Organising committee of Chernobyl Way rally: It was abduction of demonstrators

Members of the organising committee for holding the Chernobyl Way rally had a press conference in Minsk.

The website charter97.org has learnt it from Vital Rymasheuski, a co-head of the organising committee to found the Belarusian Christian Democracy party (BCD).

The press conference was held by representatives of political parties, NGOs and civil initiatives: head of the United Civil Party (UCP) Anatol Liabedzka, member of the Belarusian Social Democratic Patry (Hramada) Anatol Sidarevich, culture expert Vtslau Areshka and Ecohome  organisation representative Tatsiana Novikava. Organisers of the Chernobyl Way rally think the facts of repression against participants and organisers are the actions designed to attack Belarusian civil society. These actions violated the freedom of assembly and association as well as the right to receive and impart information. The recent events show absence of liberalisation in Belarus and prove that the Belarusian authorities try to eliminate democratic forces in the country.

Vital Rymasheuski stressed the detentions during the Chernobyl Way rally should be regarded as forceful abductions of demonstrators by unknown plainclothes people. Anatol Liabedzka said the authorities had detained activists because they understood the popularity of mass rallies and people's readiness to react to such problems as the Chernobyl disaster. He added the regime of Lukashenka did everything to prevent people from communicating with the democratic opposition. Anatol Sidarevich noted trials against detained activists violated all legal norms. Vatslau Areshka is confident the detentions of ecological activists were caused by opening the national ecological committee in honour of Ivan Nikitchanka.

Tatsiana Novikava thinks detentions of anti-nuclear activists show that the authorities are afraid of ecological topics. She presented plans of the ecological committee for the nearest future. According to her, more than 300 signatures against construction of a nuclear power plant in Astravets were collected during the rally. She called on people to sign an online petition.

The ecological activist added an information campaign about danger of a nuclear power plant would be launched.