Four Teenagers Detained in Brest

At about 5.45 p.m. Pavel Dzemidziuk, Mikhail Ilyin, Pavel Khivuk and Ales Vashchulka were detained near the “Belarus” cinema in Brest for handing out the “Zubr” and the “Osvobozhdeniye” newspapers together with the book “Belarus: Undisclosed Crimes of Modern History”. The action lasted only for quarter of an hour. Then somebody called for the police. While waiting for the patrol car, the teenagers phoned to “Viasna” and said they were detained. The head of Brest branch of HRC “Viasna” Uladzimir Vialichkin and mother of the minor Ilyin arrived to the place of the detention together at the same time with the police car.

The detainees were taken to Brest Leninski Board of Internal Affairs. There they solicited for their interests to be represented by Uladzimir Vialichkin. The minor refused to speak with the police without his mother. The police composed a report of violation where it was stated that the detainees distributed political literature. They also confiscated 150 “Zubr” newspapers and 10 books and composed the act of exaction. Then they released the teenagers, saying they would inform them about the decision that would be taken by their higher administration.

13 July 2004