Leanid Kulakou detained and released again

As learned by the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, an activist of “European Belarus” Leanid Kulakou has been detained again today.

The matter is that today Leanid Kulakou and Maksim Viniarhski were to have been returned the photo camera that had been seized during the trial, at which Mr. Kulakou had been sentenced to ten days of arrest for hanging out a streamer in support of a political prisoner, Yury Rubtsou.

However, at 1 p.m. on July 2 Mr. Viniarski saw that Kulakou's car was being inspected by the police near Minsk District Court and Kulakou himself was being put in a police car.

Leanid Kulakou managed to phone and tell he was driven to the Lieninski District Police Department of Minsk and that he was detained on a call of the duty officer of Minsk City Court, who saw him wearing a T-shirt with “Pahonia” emblem and called the police.

After the activist was taken to the Lieninski DPD, the police didn't know what to do with him. They detained him for the legally allowed three hours and then let him go.

“Often the police use the term “unregistered symbols”, sometimes being unaware of the status of various items. Meanwhile, “Pahonia” was recognized an official symbol long ago and is present in a number of emblems (such as the emblem of Viciebsk region). State officials pay such a negative reaction to such symbols because of the ideologization. Of course, there shouldn't be such cases,” commented the lawyer of the HRC “Viasna” Nasta Loika.

Let us remind that Judge S. Tkachuk had found Mr. Kulakou guilty of holding an unauthorized picket and sentenced him to ten days of arrest. However, after the announcement of the verdict Leanid Kulakou wasn't sent to serve the arrest, but was told that his documents were passed to the Pieršamaiski District Police Department of Minsk, which would execute the verdict. Thus, activist (who was tried after spending three days in detention) failed to serve the remaining 7 days of arrest.