At least five people to stand trial for attempting to mourn man who died suspicious death in Minsk jail
At least five people who were arrested in Minsk on Saturday for
attempting to publicly mourn a young man will stand trial on September
16.
The people were grabbed by police as they were
heading to the detention center on Valadarskaha Street where Ihar
Ptsichkin, 21, died a suspicious death in August. They had planned to
observe a minute’s silence and leave flowers and lit candles outside the
jail.
Among those arrested was Mr. Ptsichkin’s heavily pregnant
sister, Iryna Miranovich. She was charged with a civil offense but was
released later that day. The young woman is to appear in the Tsentralny
District Court to answer the charge on September 16. There were fears
that the other arrested mourners could remain in custody pending their
trials on Monday.
Three reporters who were apprehended together
with the mourners - Aleh Hruzdzilovich of the Belarusian service of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Nasha Niva newspaper’s
correspondents Iryna Arakhowskaya and Hanna Badzyaka - were released
three hours after the arrest.
Andrey Bandarenka, leader of a
rights group called Platform Innovation, was also arrested not far away
from the detention center. The activist was brought to the Maskowski
district police station but was released late on Saturday. He could not
be reached for comment on Sunday morning.
Mr. Ptsichkin, 21,
died in early August a few days after being placed in the jail to serve a
three-month term for driving a vehicle despite the suspension of his
license.
A jail officer told the family of Mr. Ptsichkin that he
had died of a heart attack, but the relatives are certain that he was
beaten to death.
In posthumous photographs posted on the website
of Platform Innovation, extensive bruises can be clearly seen on Mr.
Ptsichkin’s forearms, wrists and ribs and so can wounds under his knee.
Mr. Ptsichkin’s relatives are pushing for an inquiry into the death.