"What they are currently doing with [Roman] Protasevich is, of course, terrifying. Watching a person enthusiastically and effectively confess to collaborating with Japanese intelligence is truly horrifying. To see Varlam Shalamov's stories unfold live...
But even more frightening is the thought you can't shake off - they will parade him on all channels with all his confessions - and then they will execute him for these confessions.
Belarusians. Listen to me. This is important.
I don't know what the situation is like in Belarus right now. Whether they have started torturing or not.
But if they haven’t yet - in Russia, there was an iron rule during arrest. Steel. Titanium.
Do not give. Any. Testimony.
None at all. Not a single word. Not a surname.
Because the case will consist of eighty percent of what you say.
You are the main, and often the only source of the case, your main witness, and your own gravedigger.
It will seem to you that you haven’t said anything special, or just voiced well-known facts, like the sky is blue and water is wet, things everyone knows from school, and you just confirmed the obvious things in a friendly conversation with the investigator over a cigarette, but there will be no mention in the case file about the school, the cigarette, and the friendly conversation, only the charge formulations, twisted in such a way that your eyes will bulge out of horror and surprise.
Do not try to outsmart them. You will think you are the smartest, and dismiss everyone because you know: the truth is on your side and you are not guilty - but it will not be so.
Believe me. I was interrogated twice.
The investigator is trained to conduct interrogations. You are not.
And each time I was amazed - how this unpolished idiot opposite me at the table, writing the protocol with blots and mistakes, so twists the case and traps me with just two or three questions about such details, which, from my point of view, were absolutely minor, and traps me so quickly and simply, that you just sit there sweating profusely, not knowing what to do. Because you realize - damn, he caught you. He got you. On your own words. Because it’s clear to everyone that I am right.
Don't dare play word games with them.
They will outtalk you. I guarantee it.
So. If they haven’t started driving needles under your nails yet. The fifty-first - or whatever it is - article. Refusal to testify against yourself.
And let them prove everything themselves. Absolutely everything. That you are you. That your FB is indeed your FB. That the posts in your FB are written by you. That water is wet, and the sky is blue.
Let them find witnesses, conduct examinations, come up with motives.
They'll give you a cigarette, pour you tea, sit on the edge of the table and - just like that, to talk, for themselves - ask: well, do you really think like what you wrote in this post of yours? Or did the State Department really pay you? Everyone here is sure they paid. And you just like that - well, it's just a conversation - say: what State Department, what nonsense. Nobody paid me anything. Because you have a bachelor's degree in law, and you know for sure that neither from the point of view of logic nor from the point of law there is nothing at all in this answer. Because - what State Department, it’s complete nonsense. You'll even hope to enlighten them. Reason with them. Or even win them over to your side.
And you'll be sentenced to six years.
Because the case was not at all about finding out whether the State Department paid you or not. And whether you really think that way or not.
But in getting you to say with your own mouth that it was written by you.
And you said it.
That's all.
And in what Protasevich is now saying, that Franak Viacorka just set him up - the case is not about Viacorka at all. It will be about him later, based on these testimonies.
But in him admitting with his own mouth - yes, it was me. Yes, I wrote. Yes, I called for it. Yes, I did it.
Be silent. Silent as a fish against the ice.
At least until there are needles under the nails and a rubber hose for the kidneys."

GPT commentary

    Roman Protasevich: He is likely referring to Roman Protasevich, a Belarusian journalist and activist who became internationally known after his arrest in May 2021 following the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk, Belarus. His arrest was widely condemned and brought attention to the harsh measures used by the Belarusian government against opposition and free press.

    FB: This indeed refers to Facebook. In the context of the text, the mention of Facebook (FB) is about proving the ownership and authorship of posts on social media, highlighting how statements or posts on social media can be used against an individual in legal situations.

    Varlam Shalamov: He was a Russian writer and journalist known for his accounts of life in the Soviet Gulag labor camps. The reference to his stories likely signifies the harsh conditions and brutal reality of imprisonment and interrogation, drawing a parallel between past and present methods of political repression.

    Franak Viacorka: He is a Belarusian journalist and political activist. Mentioning him in the context of Protasevich's forced confession implies that the government might use coerced statements to implicate others in opposition movements or activities.

    The State Department (Госдеп): This term refers to the United States Department of State. In many post-Soviet states, accusations of being funded or influenced by the U.S. State Department are often used to discredit political activists or opposition figures, implying foreign interference.

The text uses these references to illustrate a broader point about the dangers of giving any testimony or statements during an interrogation, especially in politically charged cases. It warns about how even innocuous or factual statements can be twisted and used against an individual, and the importance of legal rights such as the right to remain silent. The examples of Protasevich and others serve to underline the severity and reality of these situations.