Andrew Suryapin: The son showed real "holes" in the Air Defense
- 1.08.2012, 14:42
Personnel changes committed by Lukashenko in the border and defense agencies have not affected the fate of arrested Anton Suryapin and Sergei Basharimau.
Andrei Suryapin, father of Anton, still hopes that the acknowledgement of the violation of the airspace by the Swedish light airplane on July 4 will facilitate the release of the suspects, reports "Radio Svaboda".
"First of all, it is a good thing that something got off the ground in Anton's case, it’s a little relief. So I hope that something will change for the better for him, since they officially recognized the border crossings. At least, if there are adequate people, they should release him, because the man showed them real holes in the air space without spending a single penny of budget funds. He showed it, of course, indirectly, because he did not know that the aircraft flies illegally over Belarus, he just published pictures on its website. And then, because of these pictures, it became known that the plane have been here illegally. What could be the reasons of a person, who made these pictures? If the aircraft flies over his head and throws something, it means that someone has let it here. Who could know that this is not true and that someone will be punished for posting pictures? I do not understand such policy...", - said the father of the journalist.
Recall, on July 4 the Swedish aircraft flew through the Belarusian-Lithuanian border and then came back. Over the Ivyanets city and outskirts of Minsk the crew dropped 800 teddy bears with flyers in support of freedom of speech in Belarus. For three weeks the official Minsk did not recognize the fact of the flight. In the meantime, Anton Suryapin, who posted pictures of the teddy bears on the internet, and Sergei Basharimau, a realtor, who rented apartment to Swedes in Minsk, had been detained.
Only at a special meeting on July 26 Aliaxandar Lukashenka confirmed that the violation of the air border actually occurred. Lukashenka promised to draw conclusions before the end of the month. On July 31 with the wording - for "improper performance of duties on ensuring national security of the Republic of Belarus" were released from their posts the Chairman of the State Border Committee, Major-General Igor Raczkowski, and the Commander of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces, Major-General Dmitry Pokhmelkin.
About the incomplete official correspondence were warned the Defense Minister Lieutenant-General Yuri Zhadobin, and the Chief of the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces, the First Deputy Defense Minister, Major-General Peter Tikhanouski.
In addition, the Secretary of State Security Council of Belarus, Colonel-General Leonid Maltsev and the chairman of the State Security Committee, Lieutenant-General Vadim Zaitsev were reprimanded.