Witnesses refute evidence at anarchists’ trial

The hearing of the case of members of the anarchist movement continues in Zavodzki District Court. Maxim Vetkin, Yauhen Silivonchyk, Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Dzyadok and Alyaksandr Frantskevich are accused of arsons in a few administrative buildings in the capital and of throwing “Molotov cocktails” at the Russian Embassy to Minsk. The guys are facing up to 12 years of imprisonment.

According to BelaPAN, witness Kseniya Kauko has refuted her evidence. She used to claim that Dzyadok had given her a bucket of paint at the anti-military action near the Ministry of Defense. Kseniya has explained that she had been interrogated for 8 hours in KGB and that they said that her mother would have problems so she had to sign the report. Kauko has confirmed that she did not see Mikalai Dzyadok at the action and that he did not give her any instructions.


Witness Ihar Bahachak was at the action near the Ministry but he did not see the accused there. He has also claimed that his parents were summoned to his interrogations. Moreover, the investigator tried to make him give evidence against Dzyadok and threatened Bahachak with a rape in the detention centre in Akrestsina, however, he did not give in to the threats. Bahachak has not lodged any complaints about the investigation yet because he thinks that there is no mechanism of protection from the police in Belarus.


Witness Alyaksandr Buhayou has claimed that he was arrested and delivered to Lenin District police office on September 7. He was being made to confess to the arsons. He claims that the investigator beat him trying to make him confess. The guy spent 9 days in the detention centre.