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Loud resignation in the power structures of Germany

The German Ministry of Internal Affairs officially confirmed the dismissal of the leadership of the federal police. By decree of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Germany Hans-Peter Friedrich, the head of the department of Matthias Zeger and his two deputies-Wolfgang Lomann and Michael Fres were dismissed. The scandal erupted due to the facts of the “close cooperation” of the leadership of the German police with the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Matthias Zeger

Zeger served as head of the Federal Police of Germany since March 2008. The main reason for personnel cleaning analysts call “internal conflicts” in the department. Zeger, in particular, opposed the reform proposed by the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which involved the merger of the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Department in one structure. Another important reason for his dismissal, many commentators are convinced, was the “Belarusian factor”. What are you talking about?

In 2009, Chef Zeager visited a working visit in Minsk, met there with the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus in order to “exchange experience”. The specifics of meetings in the press did not leak, except for the replicas of the then deputy head of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs Evgeny noon, thrown in a conversation with journalists: the Belarusian police when organizing law and order on mass actions, henceforth "intends to adopt German experience." And then other officials in Minsk began to indicate the importance of studying the experience of German colleagues when suppressing the riots, which in Germany provoke neo -Nazis and ultra -which ones from time to time. And in the summer of 2009, the units of the Belarusian riot police visited Germany, where they took a course at one of the bases of the German quick response forces.

New contours

Since the fall of 2009, the work of the Belarusian security forces to suppress protests and really gains new contours. Methods that German police officers use to combat extremists, in Belarus, were the first to feel on themselves by journalists working at opposition rallies and pickets: in the midst of the action, people somehow imperceptibly appear in a sports physique and are accepted tightly to “take care” primarily television and photorepectors: they pushes, as if unclear, they closed with their hands, close the objects of the chambers, they close the objects of the chambers If nearby riot police beat one of the manifestants. And once, as reminded the New Times, the acting The heads of the Valentin Stefanovich’s human rights center Valentin Stefanovich, the contents of the cange with tear gas were sprayed into the NTV operator.

After the protests of the Belarusian Association of journalists, from the beginning of 2010, press offices begin to appear at protest promotions, the task of which is to “ensure the safety of media workers”. The provision is very peculiar: press offices are trying to take journalists away from the epicenter of events, citing the interests of their own security. At the same time, the stronger “guardianship” of children at the civilian press officers does not interfere: they say, these are not from the police, we do not answer for their actions. ”

Minsk. December 19, 2010.

But most clearly the fruits of German-Belarusian cooperation showed themselves during the events on Independence Square in Minsk on December 19, 2010, immediately after the presidential election. In the usual practice of the Belarusian police, the confrontation between the security forces and demonstrators spilled into a mass fight, which could last for hours. Even after overclocking the bulk of the protesters, local foci of resistance arose, the suppression of which was worth a riot police. On December 19, 2010, the police sharply changed the handwriting. Special forces professionally cut the crowd into several parts, separating the most active part from the rest of the mass. All acceleration of the most numerous action of the Belarusian opposition over the past 10 years - on the square, according to various sources, there were from 40 thousand to 70 thousand people - took a few minutes. “We were enough for 7 minutes,” Alexander Lukashenko boasted during a press conference on December 20th.

"It's outrageous!"

Of course, no one realized about the “German trace” in the actions of the Belarusian riot police. The first rumors that the Belarusian security forces, suppressing protests, act according to the textbook method of German colleagues, leaked to the German press only at the end of last year. The head of the left -wing faction in the Bundestag, Gregor Gizi appealed to the federal government with a request to verify these facts. An official investigation was launched.

And now - loud resignations. Now Matthias Zeger is in every possible way from accusations of “close ties” with Minsk: “This is outrageous! This is an absolute disgrace! ” In an interview with Tagesspiegel, he assured that the cooperation of German police officers with the Belarusian police concerned exclusively issues of border protection and had nothing to do with politics. According to Mr. Zeger, all his contacts with the Belarusian authorities were authorized by the German Ministry of Internal Affairs and interrupted about two years ago, when Belarus "more and more began to slide down to the dictatorship."

You might think that before that the power of Alexander Lukashenko was something else ...