First detention for election postcards ‘Tell The Truth’

Civil activists Mikhail Bashura, Volha Mikitsenka and Vasil Busel were detained in Minsk when they were carrying postcards of the civil campaign Tell The Truth.

Vasil Busel’s car was stopped by road police. An officer checked documents for the car and put some questions about postcards in the car. Then he ordered to take the postcards to the police car. All passengers were taken to the Tsentralny district police department of Minsk. Busel was questioned by police officers in mufti, the rest were ‘identified’.

‘I was detained for identification, but then released. They seized only postcards, about 9,000. Reports were not drawn up, but we had to write explanations. But the very detention and identification of documents were brutal,’ Volha Mikitsenka told RFE/RL.

The campaign Tell The Truth was presented last week. Its first action was a call on citizens to sent postcards Tell The Truth reporting about local problems to Lukashenka’s Administration. As it was found out, post offices do not send such cards.

‘Are police’s actions normal? One has a card, which he or she wants to send to friends calling them to tell the truth. Are actions by police normal? We have stressed several times that our action is not political, not oppositional. Nevertheless, police regarded all citizens equally – they detain us and take to police stations. But who thinks about this in our country? You’ve been detained and beaten, big deal! You are an insect, what can you do? We will go on our campaign. We will continue to tell the truth,’ said famous poet Uladzimir Niakliayeu, the leader of the campaign.