Zmitser Kramianetski is surprised at number of groundlessly arrested in detention centre

In the evening of 4 September, “Young Front” activist Zmitser Kramianetski was released from jail after serving arrest term.

He told human rights defenders that it was his first time in the detention centre when he met many people who were kept there for no reasons, without committing any offences. He also paid attention to a great number of people awaiting deportation, including nationals of Uzbekistan, Bangladesh and Congo.

Mr. Kramianetski was serving his cell in a cell for six people. One of his inmates was waiting to be deported in Uzbekistan, another was a football fan who stated he had been detained without any reasons.

"In general”, concludes Kramianetski, “many people are kept in the detention centre without any reasons, they are just taken to court from their homes, as if they were guilty of disorderly conduct. One of them, for instance, was beaten by the police. In order to prevent him from registering the beating they fabricated a case and put him under arrest for ten days. He rents an apartment together with a friend of his. When the police came to take away his friend they also detained this guy... In the violation report they wrote that he swore dirtily in public (at 2 a.m.)... Similar to what they do while isolating pro-democracy activists.

According to the rumours, football fans beat a policeman, and the police were taking revenge, detaining anyone who looked like a football fan.

Zmitser Kramianetski was detained at home. The administrative case against him was considered at the Savetski District Court of Minsk on August 26. Judge Artsiom Biaskishski found Zmitser guilty of disorderly conduct and sentenced him to ten days of arrest.