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"Got it!"

March 27, 2006 Daily Journal

March 19: Observations **
I will be very brief , for there is no time. I sat on the site, watched all day. Yesterday, in the lists of voters in my site there were 1925 people. This morning, it was already 2122. Tonight, before the counting of the votes, there were 2251. How could the site “grow” by 225 people?

The commission came across normal, I will not lie, let me watch the calculation. My vision is good, so I saw how they laid out the ballots on the neighboring edge of the table. Twice “catching the hand” of a man who laid the ballot for Kozulin, in a pack of ballots for Lukashenko.

The results on early voting and voting on election day vary very much. I remember almost everything, because I re -read the protocol (by the way, the signed is the most important fact! - the chairman of the commission).

In general, by voting on the day of the election, Milinkevich received 350 votes, Lukashenko - 540, Kozulin - 73. 107 bulletins were “against all”. 22 spoiled.

Now compare with the results of early voting:
Milinkevich-25 votes, Lukashenko-355, Kozulin-26. “Against all”- 3 ballots.
I do not believe that the results may vary. Moreover, not only the old people-lumshists voted ahead of schedule. The largest percentage of early voting was given by the hostel - it is real.

On March 19, after observation, we got to a rally on Oktyabrskaya Square to the most hat, at half-and-eighteenth. As the ICQ expressed, “again the authorities deceived the people,” - neither vodromets, nor columns of special forces, nor you defendant gases. Yes, all these things were and are not needed. The most effective weapon of the current government is the sides. And she skillfully uses it. The people were intimidated long before the 19th. Blazed by the statements of special services about the next "covered" bases for the training of militants. Blaged with idiotic rumors about Georgian terrorists, supposedly intending to blow up 4 schools in Minsk (and, by the way, still launch poison into the water supply). One of my friends simply locked my mother in the apartment and did not let it on a rally.

In general, there was a maximum of 10 thousand people there. They stood and stood, then went to Victory Square and from there diverged home.
But tomorrow I will go again.

March 20-21: Maidan
I write these lines on March 22 at 0.48. Over the past day, I slept only 2 hours. An hour and a half ago I was released from the police department. I still do not know where my brother, who was carrying people standing in the square.

Perhaps they are still standing there, on Oktyabrskaya Square, clinging with a ring, tightly holding hands around a small tent town to protect it with their bodies. A ten -degree frost falls on Minsk. Reinforcement will not come, no one will break through the cops and gesniks in civilian clothes, blocking all the inputs and exits to the square. No one can carry hot tea or sleeping bag. I was convinced of this a couple of hours ago on my own experience.

Many of them are already more than 15 hours. And someone and more than a day. Soon they will just begin to kill frost. Another "elegant victory" of the regime.

During these two days I seemed to have matured for 10 years. These days have accommodated a lot and possibly changed my life more than I can think now.
These days I found out what it means to cross fear, what it means to love and what it means to hate. And as it happens when all life collapses. Something from what I found out and felt, I will never be able to forget. And I can’t forgive something. How much I will live - they will burn me these memories. Probably, these were the strongest shocks in my life.

It was blue, so blue that I have never seen. When I die, I will try to remember this amazingly blue sky above the October Square in Minsk. In the evening, on March 20, when our Belarusian Maidan began.

Already, rivers of lies are poured on the participants of the tent town. Like, and all this was planned in advance, and there are all stoven, obsolete, soaked scumbags there. And the authorities even call the amounts that they allegedly paid to us. What is a shame, even many Russian media adhere to similar politicians. For me personally, this is like a knife, planted in the back by a man whom you considered your friend.

Here I will write the truth and only the truth. You can consider this the most accurate information. I was among the first dozen people who, under the light of television cameras and blits of cameras, began to put up tents. It happened. Now I still face a prison, and I won’t get away for 15 days. But no matter how it ends, I do not regret my decision.

So, the sky above the October. When 10 thousand people gathered there on March 20, it was transparent blue, the first sparks of the stars were born in it. Alexander Milinkevich, standing on the steps of the Palace of Trade Unions, shouted into the microphone that the elections were illegal, that the voters were pressure, that mass falsifications took place. Then they turned on the music, and swam over a huge area, sad and strict, Oginsky Polonaz. "Debannoye z Radzimai." We sang along, quietly, solemnly as if it were a anthem.

Then something broke in me and left. The throat squeezed a tight sob. Throwing his head back, looking through the veil of tears into the high sky, I listened to the words as if written about us.

It was not just a song - she called and asked. And we did not let her down.
After the song, something else was said there, on the steps. But the main events did not occur there, but in with the very thick of the people. When people suddenly heard, freeing up, and the first tents fell on the asphalt. Among them was mine. 5 people began to put them. I did not have time to approach there - from the crowds, strong guys suddenly jumped out with thick inexpressive faces, in black hats. They stupidly trampled the tents with their feet, broke the arcs, grabbed and carried the sleeping bags and tents, tried to hit the layers. Acted very harmoniously and clearly.

People managed to get something out of their hands, but they carried most of the things. Fortunately, this was only the first party. Then people simply stood around us with a wall, clasped tightly by the elbows, for each other and did not let anyone inside. Those who tortured to break through were pushed their shoulders.

And there were many provocateurs, gesnikov in civilian clothes, a lot of terrible. They stood around with flocks. And some clung to our badges, “for freedom” and tried to quietly join the cordon.

And so, behind this living wall - with a lead, we defeated our tents. I clearly remember the moment when I stood in a cordon, hesitated whether to go inside, and Sveta called me, my friend, who was already working there.

I did not experience any special emotions then. She just stepped into the middle and took up the arc, helping to put up a tent. The shock came later. First, I hid my face under the hood, because many video cameras aimed at our eyes. Then I decided that this was a half-hearted decision: what to stop here. And took off the hood.

We set up tents, spread the rugs and sat on them. Then I began to shake me. The realization of what we did. And the fact that my whole previous life is very possible, at this very moment it goes through the sand through my fingers. All! Both intellectual games and a children's club, which was my joy for so many years. And the secured existence, and work in a scientific journal, and friends, and books, and parents. And beloved Minsk. And, perhaps, Belarus ... and possibly freedom.

I tried to hide tears under the hood so that the journalists would not see. This is an ugly sight when a person shakes and twists from sobs.
Then she calmed down: what was done is done. There is no road back. In fact, was it worth reading in childhood such good books and listening to such good songs, so that later in life it has nothing to do with it?
Only one thing remained to do, and I did it. I called, to the man whom I love for two years, and told him about it. I have long wanted, but I could not decide. And now there is nothing to be afraid of.

“The beautiful is far” and something about lies.
At first there were a lot of people around us, there was a dense ring. Music played on the porch, the journalists approached us an interview. I spoke with the Euronuis correspondent and Georgian television journalists, with the NTV correspondent. It was not very pleased, to be honest, but for some reason they quite often came up to me.

After 23.00 the music was turned off, because the law prohibits loud music at night. We strive to comply with the law in everything, even in the little things. Because we know: they can turn any trifle against us. And if they don’t find a trifle, they will think.
After twelve, people began to disperse, because the subway soon stopped working. We were less and less left, but the cordon was wonderful, just to death.

At night, people with hot tea thermos began to come. These were, as a rule, elderly women and men from the nearest houses. It was not easy to go to us from the very beginning. In order to prevent the people from supporting us, the police detained anyone on the outskirts of anyone who found a thermos, food or sleeping bag. But somehow they managed. I remember two elderly women who dragged three thermos with hot water. They kissed us and said that they would pray for us. In the morning, a very old grandfather with a crumpled cellophane bag came. In the package were boiled sausage and bread. Grandfather said: "Sorry that so little: that's all in the refrigerator."

If not for these people, it would be harder for us. Now the police intercepts them and gives tea or sleeping bag for 10 days for a thermos. According to yesterday on the Internet, more than 100 people have already been detained.

My story will be in many ways a refutation of all the lies that the Belarusian and some Russian media are falling on us. So, a lie that our action is anti -Russian, that we hate Russia. Among us were Russians from Moscow, with a Russian tricolor. Our Maidan began not only for Belarusian songs. The most friendly we sang “Changes”, “Blood Group”, “Star named Sun” Tsoi. And "whistled" DDT. They sang the “Atlanteans” of Gorodnitsky, the “book children” of Vysotsky, the “idiotic march” of Medvedev. They sang winged swings.

Our protest is against lies and dictatorships, against falsification of elections and the disappearance of people, the beating of journalists. Against the Soviet Union, which grabs us by the legs from its seemingly deep grave.

I would like to ask the Russians: do you really need an ally like Lukashenko? An ally, chosen on the principle: “even a bastard, but our bastard”?
Those Russians who stood in a cordon shoulder to the shoulder with Belarusians do not need such an ally.

And with us there were several Ukrainians who managed to leak across the border with the flag. There was a Georgian flag, but I did not seem to see Georgians. There were many white-red-white flags and several flags of the European Union.

Together with us, two young Estonian journalists were placed with us.
By the way, a lie that all this was planned in advance. I will tell you how the idea arose to put up tents and how the original six of the brave arose. There is nothing to lose: our faces were photographed by all the leading television channels in Europe and gabsch cameras, probably too. Then they can knock out the testimony from me that everything was different, but here I hope I will have time to tell the truth.

I rent an apartment with Sasha and Tanya. With Tanya, we lived together in the hostel of the journalism department of BSU. Sometimes the light comes to us from Smorgon, our girlfriend on the same hostel.

On March 18, at a concert in support of Milinkevich, Tanya and Sasha met two journalists from Estonia, they walked, asked who they could spend the night because they did not want to go to the hotel. As to us, to us, on the border of them for 3 hours, a person from the KGB interrogated for 3 hours. The laptop was taken to K to. Therefore, they were afraid to settle officially.

Tanya and Sasha brought them to us. We talked to late at night, in the morning I left to watch, then to the square, and did not return home. She stayed to spend the night with Pasha.
According to those numbers that began to give a centrizbark in the evening, it became clear that we were deceived. 19 In the evening, Sveta came to us. She campaigned for Milinkevich in Smorgon, and the results of the elections in her sites did not please her either.

As Tanya told me, at night they sat and talked in the kitchen about how to express their protest. The idea of ​​tents occurred to almost everyone at the same time.
The funny thing is that such an idea appeared not only with them. Pashka and I also discussed such an opportunity that night, but we didn’t go further than the discussion. And at Svetka with Tanya, it happened. They called acquaintances and guys from the "Young Front". It turned out that many had such thoughts. They just had to agree on how much they will come to the square, and how to drag the equipment there.

K and with first were surprised, then they said: “Think for yourself, this is your country. Of course, we will help you put it, but it’s easier for us. In extreme cases, they deport - and that's it. And you will have huge problems. "

Svetka and Tanya agreed to problems. So there were four of them. In the morning of the 20th, they called Pashka and I ask me for permission to take my tent, sleeping bag and backpack. I naturally allowed. Pasha and I decided that we would also participate somehow-when it seemed not to be so serious.

So we became six. Apart from the guys still unfamiliar to me.
By the way, the average age of people in Oktyabrskaya will be somewhere mine. 24 years. Very young, there are students, but not all. There are older people, mostly strong men in a cordon. There are more guys than girls.

So, I continue my story. We were removed almost continuously so that the flashes did not interfere with singing, I closed my eyes. In the center of the camp, among tents, we put tourist rugs. In their middle, we first stacked food and warm things, then there were a lot of them, and we allocated two tents for the warehouses. When I carried hot tea in the rows, someone gave me two bouquets of flowers-irises and some other. We put them in a jar. Nearby, someone brought and set the icon. We lit two thick candles near her. They tried to keep this middle in order, remove garbage from there. Still, an icon ... only thermos with hot tea was placed nearby, but they quickly devastated. In the middle we sat little - how only hot tea or coffee brought, we poured them into glasses and handed them out to our corders.

By the way, one of the most vile fiction of the Belarusian media is that we are all drunk, and in thermos we bring beer to us. It is invented clumsy: what a fool will drink beer in the cold at 3 a.m. in 3 a.m., and not hot water?

However, we foresaw such inventions. Therefore, in the tent and around there was a complete dry law. Everyone understood perfectly well: the Lord has a drop at least a drop of alcohol - they will be saluted and weaken with alcoholics. Periodically, the people began to chant: “I am su-khoy! I am su-khoy! " An hour at 4 in the morning, some unknown guy brought us two bottles of vodka. We wanted to send him back with them, and then thought: what if he is actually not a provocateur and gets caught by the cops? We did not even open these unfortunate bottles. They wrapped them around them, put them in a bag, hid it in a tent and filled up with things.

All night with us was Alexander Milinkevich with his wife. They descended from the steps, came to our tents. Once they managed to drag a thermos with hot tea from outside. And the two sons of Milinkevich were detained at night on the avenue when they tried to carry warm things.

It was very cold at night, especially the cordon that closed us, including from the wind. These people ... I am ready to kneel before them. They stood in a dense ring in the cold all night, and some and more - at 14 hours or more, without leaving, not moving. At night, a very young guy was brought to us, who was easily dressed. He could hardly speak. We watered him with hot tea, rubbed his hands on which there were no gloves.

How to warm? They sang songs, chanted slogans, danced under the rhythm, beaten off on circles. In different parts of the cordon, people from time to time also began to dance something like medieval circular dances, rhythmically crossing and driving.
Someone pressed, someone crouched. Several people arranged a run around the ring, trying to be closer to those standing. They fled with flags, there was a guy with Russian ahead, then someone with two, Belarusian and Ukrainian, then Georgian. Periodically, they yelled joyfully: “Motor for the buildings of the Lad of Zhytsya!” I also ran with them. Great warms up.

A little later we had to solve another problem. The toilet, no matter how prosaic. Of course, many people from the nearest houses would let us in. The problem is that it was not possible to go there. Around the cordon there were people in civilian clothes and Sobrovtsy. All entrances and exits to the square were blocked. I saw with my own eyes that on the streets adjacent to the square there were whole “caravans”- wounds for prisoners, buses with riot police. Just get away somewhere-and “with the ends”.

They thought for a long time how to get out of the situation. One guy helped, Digger. With almost his bare hands, he opened the sewer hatch, from the edge, closer to the road. A tent was placed above the hatch, cut the bottom in it. At first it was very carried out of the hatch. I yelled encouraging to others: "Have you thought the revolution smells of roses?"
And dived into the tent.

And on Belarusian television, they said that the vile opposition arranged a toilet - straightforwardly with a team with the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. ” Funny! The museum is so on the sidelines from the ring and cameras of journalists that the one who would think to visit him obviously would not have come back.

I must also say about one lie. Before that, an absurd and awkward fiction-and yet many people believe in it. We, as if, are simply standing for money. At first, the figure of 20 thousand white rubles was called. Then they realized that it looks just funny and ridiculous. “Raised” the authorities “salary” by almost five times - 50 bucks.

My God! Let those who believe in this come, but tried to stand under the views and cameras of people in civilian clothes. 14 hours to stand, nomadic in the cold, and wait for dawn as deliverance. It’s joyful to scream when it dawned. And to see in the morning that there are few reinforcements, people simply do not break through. And to feel how terribly the ring grows with every minute, because people can’t stand it and go to bed, but there is no change. And every minute wait for the assault, beating, provocations. And to know that, perhaps, tomorrow you will be kicked out of the university or from work, or put in jail.

Yes, in the morning there were very few of us. When at 6 in the morning the bus No. 100 went along the avenue, we came up with this. The side of the cordon, which was facing the avenue, every time the “weed” drove up to his knee so that the tents were visible. And people chased: “Yes-Lu-Ti-Tses! Yes-Lu-chitz! " (For those who do not know the Belarusian language: this means “Join!”). They did this while they could physically.

We waited and waited for help, and it came so little !!! But in 9 it became clear that the ring would stand. Some of the people changed. When we carried hot tea and food to them, they said: "Thank you, we just from home."

At 9 in the morning I felt very bad. I wanted to sleep and pounded from the cold. Pashka and I seized the moment, ran a run past the Sobrovtsev and people in civilian clothes, next to whom the journalists stood, jumped into the "hundred" and left. And Sveta and Tanya stayed there, the third day without sleep.

I hate
We slept for a couple of hours at Pashka and went on work. It is so strange: you yourself are already different, and your life is already changing rapidly, but everything is still inertia, quiet and surface. Nobody knew anything in the editorial office. Another day one could amuse yourself with a strange illusion that the former, measured and comfortable life continues. A strange and sweet illusion, as if from prison or from war returned for half a day to his former life.

At work, I didn’t even fall asleep. Edited a damn difficult article, cheerfully figured out business.
Then I went home - get a warmer, change my shock, otherwise I pulled the devil to leave the house in the light spring shoes. I did not really have time to eat. I decided to go to October, although I doubted it. In my opinion, I was not a cold, besides, I really wanted to get enough sleep and write a diary. And then suddenly they will rake tomorrow - and goodbye, "continued"!
Still decided. She was wrapped in a sleeper with a sleeping bag, sewed a sleeping bag to the sweater and glued it with tape.

They took me in the subway in Oktyabrskaya Square. Very easy and simple: the sleeping bag was visible from under the sheepskin coat. A policeman blocked the road to me, asked the documents and ordered to go with him to a supporting point in the subway.

There I had to arrange a forced striptease, to remove everything from the purse. I tried to behave as calmly and friendly as possible. I tried to make a human conversation with people in uniform, and I did it. The officer who was sitting there was generally normal, and we spoke to him. This black -eyed handsome uncle seriously asked how much they paid. The second was not at all like that. He grinded my handbag. I found disks and viciously asked what I have there. I calmly said: “Well, take it, look,” and he was instantly covered with cold later. I had news there from the Svaboda.org website and the March Diaries. The second cop thought for a long time whether to break my disks (which I wanted the most at that moment). As a result, they nevertheless gave. They also gave the business card to, in Estonian. They probably did not see the word "correspondent" there.

My Militsa and I talked, I tried to explain my position to them, to make it clear that we were not drunken scumbags. The policemen told me that there would be a “hapun” tonight, they would beat people and take people into the police. In general, they tried in every possible way to intimidate.

Only once I almost fell off - when people came from civilian clothes, gesniki.
If I can understand the policemen and justify in some ways, then these are no-on-v-yu! They are all similar to something: the same thick inexpressive faces, the same complacency and confidence in their impunity. They are dressed in something dark and inexpressive, and therefore they will recognize them.

These were with badges, our icons "For Freedom"! They behaved in the department as full masters. One of them, the one that was higher and more tight, looked at my sleeping bag and said rather: “Oh! Sleeping bag! I will bring it to his Nikolayich in the car, let him warm up, otherwise he froze in 4 hours. "

And then I realized that I need to keep myself in my hands tightly, otherwise I would break off.
They climbed in my things, watched a passport for a long time. One took the book of the Strugatsky brothers, which was in his purse, puzzled it in his hands (I was drawn to say: this is the book, they read it) and asked: “What is this? Detective? Mysticism?"

At first they wanted to write a protocol and take me to the receiver-distributor for the surroundings. But here the high said:
“Ay, well, her! We went to these morons, and while we carry it, there, in a cordon, everything tasty will eat without us ”
And I put it on the most prominent place with a white-red-white icon.
I have never felt such hatred and pain. I wanted to cling to his throat, this fed fed cynical Borov, who arrests us and with a clear conscience eats our own food. The food that people rush to us who risk sitting for this for 10 days. Which is handed out by the frozen hands of the girls, standing on the Maidan for the second day without sleep.

This cannot be forgiven and forget. The most disgusting thing that the current government did is divided her people into “chased” and “nchais”. Most of the people overwhelmed the brains. Vilely pounded in front of her the cleanest, honest and bold, not suffering injustice, who did not know how to put up with evil. And that smaller, “dissenting” part forced to see the possible provocateur and employee of the special services in every person. And all the people were forced to fear and be silent. To be afraid of arrest, departure from work, beating in the dark entrance. To be afraid for yourself, friends and relatives. These days, acquaintances and friends constantly call me, ask if I feel free how I feel.
Check if everything is in order with me.

If in order, then not for long. I do not have illusions. If today I was held for two hours and released, this does not mean that democracy has come in the country.
It is simply unprofitable for them to raise noise now when there are so many foreign journalists in Minsk. These guys from Reuters, Polish television and other media - only their presence is now protecting us. We are free, while there, in the square, there is a ring. I think, as soon as all this ends, "the State Security Committee will remind our names." Moreover, we did not hide our faces.

March 22: Da-Lu-Ti-Tses! **
A little bit at home.

I hastily finish the diaries and leave for the square. I am pouring calls from friends and relatives who saw me on NTV and in EuroNyu. But with the phone something strange, it has some kind of noise and clicks. Most likely, we are listened to.

Last night, Estonians called us, K. and S. Estonian consul asked them to urgently leave the country. He said that they had a great place next to us and that the “tents” are waiting for very big problems. They asked for forgiveness, for leaving and throwing us.

I hope I can send these diaries on the Internet, I will reach the Internet cafe. I'll send it to whom I can.
What will happen tomorrow, I don't know. I want to ask those who read it. People! If you are Belarusians, come to the square, who can - stand with us! Yes-Lu-Ti-Tses! (About how the Old Man blocked the opposition Internet, read the page of the Living Journal .

If you live far from Minsk, spread these diaries to read the maximum number of people. You will also help this too. If it cannot stand next to us, then at least remember how all this was and tell others.
Just in case, everyone for now! Daily magazine

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