MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the events in the Okrestina detention center after the presidential election in 2020 as he gave an interview with the VGTRK journalist, radio and TV host Vladimir Soloviev, BelTA has learned.
"Regarding the violence stories in Okrestina. Okrestina is a detention center. There were no interrogations. I think the staff of the center was 34 people. Back then, when they were attempting to carry out a blitzkrieg, around two thousand of them [radical protesters] were detained. They were held in this temporary detention center," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “You understand what kinds of relations are between policemen and former prisoners (they were on the ‘front line' against the riot police. There were also some from Russia, from Ukraine. There are a lot of idiots in any country).”
The head of state noted that former law enforcement officers, when they are sentenced to prison time, are not held together with ordinary prisoners. "This is done to avoid slaughter. They hate each other. When they, high, intoxicated, were brought there [Okrestina], they immediately had a go at the guys who worked in the center. What reaction should there be? How could 34 people rape and beat two thousands? A stream of fake news poured in. Indeed, those who resisted the arrest got some beating. How could it be otherwise? There were a lot of fake news and staged photos of beaten faces, other parts...,” the president said.
"There was a stream of accusations against everyone ... That was probably the only moment where they outplayed us: they screamed violence, spread photos of beaten faces, blood [bull's blood] flowing. There was fake news all around. Indeed they were those who got a beating. They had to show it: blood on a white shirt. Therefore, they outplayed us in this issue. People were aghast when saw those photos in their phones. That thing was sorted out later," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The journalist asked what for the-then Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Karayev apologized.
"Indeed, he started apologizing. That move was not agreed with me. There was nothing to apologize for. Well, he said that he was willing to assume the responsibility..." There is no need to assume anything if you're not guilty. There is no need to pander to them, otherwise things would turn out like they did in Kazakhstan," the head of state emphasized.
