Amnesty International Urges Belarus to Immediately Release Surapin
All charges against realtor Basharymau must be dropped too, organization states.
Amnesty International called on Belarusian authorities to release Anton Surapin, the web editor and journalism student who was held by the KGB on July 13 in connection with the ‘bear drop case’. He has been not released yet and no charges against him were brought.
«The charges against Anton Suryapin represent a further nail in the coffin of freedom of expression and association in Belarus, where spurious charges are frequently used in an attempt to silence those working to defend human rights,»
said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Director for Europe and Central Asia.
«He should be released immediately and the charges against him dropped.»
Amnesty International also expressed its concern over the arrest of a real estate agent Siarhiej Basharymau who has been held in the KGB remand prison on since July 6. He reportedly rented a flat to two Swedes who were supporting their colleagues in the air.
Tomas Mazetti of Studio Total, the Swedish PR agency which performed the bear drop over Belarus, also urged Belarus’ government to release Siarhiej Basharymau immediately.
«It's like arresting a bartender who sold us beer in Minsk,» Mazetti told in an interview with a Belarusian news portal
The officials hitherto have not recognized the fact of a light aircraft illegally entering Belarus’ air space.