Detained participants of punk concert near Minsk got released, violation reports sent back for revision

As reported by an organizer of the punk concert near Minsk, the detained participants of the concert were released and the violation reports against them were sent back to the police for revising.

Let us remind that in the evening of August 1, Augustowski Forest Gig was held in a forest near Minsk. Such punk bands as Destroyers, Chaos Machine, Grossman, Time2Begin, The Small and others were to have performed there. However, the concert was rudely disrupted by the riot police. Approximately 40-50 people were pushed into paddy wagons and taken to the police station, located in the settlement of Ratamka.

The majority of the detainees were released after identification. Violation reports were drawn up on five people. Some of them were severely beaten. According to unconfirmed information, two persons were charged under Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, “disorderly conduct” Article 17.3, “drinking alcohol in public”. They were released on August 2.

Three participants of the concert were to have been tried at Minsk District Court today, but the judge sent the violation reports back for revising and freed the detainees right in the court hall. The youngsters intend to register the beating and appeal the actions of the police at the Prosecutor's Office.

As reported by a concert organizer, police have confisvated from them music equipment which cost about $8,000.

“We were told that the event was unauthorized, that's why the equipment and the music instruments were seized. The organizer of the concert will be sentenced to a fine as soon as he appears, and the equipment will be returned after the payment of the fine. However, the matter is that there is no such organizer of the concert, it was organized by a group of friends. Somebody brought the guitars, somebody – drums, someone else – a generator. Everyone made some contribution,” he said to BelaPAN.

Aliaksandr Yarashevich, BelaPAN