Ryhor Kastusiou Gets Good Support in Shklou (Photo)

Aliaksandr Milinkevich visited Shklou (Mahiliou region) to support Ryhor Kastuseu, an MP candidate from the region’s democratic civic society, who runs elections there. Ryhor Kastusiou, a former head of the town’s communal service office, has been enjoying great people’s support because he is known as a decent and honest person. A lot of people openly express their sympathy to Ryhor, saying that they will ballot for him in elections.

 

Ryhor Kastuseu argues that some members of his team have been experiencing the same KGB pressure as many other activists throughout the country have been facing. For instance, Barys Vyrvich, a head of the candidate’s initiative group, and Valiancina Shetnikava, a member of Ryhor’s team, were called already to KGB where they had a tete-a-tete conversations with local KGB officers.

 

- KGB interrogated Barys Vyrvich about his possible involvement in the explosion that occurred in Minsk on July, 4. Mrs. Shetnikava was asked about her son who has been staying abroad for a long time, - said Ryhor.

 

Ryhor Kastusiou’s popularity helps him considerably in rather efficient signatures collecting not only in Shklou but also in the surrounding villages. He has a team of 32 people. According to Ryhor, collected signatures have not been counted so far. However, he estimates their number to be already more than 500.

 

- We collect signatures rather quickly because there are a lot of people that had already decided would they sign or not for the opposition candidate. Sometimes I can have up to 30 signatures within an hour. It happens mostly during “door-to-door” campaigns in block of flats, - told Ryhor’s teammate Andrei.

 

Ryhor admits he often meets people who are so intimidated that they reject to sign for him now although they always supported his candidature previously. Nevertheless he recalls some cases when local administration officials got over their internal fear for being fired and put the signatures in support of Ryhor Kastusiou during a picket with participation of Aliaksandr Milinkevich in Shklou. It should be also noted that many officials shared their cheering words with the opposition candidate once he brought his signatures to local administration for the approval.

 

Local police walking around greeted the picket participants with a pleasant smile. At the same time three KGB officers with serious faces were clearly seen in a car that was about one hundred meters away from the picketers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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