, I can hardly believe it. I think it is connected with the IMF’s credit or with sounding out the possibilities. Lukashenka twaddles from time to time.