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PRESS RELEASE
Washington D.C., August 26, 2005
Regarding the information distributed by the Bureau of
International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, on the
"detention of U.S. diplomat" in the city of Gomel, Belarus, the Embassy
would like to clarify the following.
On 23 of August, 2005 officers of the internal affaires
department of the Central district of the City of Gomel carried out a
routine inspection search for illegal immigrants, checking the ID's
legalizing staying in Belarus, as well as for gun owners and persons being
under probation.
At their route the officers checked the apartment # 6 in
house # 35 on the Lenin street. There were about 10 persons in the
apartment. Some of them refused to introduce themselves and to show their
ID's. One of the persons produced a diplomatic card that was untidy,
crumpled and with exfoliated laminate cover. The text on the ID was not
readable clearly.
Having no opportunity to identify persons who were in the
apartment the police officers called on their superior, the deputy Chief of
local Internal Affaires Department, as well as the Chief of Citizenship and
Migration Office, who arrived at. Only then persons produced their ID's. The
person with the unreadable diplomatic ID showed the U.S. diplomatic passport.
The U.S. diplomat was not detained or restricted in his rights.
After showing his diplomatic passport no claims were given to him by the
police officers.
The holder of the diplomatic passport is a diplomat at the
U.S. Embassy in Belarus, and should definitely know that in a case of the
request of law-enforcement officers the appropriate ID should be produced.
The Embassy expresses deep regrets, that the Bureau of
International Information Programs used this accidental episode with the
participation of the Belarus' based American diplomat to spread Condoleeza
Rice' opinion on "dictatorial" Government of Belarus throughout the
Americans.
The people of Belarus do not share the view that the
democracy in the world should be established by bayonets. This is where the
Condoleeza Rice' periodically remarks come from in respect of Belarusian
independent state: "Last dictatorship", "Belarusian regime" etc. The history
of Belarus witnessed of many wars, revolutions and misfortunes to convince
us to barter the stability for another revolution. Today, Belarus is stable
and economically prosperous state among the post-Soviet countries.
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