On 11 April a bomb blasted in the centre of Minsk, in the underground station “Kastrychnitskaya”. According to Radio Liberty, 204 people were injured and 12 killed as a result of the attack. The doctors are struggling to save lives of 11 more people who are in critical state now.
April, 13 was declared a mourning day in Minsk. A criminal case was initiated and precautionary measures taken in the capital: metal detectors are being installed in the underground and ticket inspectors are getting special instructions.
Interrogate opposition!
On 13 April the President of Belarus Aliaksandr Lukashenka 
announced that the terrorists had been arrested.
According to the President, these were the same people who organised bomb blasts in Viciebsk in 2005 and on the Independence Day in Minsk in 2008.
Lukashenka also ordered to interrogate opposition politicians on the subject of April 11 blast.
“It is possible that these so-called politicians of fifth column will reveal their hand and show us who is the mastermind behind the attack. Maybe someone from the authorities? Everyone must be interrogated. Pay no attention to no democracy, to whines and moans of foreign sufferers. We have the material. So take it and investigate, and let them explain where is the information from”, – said Lukashenka.
The President of Belarus condemned the reflections “on some kind of human rights”.
“It fell into mere profanity. The whole nation goes through the tragedy, mourns for the dead, while our European so-colled partners in Strasbourg ponder over some kind of human rights” – he said.
“We must not give ourself any rest. The cleansing will cover all directions – you understand, what I am talking about”, – added Lukashenka
Warnings for opinions
The Prosecutor General’s Office cautioned the leader of “For Freedom” movement Aliaksandr Milinkevich, journalist Aliaksandr Starykevich and former KGB officer Valery Kostka for “spread of unconfirmed information about the tragic events in Minsk underground”.
Aliaksandr Starykevich got warning for the article “Who needed it?”.
Besides, the access to the independent web-sites “Charter’97” and “Belarusian Partizan” was limited on the day of the attack. During the briefing on 11 April, the representative of Prosecutor General’s Office said that the sites “abused the freedom of speech”.
What about the officials?
On 12 April, the vice-spokesmean of the House of
Representatives Viktar Huminski, right, linked the terror attack to the tensed economic situation in the country, as if both had been provoked by "the same enemy".
He claimed that “all the events – Independence Day blast, the post-election protests, calls for economic boycott, buying craze for sugar, vegetable oil, foreign currency – are the parts of one plan”.
Huminski also underlined the need of evaluation of the Belarusians, who “are trying to represent Belarus abroad”. “Now they are no longer patriots. They are patriots of their personal well-being, of those who provides it,” – said vice-spokesman.
Opinion of a HR-defender
Human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovich, left, told “Viasna”, that he considers “impermissible in such a tragic situation” statements of a person, that occupies a high state position.
“The Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus warned about the inadmissibility of statements and publications of slanderous character and various insinuations. Hence, I believe this warning concerns all of the citizens, regardless of their political views and occupied position.
The criminal proceedings have been initiated, which I hope to establish the guilty of the tragedy. From my side I also want to encourage the official mass-media, state authorities to refrain from thoughtless comments, seeking and appointing the guilty, pinning the lables, dividing the citizens in “patriots” and “pseudopatriots”.
Activists interrogated all over country
According to Viasna, activist Ihar Bahatchyk was summoned up in the morning of 12 April. The topic of conversation was the blast in “Kastrychnitskaya” underground station. When Ihar refused to come without an official writ, the police promised to bring him the notice immediately. The officers of Directorate for Combating Organised Crime inquired Ihar about where he was, and what he was doing in the evening of 11 April. He was released afterwards without drawing up a report.
The same day Dzianis Dashkevich, an activist from Rahačou (south of Belarus) was summoned up to local KGB office, where he was interrogated about the terrorist attack in Minsk.
“They asked me, where I have been yesterday, and whether there are any witnesses who could confirm that have been at home, or in a shop or at work. Other questions concerned whether I have heard from other opposition activists about the imminent blast or whether there were any incitement to blasts during the mass protest on 19 December. Naturally I said that I haven’t heard anything like that”, – said the activist.
According to human rights defenders, the interrogations of activists took place in Brest (West of Belarus) as well. The chairperson of local section of Belarusian Party of United Leftists “A Just World” Liudmila Dzianisenka was questioned in the KGB office. The investigators inquired about her whereabouts on 11 April.
The human rights defenders encourage the law-enforcement agencies, who take part in investigation of the tragedy, not to create an atmosphere of suspicion and fear in the society, but try to find the real criminals as fast as possible.
