Viktar Ramniou and Volha Karach detained in Vitsebsk

V. Ramniou was detained for 'distribution of the Vitebskiy Kuryer newspaper' and V.Karach – for disobedience to the police. As said by human rights defender Pavel Levinau, Mr. Ramniou was guarded to the Pershamaiski district police department and confiscated 53 copies of the newspaper.

Viktar Ramniou, founder of Vitebskiy Kuryer that is registered in Russian and is printed in Smolensk, was charged with distribution of the newspaper without imprint, though the imprint is present on the last page of each copy of the newspaper.

Volha Karach came to the police department after Ramniou's detention and expressed the wish to be present at his interrogation as a public representative. At first she was told to go away. When she refused, the policemen said they detained her and would give her official charges in insubordination to their legal demands.

Volha Karach is a candidate for the Vitsebsk city Council of Deputies and thinks that her legal rights were violated by the detention.

Bear in mind that the Liozna district court fined Mr. Ramniou 1,225,000 rubles (about $411) for trafficking Vitebskiy Kuryer. He was confiscated 10,000 copies of the newspaper by the local police. On 26 March the Vitsebsk district court also fined Mr. Ramniou for trafficking 50,000 copies of the unregistered newspaper Nash Dom.