Campaigner briefly detained in Mahilioŭ

Mikita Fartukh, an activist of a campaign against Presidential Decree No. 3 “On prevention of social dependency”, was briefly detained by the police in Mahilioŭ, while campaigning outside the Radzima cinema last evening.

The activist was taken to the police department, but released without charges an hour later.

“I explained to the policemen that the guy did not violate the law, but campaigned or the abolition of Decree No. 3 “On prevention of social dependency”. It is not prohibited by law, and his actions are not a street protest. The youth did not hand out any fliers, so there should be no problems with that,” says Ihar Barysau, Deputy chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), who arrived at the police station to defend the activist.

The Belarusian Social Democratic Party has already gathered over 5,000 signatures as part of the campaign against the controversial decree. On November 12, a member of the party’s executive body, Aleh Volchak, sent a report to the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus, arguing that the Decree is illegal.