Militia cleared up opposition’s action again.



On the Day of Belarusian solidarity, April 16, again with the help physical force militia officers cleared up the action of democratic forces which took place in the capital’s October square.

At 18 o’clock on Thursday approximately forty people “who care” made a row and held national white-red-and-white flags, flags of European Union and also portraits of former entrepreneurs from Vaukavysk (Hrodna region), who are in investigatory isolation wards now and are considered to be political prisoners by democratic society – Mikalay Autukhovich, Uladzimer Asipenka and Yury Liavonau. One should mention that exactly on this day, April 16, Mikalay Autukhovich went on untimely hunger strike as a protest against his illegal, from his point of view, imprisonment.

Moreover, some of the people had photos of forcedly kidnapped politicians Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, entrepreneur Anatol Krasousky and journalist Zmitser Zavadsky. Among well-known democratic activists there were Liavon Barshcheusky, the head of BNF Party, Zmitser Dashkievich, the leader of Malady Front which is registered in Czech, activists of public campaign “European Belarus” Adrey Sannikau, one of the leaders of “Maladaya Belarus” Artur Finkievich and other known persons.

The action lasted only several minutes. Dozens of special task officers appeared in October square. They started pushing actively the participants of the action away behind the Palace of Republic. In half an hour the representatives of opposition as well as journalists which observed the action were moved to the stela “Minsk – hero city” and even further to Komsomol Lake. Militia followed closely the head of the party “Belarusian Christian Democracy” Paval Sieviaryniets. They tried to catch his twice but his colleagues literally fought him off the special task officers.

The action ended up without arrests, but militia managed to tear away and destroy several flags and portraits of the kidnapped. According to the words of the head of Belarusian National Front Liavon Barshcheusky, actions of special task forces show that in Belarus still there isn’t law and moral norms and the rights of citizens for peaceful gatherings aren’t observed. Observers noted that actions of militia towards the opponents of ruling powers, in spite of dismissal of the main militia man of Belarus Uladzimir Naumau, haven’t still changed for the better for citizens.

Henadz LOHINAU