13 July silent protests in Belarusian regions

The format of the silent protest actions was changed (their participants were advised not to clap their hands, just to walk silently and set the alarm clock of their mobile phones to 8 p.m. to mark the end of the action). However, the places of gathering remained the same, which gave the law machinery the opportunity to prepare to them. The central squares of many Belarusian towns were fenced with iron tourniquets or blocked by the police.

Babruisk
The police detained journalist Ales Sushcheuski without offering any explanations to him.

Baranavichy
According to Vital Syrytsa, 5 peoeple were detained including Ryhor Makarevich, (who was let go after a “prophylactic talk”) and workers Maksim Salankevich and Yauhen Zamula.

Brest
7.08 p.m. Three youngsters were detained on Lenin Street and lead into a yard. There the police put down their passport data. Two of the detained youngsters were let go. Four more were put into a police car.

8.15 p.m. Civil activist Aliaksei Koutun was taken to the Leninski District Police Department of Brest. About 150 people took part in the action. Policemen with loud-speakers warned the protesters that the action was prohibited. At 7.30 the people started to disperse. Some of them went to the central supermarket along Savetskaya Street. Some of them entered the supermarket and started clapping their hand, after which Mr. Koutun was detained.

The police also interfered with the work of Milana Kharytonava, a journalist for the BelaPAN news agency, prohibiting her to take photos. When she quoted the law On Police, colonel Melnikau came up to her and said that the police had a video of one of the previous actions where she could be seen walking in front of the crowd, like an organizer. He threatened to send the video to the Ministry of Information so that it could take “adequate measures”.

Homel
All ways to the Homel supermarket were controlled by the police, who checked the documents of the people who went there. According to preliminary information, about 35 people were detained, including about 20 bicyclists, who were guarded to the police station together with their bicycles and told that there had been massive thefts of bicycles in the Homel region.

The police also detained Pavel Mitskevich, a correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi. However, he was released in some time. According to Andrei Papou, the civil and political activists Siarhei Stsepanets, Andrei Tsianiuta and Kanstantsin Zhukouski were detained on Savetskaya Street in the suburb of Volatava.

According to some citizens, on guy was severely hit in the face during the detention. A journalist with a video camera was detained. Most probably, it was Larysa Shcharykova.

Malaryta
Police detained three people including human rights defender Uladzimir Malei.

Mazyr
Lenin Square was blocked by police, some of whom had machine guns. Those who came up to a monument were warned against standing there and making any photos. Some 8-10 people were detained and put into a police bus. The detainees were shown a movie in the bus and were released in some time.

Navapolatsk
According to different sources, 50-150 people came to the action. The square was not blocked, but as soon as the protesters started clapping, some people in plain clothes started running towards them, detaining the most active ones. Two people were detain. The protesters managed to defend two more from the detention.

Human rights defenders also learned about the detention of three more people, including Yauhen Kanstantsinau and Aliaksei Trubkin.

Traffic police took part in the detentions this time.

According to the press-service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, journalist Aliaksandr Muzhdabayeu who was making a report from the Budaunikou Square, disappeared. By the way, the journalist had been detained during the silent protest action on 6 July.

Pinsk
The Lenin Square was blocked, nobody was let there. Two people were detained by the police before the protest action.

Salihorsk
6.50 p.m. Police detained Ivan Shyla and Andrei Tychyna, who had been released from jail on 12 July, after serving 13-day arrest for participation in the silent protest action on the central square of Salihorsk on 29 June.

7.32 p.m. The entrepreneur Aleh Bakht, who intended to come to the protest action, didn't answer his phone.

10.50 p.m. All detainees were given charges and left in jail till trial. The Young Front activist Ivan Shyla, detained by the crime detection police in the supermarket Salihorsk, was charged under Article 17.1, “disorderly conduct”.

Andrei Tychyna was charged with “disorderly conduct” (Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) and sentenced to 9 days of arrest by Judge Raby. The trial of Ivan Shyla was postponed to 15 July due to his solicitation to be provided with a lawyer. The case will be tried by Judge Barautsou. Judge Yahor Barysenka fined Aleh Bakht 350,000 rubles for alleged violation of Article 17.1

Slutsk
Vital Amilalkovich, an activist of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, was released after a questioning in a police car. The police asked him why he had come to the square. A part of the detainees were questioned right on the square, some more were taken to the Slutsk District Police Department, including Tatsiana Huseva, a journalist for Infa-Kur'yer. The police detained only those who had taken part in the previous silent protest actions.

Vileika
Dzmitry Kaptsiuh, Uladzimir Maliarchuk, Aliaksei Pasynkau, Aliaksei Siudak, Yauhen Siudak and two more men were detained. All of them were told to give written explanations and were released from the police in three hours. Their mobile phones were switched off during the detention.

Vitsebsk
7.00 p.m. Nastassia Sotnikava, a coordinator of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy in Vitsebsk, was detained before the silent protest action, allegedly for “identification”. She was guarded to the police station on Zhastkou Street.

Zhodzina
7.40 p.m. The police detained Raman Vasiliieu in a supermarket. Four more protesters were detained in another place.

7.53. Vasiliieu was charged under Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, “disorderly conduct”. He was told to give away his belonging – most probably he will be kept in detention till trial. On 14 July he was sentenced to 3 days of arrest. The other detainees were released late on 13 July without getting any charges.