Minsk: Participants of Meeting with Aliaksandr Milinkevich Are Tried

On 13 March the courts of Frunzenski, Leninski and Maskouski boroughs of Minsk tried the participants of the meetings with Aliaksandr Milinkevich near the Ice Palace and Saliut cinema who were detained on 12 March. Among the detainees there were six citizens of the Ukraine who came to Minsk to support Belarusian democrats. One of them is the journalist of the Ukrainian 5th Channel Hanna Horozhenko. He is officially accredited as a journalist in Belarus. Nevertheless, she was detained by persons in plain clothes during the live broadcast from the place.

HRC Viasna knows the surnames of several detainees: Aliaksandr Haichyk, Illia Petravets (detained after the meeting with A.Milinkevich near Saliut); Matsvei Chystsin, Aleh Larychau, Siarhei Matskoits and his wife, Aliaksandr Prysmakau (45 years old), Leanid Shloika and six citizens of the Ukraine (detained after the meeting with A.Milinkevich near the Ice Palace). Many of the detainees were beaten during detention by persons in plain clothes).

On 12 March persons in plain clothes also detained the activist of Milinkevich’s headquarters Mikhail Volchak and took him to Minsk Maskouski Borough Board of Internal Affairs. There he was accused of swearing in public (article 156 of the Code of Administrative Violations, hooliganism). The police beat him and fractured one of his fingers.

On 13 March he was taken to a hospital with a high blood pressure. However, the doctors didn’t hospitalize him and then he was taken to a court. HRC Viasna knows the plainclothes who detained the activist - they are the riot policemen Kulinkovich and Sheiko.