Aliona Autukhovich: “It is sinful to accuse us of terrorism”
Aliona Autukhovich: “Initially, we received a letter that he was to be freed on a grant of parole. The court hearing was scheduled for 1430. But on Sunday those people broke into our house. I don’t who to describe their forceful intrusion on Sunday morning. First, I heard dogs barking and got up to check what was going on. Then those soldiers broke in, grabbed my hands and took me to the second floor. I told them: “Go ahead and search, but I don’t know what you want from us.
I recognized one of them; he was not wearing a mask. I think he was a certain Kukharchyk, an investigator from Hrodna. He had earlier raided our house as well. He sat at the table and put some papers on it. Those people, some with pistols, acted aggressively. I don’t know how long it lasted but they were searching everywhere. We were not allowed to move.
What did they find? They gave us a protocol, mentioning phones, SIM-cards, cloth bags, children’s video tapes and even Kolya’s letters from prison. Afterwards, my husband was taken I don’t know where. Later in the evening, the Belarusian Television reported that explosives and weapons were found at our house. But take a look at the protocol of the seized items. It lists only what I have told you. It is not a secret or revelation that our television is deceitful. But it is sinful to accuse us of terrorism. God will pay everyone for that”.
The staffers at the firm, where Mikalai Autukhovich worked, keep asking: “Why?” Many did not come to work because of stress. During the morning shift, commandos in masks raided the firm’s offices as well. Witnesses narrate:
“They appeared in cars and on foot. Everyone was wearing masks and they quickly controlled the whole territory. There were around forty people. They just kept coming”.
“All the drivers who reported for the shift were ordered to put hands on the bonnets. Everything – cars, trunks – was searched. The drivers were searched as well”.
“The taxi vans were not allowed to be dispatched on routes. Only after the search ended, the vehicles were dispatched one by one. It is not clear what they were looking for. Demolition experts appeared soon and started checking the territory. After they did not find anything, they went to the office. Having not found anything there, they picked even business cards and personal notes”.
“The situation was nervous, because people did not know what those commandoes were doing there. The work was resumed by lunchtime, but only a half of the vehicles were dispatched on routes. Even today, some taxis are parked, because drivers can’t recover from shock”.
Regions.by
Photo from Narodnaya Volya
