BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

12/06/2008

Belarus KGB arrested civil campaign European Belarus activist Alexander Atroshchenkov

Alexander Atroshchenkov, a young activist of the civil campaign European Belarus, has been arrested today in the State Security Committee (KGB) of Belarus Directorate of Minsk and Minsk region, online paper Khartiya'97 reports.

As the Khartiya'97 has been informed by the wife of Alexander, Darya, he was summoned to the KGB in the framework of the investigation of confiscation of computer equipment and personal archives from Atroshchenkov's apartment last autumn.

Before the European March, which was held on October 14, 2007 in Minsk, KGB officers burst into the apartment rented by Atroshchenkov. They stated that neighbours allegedly complained about "a smell of a dead body". As a result of a search two computers and different archive materials were confiscated. Atroshchankov himself was detained for a 10-day administrative arrest on traditional charge, "cursing in a public place". For a few months Atroshchankov tried to return his belongings; he wrote complaints to all possible institutions including the prosecutor's office.

A well-known Minsk lawyer Vera Stramkovskaya managed to reach on the phone the KGB Directorate of Minsk and Minsk region; she was told that nobody called Atroshchenkov had entered their building, and there were no entries about that in the register of the officer on duty, according to Khartiya'97.

Source:

http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1573

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