“The hard truth” hurts
It had been a while since law enforcement agencies carried out such a coordinated and massive search operation. Even the recent campaign of media harassment could not be compared with the scope of current police activities. In the early afternoon on 18 May there was news of searches in the Minsk office of Tell the Truth! All computers, leaflets, booklets and books were confiscated from the campaign head quarters. Later similar news came from Brest, Homiel, Hrodna, Barysaŭ, Vaŭkavysk and other cities. There are reasons to believe that police and KGB had detailed information about all regional offices and their activists.

Riot policemen tried to prevent journalists from making pictures and video of the raid. After the search the campaign headquarters in Minsk were sealed. The police operation spreader far beyond the Minsk city limits. Similar searches were conducted in almost every major city. Scenarios were identical: armed SWAT units entered offices or activists’ private flats, searched them, confiscated computers and other equipment as well as printed materials.

Officially the searches were held as a part of a criminal case opened under Article 250 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (dissemination of false information about goods and services).

Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe informed that 11 activists of the campaign were detained and taken to the police department of Leninski district in Minsk. About 20 persons in all were held during searches in different parts of the capital and booked in various police departments. They were interrogated about the activities of Tell the Truth!: where their leaflets were printed, what events were planned, what was the source of their financing.

The flat of a poet Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, campaign’s leader, was also searched. His computers, mobile phones, leaflets, books were confiscated. He was also taken to the police department of Leninski district for questioning. Nyaklyaeu and two his colleagues, Syarhie Vaznyak and Andrei Dzmitryeu spent three days in the Akreścina detention centre. After their release they issued an official statement declaring intentions to continue with Tell the Truth!

Tell the Truth! New authorities’ sore spot
Tell the Truth! campaign started on 25 February this year. Prominent and famous in the country individuals were its co-founders: writers Ryhor Baradulin and Henadz Buraukin, decorated actress Zinaida Bandarenka, Chernobyl Children Fund organiser Henadz Hrushavy, chess player Viktar Kupreichyk, HR defender Tatsiana Procka. Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, a poet, was elected as a leader.

From the onset it was declared that the campaign was apolitical. According to its leader Nyaklyaeu the main goal was to inform the Belarusian population about the real, uncensored and not sweetened, situation in the country. The first initiative was to spread true unemployment data and publicly discuss this problem. Yet campaign founders noted that ‘if Tell the Truth! is successful it will influence the presidential campaign,’ which is about to start fairly soon.

The campaign organisers printed 200,000 post cards pre-addressed to the presidential administration where ‘citizens could write the truth about an important problem so that it can begin to be solved.’ Tell the Truth! also collected signatures for properly commemorating the late writer Vasil Bykau, who although being a national symbol was largely ignored by the authorities. Campaign activists held series of meetings in various cities and towns across the country to get familiar with ordinary people’s problems in order to start advocating them.  Evidently, judging by the police raid, the truth was not regime’s main priority.

“Hysteria ahead of the election”

The EU reaction was swift: the official statement was adopted on 21 May. “The Local Presidency of the EU is deeply concerned by the raids made by the police on 18 May on 20 premises connected with the civic society movement "Tell the Truth", which campaigns on societal issues in Belarus.

We call on the authorities to allow the freedom of expression, access to information and of assembly granted under articles 33, 34 and 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus.

It is the firm conviction of the EU that democratic development is only possible where differing opinions are allowed to be expressed and where sources of independent information are readily available to the population as a whole.  This is of particular importance in the run-up to the Presidential elections which must be held no later than February 2011,” the document stressed.

A similar statement was produced within the country by Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs. According to signatories the authorities crack down on Tell the Truth! “proved their uncertainty in the upcoming electoral campaign.” Underlying lawless police conduct Assembly called upon “the Belarusian authorities to stop harassments for political reasons.” 

It appears that both Belarusian and foreign experts agree that this new wave of repressions is directly related to the fore coming presidential campaign, which is about to start this summer. And the latest events have proven that it will not be calm and democratic as EU and USA would like it to be. Thus far it is evident that the Belarusian regime is willing to compromise its relationship with international community in order to stay in power domestically.