Good morning, facing the wall, hands up!

On February 16, it began in Belarus with an attack on independent trade unions, journalists, volunteers and human rights activists

At 7:27 a.m., the press secretary of the public association “The Belarusian Association of Journalists” (Bazh) Boris Goretsky managed to write on his Facebook page: “They are breaking through the door to me. Hold on, colleagues. We do not violate anything. ”

After that, Goretsky stopped contacting.

After 10 minutes, news about searches and detentions from Belarusian independent journalists and human rights activists turned into an information avalanche.

With searches and detentions, they came to the chairman of Baz, Andrei Bastunts, the lawyer of the Association Oleg Ageev, employees of the Vasna human rights center Alexei Kolchina, Boris Budel. In Mogilev-to reporters Alexander Burakov Jr. and Alexander Burakov-Sr. At the same time, people in civilian clothes were already operating houses at the Coordinator of the company “Human Rights Environmental against the death penalty in Belarus” by Andrei Poluda, from the head of the Mozyr branch of the human rights center “Viesna” by Vladimir Telepun, head of the Svetlogorsk branch of the human rights organization of Elena Maslyukova, heads of the independent trade union of rap Andrei Komlik and Gennady Fedynich.

In total, 27 people were on the Black List. Searches were also in all offices of Viesna.

After some time, Boris Goretsky began to communicate on a home phone. He told the "new" that he and his family had to endure in a few morning hours:

- They began to break the door to us. Earlier morning, three children in the apartment. When I realized that now the door would begin to saw and break, I opened it. I immediately raised my hands in a sign that I was not going to resist. He tried to calm the capture group that worked there, and people in civilian clothes. He told them: "Let's calmly, three children at home." They really began to behave quieter. The capture group left, only people remained in civilian clothes. I asked what status I am in. But they explained to me that I have no status-they say, in my apartment there may be something that applies to the criminal case. They began to search everything - even a freezer and a garbage bucket. We took the technique, family money, mobile phones of children and even the books of Vladimir Orlov - the Belarusian writer, the poet and historian - with his personal autographs and gift signatures.

At this time, the chairman of Bazh Andrei Bastunts was already taken to the Bazh office for a search.

“At about 7 a.m., seven or eight riot police burst into my apartment,” said Arseny's son, Andrei Bastunts. The young man lives with his girlfriend separately from her parents. - At first they turned me facing the wall, the girl was laid on the floor. Then they said to rise and not be afraid of anything. I asked for what reason the search. They showed me a paper where something related to corruption was written.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists is a non -governmental organization that unites professional journalists and people who promote the development of journalistic activities. Created in 1995. He acts in defense of the rights of journalists and principles of free and professional journalism. Member of the International Federation of Journalists.

The lawyer Christina Richter took the phone and documents regarding the activities of Bazh.

At the Vitebsk human rights activist Irina Tretyakova, the police were allegedly looking for documents, but as a result they took a flash drive and a book marked “Monitoring of the police departments”. The police even came to the parents of the head of the solidarity funds Andrei Strizhak, who has long been abroad. They took a mobile phone and a hard drive.

This is how today's searches from journalists and human rights activists commented on the Investigative Committee of Belarus:

“SK conducts a criminal investigation under Art. 342 (organization and preparation of actions grossly violating public order, or active participation in them) of the Criminal Code of Belarus. As part of a preliminary investigation, in order to establish the circumstances of financing protest activities, the investigation initiated searches in organizations positioning themselves as human rights. The conduct of procedural actions was entrusted to employees of the Gubopik of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and authorized by the General Prosecutor's Office. The final legal assessment of the situation will be given after the entire set of procedural actions. ”

But what statement about the search in Bazh appeared in the official telegram channel of the pro-government “Belarusian Union of Journalists”, which in every possible way protects those who “enlighten” Belarusians from the pages of state newspapers and screens of state television channels.

“According to preliminary data, investigative actions are related to the case of illegal (including foreign) financing of the office and a number of foreign agents in the field of media,” the report said. BSG "will carefully monitor the progress of the case and weigh all evidence of the possible unlawful activities of colleagues."

The representative of the pro -government journalistic union also shared rumors that "data on financial fraud with foreign grants in Bazh has been circulating in the journalistic community for more than 10 years."

No wonder: journalists in Belarus have long been divided into two camps, as, indeed, the rest of the Belarusians.