Minsk: Leaders of Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hramada Hold Press-conference Devoted to Detention of Aliaksandr Kazulin

At 7 p.m. on 2 March Aliaksandr Kazulin and almost all of the detained members of his headquarters were released from the police stations. Two criminal cases and one administrative case were brought against Aliaksandr Kazulin for ‘hooliganism’ in the Palace of Culture of Railmen, where the All-Belarusian National Assembly took place.

After getting out of the police station Mr Kazulin gave an interview to RFE/RL, in which he confirmed he had really smashed the portrait of Aliaksandr Lukashenka at the police station, because ‘only one man could give the order for such lawless action against a candidate for presidency and his proxies’.

Several hours before Kazulin’s release his colleagues from BSDP held a press-conference on the fact of the beatings and the shots. These events were described by the witnesses, the chair of Kazulin’s headquarters Mechyslau Hryb, the candidate’s proxy Aleh Volchak and wife Iryna Kazulina.

Iury Radzivil also narrated how the unknown people in plain clothes shot in his car near Minsk Kastrychnitski Borough Board of Internal Affairs, where Aliaksandr Kazulin was kept. According to Mr Radzivil, a friend of his tried to pass to him the camera with photos of the detentions that took place near Minsk Kastrychnitski BBIA. However, he didn’t manage to do it and was detained several meters from the car. Iury Radzivil tried to drive away, but heard shots. Besides, one of the assaulters smashed a window of the car. Mr Radzivil left the car and ran away. Here’s what Iury Radzivil said to journalists:

-- It was quite interesting what is going on in the country. I didn’t violate anything - I simply sat in my car and watched the events from a hundred-meter distance. I am shocked. I have never thought such things can happen in our country. Now I know what is Lukashenka’s way of democracy.