Mikalai Rasiuk detained in Mahiliou

Today Mahiliou police detained activist of the Social Democratic Party Hramada Mikalai Rasiuk. Rasiuk is a migrant from the territories contaminated after the Chernobyl disaster.

Recently he applied to Mahiliou city executive committee with the request to speak at the official rally dedicated to the 22nd anniversary of Chernobyl disaster. He was promised about 5 minutes to make a short speech. Mikalai Rasiuk wanted to speak against building of the new nuclear power plant. However, the police detained the democratic activist on his way to the rally. The police searched his belongings and found books by Sviatlana Aleksiyevich and a white-red-white scarf in his bag. Besides that, Mikalai Rasiuk was holding a wreath, which ribbons read: “From the United Democratic Opposition of Mahiliou city”.

The police took Rasiuk to a police station and let him go when the rally was over. The policemen did not explain the reason of the detention. Rasiuk believes that they wanted to prevent him from saying his speech.