Salihorsk police beat democratic activist

Yana Paliakova, a well-known human rights activist and a member of the initiative group of a candidate for deputy Volha Kazulina, has been beaten up by policemen of Salihorsk police department. Doctors have documented bruises of her arm and of the two shins.

As the Charter’97 press-centre was told by the human rights activist and one of the leaders of the Belarusian Social Democratic party (Hramada) Aleh Vouchak, the woman was taken by policemen from home, taken to the police department, and there pressure was exerted on her with the aim to make her leave her work in the team of Volha Kazulina. As said by Vouchak, the woman told him how policemen were beating her on her arm by a heavy object, and that caused the hand to go numb and stop moving.

At the moment Yana Paliakova stays in the local hospital. Doctors have documented bruises of the arm and of the both shins. Paliakova is in a state of shock, a psychologist is working with her.

‘All this shows what kind of ‘democratic and fair elections’ we will have’, Aleh Vouchak said to the Charter’97 press-centre.