Aleh Bebenin: “Abductions demonstrate absence of liberalization in Belarus”

• 7.12.2009, 16:43

The pattern of abduction of oppositionists and independent journalists in Belarus remains the same.

Unknown people in mufti caught and took out of town leader of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Yauhen Afnahel and leader of “Young Front” Zmitser Dashkevich in the last two days. Such cases happened before. Spokesman of Xharter’97 Aleh Bebenin told in an interview to Radio Racyja what had happened to him in November 1997, ahead of Dzyady day.

“I was the deputy editor-in-chief of “Imya” daily newspaper. I was walking down Skaryna Avenue (that’s was its name at that time) trying to catch a taxi. A car stopped and some people got out of it. All of a sudden, they pushed me into the car. It took just a minute. I had no time to say anything.

They close my eyes with their hands and we drove somewhere. As a result, we stopped near the town of Zaslaye. They give me a shove and said: ‘Go to the wood’. They guarded me some hundreds of meter away. Then they began threaten me. They were talking about activity of independent journalists. They threatened me they would use me to show the rest how the latter should behave with the authorities.

Thank God, nothing happened. I was seized communication means – at that time it was a telephone card and a pager. They also took my money. I hitchhiked to Minsk by the evening, went to the editor’s office.

The people who caught me didn’t hide their faces, were impudent and assertive. I will never forget them. Among them was a man with moustache and some skinhead guys. As it is said, a standard set,” Aleh Bebenin reminds.

The journalist says he has never met these people anymore.

“I referred the Tsentralny district militia department regarding the abduction. We visited the site of kidnapping two times, some reports were drawn up. The case was hushed up after a while,” the independent journalist says.

“When I saw the information about the guys who were kidnapped and threatened during the last weeks, I recalled that time,” Aleh Bebenin notes. “I remind an incident with Yury Drakahrust and his wife, an action to support Pavel Sheremet. It was a real corporative solidarity. The fact that the events are repeated again means that the regime doesn’t carry out any liberalization.”