Evgeny Afnagel: I Am Going To Fight And Win

The coordinator of the campaign "European Belarus" gave his first interview after his release.

Coordinator of the civil campaign "European Belarus" Evgeny Afnagel was among the political prisoners, who were released by the Belarusian authorities on September 11 and taken to the Lithuanian border.

The opposition politician told the site Charter97.org about his release:

- My health is fine, my eyesight has deteriorated a bit, but in general, my health and mood are good. There are no special problems: in prison I was doing sports, watching myself.

September 10 at 9:30 we were on a walk when I was suddenly taken away. Usually at this time they don't touch anyone, so it looked strange. They brought me to my cell, helped me quickly pack my things and took me for a search. Even then it was clear: either release or a new case. After the search they put me in a "glass" and took away some of my things and books. Later it turned out that I was going to the KGB pre-trial detention center.

The same day I saw political prisoners Alexandr Yaroshuk and Vladimir Matskevich, who were being taken there. We were put into a minibus, our heads were tilted down, masks were put over our eyes - it was clear that we were going to Minsk. In the KGB pre-trial detention center we were searched again, taken away our belongings and placed in a cell where there were already other political prisoners: Nikalai Statkevich, Siarhei Sparysh, Andrei Voynich, Maksim Viniarski, Mikalai Dziadok, Dzmitry Dashkevich and others. The next day we were all taken by bus to the Lithuanian border.

On the way it became clear where exactly we were going. The treatment was a little more "humane" - no handcuffs or blindfolds. At the border we were transferred to another bus, where more than thirty people from different colonies and prisons were gathered. Through the checkpoint "Kamenny Log" we drove to the Lithuanian border.

Then the famous story with Nikolai Statkevich happened: he got off the bus, explained his position and turned back to Belarus. The others were met by American embassy staff, Lithuanian border guards and diplomats. In the evening we learned that fifteen people, including me, had their Belarusian passports stolen by the Belarusian special services. This is actually an illegal deprivation of citizenship.

- What would you like to say to the Belarusians?

- I want to thank everyone who supported us, wrote letters. We should support everyone who fights for freedom. As soon as we crossed the border, Poland closed its borders with Belarus. If we talk about the transit of goods, this is a very correct and positive step. Special thanks to the journalists who told about the problem of political prisoners, as well as to the staff of the American Embassy, who made great efforts for our release.

- What are your plans for the future?

- To fight and win.

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