Preventive arrest of ‘Young Front’ leaders in Minsk

The Young Front activists Mikalai Dzemidzenka and Anastasia Palazhanka were detained in Minsk on 7 November. They were going to hold a street action under the slogan ‘Tribunal for Communism’.

‘A seminar with our Norwegian partners on local government and local elections is planned for today. Nasta was detained near her house. She was guarded to the Maskouski district police department,’ the organization leader Zmitser Dashkevich told the BelaPAN.

According to him, Mikalai Dzemidzenka was detained on his way to the monument to Lenin in Nezalezhnastsi Square, where he was going to hold a one-man picket. He was detained by police officers near the square and guarded to the Frunzenski district police department.

The Young Front activists were kept at the police departments for four and six hours respectively, whereas the law allows only three-hour detention without charges.

‘Police officers tried to intimidate Nasta at the Pershamaiski district police department, they said a criminal case under Article 193-1 (activity on behalf of unregistered organization) could be instigated against her. Then they began drawing up violation reports against her, but decided it was senseless and released her,’ the Young Front spokesperson Tatsiana Shaputska said.