Shell Gamers In Uniforms

Don't trust them.

Aliaksandra Kasko, who returned from Poland, was jailed for ten years. Eight articles of the Criminal Code, a list of terrorists, a list of extremists — in short, a complete “social package”. The law-enforcers immediately went to hang stories on all the poles about how they introduced the Gubopik member into her circle, how he won her trust, how in the summer of last year the woman already came to Belarus from Poland under the control of the law-enforcers, without knowing about this control. In general, they reported on the work done.

Of course, I would like to immediately start doing calculations in order to determine the number of law-enforcers in the country, not according to official data, but based on the fact that for every Belarusian who leaves there is a separate staff unit, which over the years ingratiate into people’s trust in order to then lure them back to their homeland. It is better not to start such calculations, because it may turn out that the whole country is divided into those who left and the law-enforcers who are luring them back and waiting for them at the border. That's not what I'm talking about now.

Aliaksandra lived in Poland, but last year she came to Belarus and left without hindrance. Probably, in February she crossed the border without fear — after all, everything worked out the last time. Perhaps, even having received her 15 days of arrest, she still hoped that this was an accident and in two weeks she would be able to continue living in freedom. It didn't come true.

Now the entire post-Soviet world is discussing the series “The Guy’s Word”. They remember the late eighties and nineties: in our yard it was like this, and in the neighboring city it was like that. But if we look back seriously, this time was marked not only by teenage gangs in Tatar cities. One of its main signs is shell games. Everywhere, at every station, in the park, on the main street of any city. Shell gamers never deceived clients right away. At first, the clients were given the opportunity to win a couple of times so that they would relax and trust. The Belarusian law-enforcers are the same shell gamers of the nineties. Once or twice they can give a Belarusian who has left an opportunity to go home. They won’t touch you, they won’t raise an eyebrow at the border. And when a person calms down, begins to breathe freely and think that all has passed and the regime is not at all interested in them; when they become less cautious in their statements and contacts, when they begin to correspond with friends in Belarus, without fear of setting them up — that’s when they appear. Sometimes right on the border. Sometimes — early in the morning, breaking down doors and enjoying the confusion of a person who just yesterday was sure that there was no danger, and made plans for tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow.

Exactly the same thimble gangs — advertised by the propaganda of the “Road Home” and “Commission on Return” programs. The administrator of protest telegram chats, Tatsiana Kurylina, came to Belarus through the “Road Home”. She gave an interview to the propagandist Ksenia Lebedeva, fulfilled, it would seem, all the conditions — and was imprisoned for four and a half years. The law-enforcers commented later: this is very humane, she had administered for some ten years in jail, but we appreciated the repentance and cooperation. You can also recall the interview of Vaukavysk resident Siarhei Petrulevich on state television. Petrulevich returned through the commission. And I was surprised that no one was going to stop the criminal case, although it was a trivial case — about insulting a police officer. No extremism, no administration of Telegram chats, no even mass unrest. These are also shell games: they won’t imprison one, but the next two or three will go to jail for years.

No one has the right to tell people where to go or what to do. Over the past three years, it would seem that even those who lived in dollhouses under pink umbrellas for decades have matured. But the glasses with a ball flashing before their eyes, which is definitely located right here — there is no way it can be anywhere else — still from time to time tempt Belarusians to try their luck. It is Arkady Babchenko who can caustically laugh at naive Russians who flee from repression, and then go to Russia to visit their grandmother and are surprised when they are imprisoned. I will not laugh and will not urge you not to be tempted and not to go to Belarus. It’s just that when it seems that nothing terrible can happen, that the regime seems to have no complaints, I recommend remembering that old muttering at the station “I twist it and turn it, I want to confuse you” — and not give in.

Iryna Khalip, exclusively for Charter97.org

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