Officials say there are no funds to improve conditions in detention facility in Barysaŭ

Opposition activist Zmitser Khvedaruk, who was one of the football fans detained by the police during a match on October 12 in Barysaŭ and held almost 24 hours in the district police department, has complained about the conditions in the local temporary detention facility. The answer received by the activist from the Interior Ministry’s National Epidemiology Center has confirmed his words about the terrible conditions in which people are forced to be awaiting trial or be held under arrest:

The sanitary conditions in the cells are poor, say the officials. “There are traces of water at the junction of the wall and the ceiling near the windows, the sanitary equipment is extremely worn out. The washbasin is out of order. There is no glass in one of the two windows. Natural lighting is insufficient. The renovation is scheduled for 2015, but has been postponed to a later date due to lack of funding”, says the official reply.

Zmitser Khvedaruk told journalists after the trial that the fans were held without drinking water for almost 24 hours, since the water in the cell was terrible. One of the windows was broken, so it was very cold, and they could not sleep properly.

The fans were detained for wearing scarves with an image of the Pahonia coat of arms. They were taken to a local police station, and the following day found guilty of petty hooliganism (Art. 17.1 of the Administrative Code). All of them were sentenced to a fine of 1.8 million each.