Natallya Pyatkevich: “When I come to the US, I am taken to a hoosegow with illegals”

• 24.06.2008, 9:07

Natallya Pyatkevich, deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Belarus, complained about entry restriction, imposed by the US and the EU on her and other Belarusian officials.

Pyatkevich visited a UN headquarters in New York in early June, where made a report on the debates on human trafficking. “It was my first visit, when I could entry the country rather fast,” Pyatkevich noted in an interview to Seventeen Moments programme on Russia-Belarus TV channel. “When I come to the US, I am taken to a hoosegow with illegal aliens, and I have to sit there, dressed in suit, while they phone to somewhere. US border officers don’t understand: a young normal woman, what is she doing here, why can’t she entry? But it was rather quickly... everything was solved during some minutes. However, I am restricted to visit New York. We are restricted to a 25-kilometer zone, so, we can’t go everywhere in New York. “

It should be reminded that Natallya Pyatkevich and tens of Belarusian officials are on the list of restricted to entry EU countries and the USA for violations of human rights and rigging elections in Belarus. Four more officials – minister of internal affaires Uladzimir Navumau, secretary of the Security Council Viktar Sheiman, former minister of internal affairs Yury Sivakou and special forces commander Dzmitry Paulichenka are on the list for the international community suspects they are involved in kidnapping and murders of leaders of the Belarusian opposition and a journalist.