Search at Office of Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions

In the evening of 6 December the office of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions was raided by the police.

This information was received from a leader of the entrepreneurs’ movement Aliaksandr Makayeu. As said by him, when he entered the BCDTU office, there were two policemen and four persons in mufti. ‘They said that they are policemen of Leninski district police department of Minsk. Policemen found printed materials dedicated to the protest rally of entrepreneurs on 10 December,’ A. Makayeu said.

Then the police demanded from him the documents for the duplicating machines that were standing in the office. Besides, they told those who were in the office not to leave it.

Policemen sealed the 5 000 copies of leaflets with information about the 10 December rally of entrepreneurs in Minsk. A risograph was sealed as well. The leaflets and the risograph were taken away seized ‘for examination’.

After the searches at the office of the Democratic Trade Union’s Congress the leader of the entrepreneurs Aliakasndr Makayeu, an activist of the Congress Aleh Korban and a Young Front activist Mikalai Serhiyenka were detained. Violation reports were drawn up against them, and they were released till the trial.

The reports were composed under Article 17.1 of the Administrative Code, ‘petty hooliganism’. The detainees are charged with public swearing. Makayeu calls these accusations groundless. The trial will take place at 11 a.m. on 12 December at Leninski district court of Minsk.