“Mopping-up” operation ahead of Medvedev's visit to Minsk

Opposition activists are being detained at their homes, in courts and in streets.

Ivan Amelchanka, the author of hype causing performance “Musorok”, was detained in Minsk on July 17.

The reason for the detention is unknown.

Ivan's cell phone has been unavailable since he left home at 11 in the morning. We remind he was detained in a similar way on June 26 and thrown into a detention centre for 15 days for alleged swearing. Amelchanka spent 40 days in custody in the last two months.

Human rights activist Anastasia Loika told BelaPAN her colleague Kasya Halitskaya disappeared in the Minsk Justice House.

Halitskaya was to attend trials over activists of Czech-based Young Front organization Uladzimir Yaromenak and Raman Vasilyeu, who were detained this morning. “We were told Halitskaya was not present at the trial. She does not answer her phone. We have no precise information, but we suppose she was detained by police,” Loika said.

Raman Pratasevich, Uladzimir Yaromenak and Raman Vasilyeu were detained in the Kastrychnitski district of Minsk at 7:30 am on July 17. They were taken to the Kastrychnitski district police department, where police reports against Yaromenak and Vasilyeu were drawn up for disorderly conduct (article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Minor Raman Pratesevich was released.

Kasya Halitskaya supposed the arrest of the young activists may be a preventive measure ahead of a visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Minsk to take part in a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the “union state” on July 18.

The human rights activist also said policemen had called her and the detained activists the day before and offered to “talk”, but the young people refused to have any conversations with police.