Academy of Music’s Student: Riot Policemen Beat Me Senseless

The nose and a leg of a student Kastus Akhromenka were broken by policemen, for the student was speaking Belarusian.

After the wide public reaction to the beating of a tut.by journalist Pavel Dabravolski, the student of the State Academy of Music Kastus Akhromenka told how he had been beaten by policemen. It happened back on December 20. His nose and leg were fractured, his lips torn. Kastus had battery-induced injuries verified and filed a police report. But he doubts that the report would be considered, Radio Svaboda informs.

Kastus Akhromenka is 21, he is a student of the Belarusian State Academy of Music, and a musician of Children of the Underground band (Dzietsi padziamellia). On December 20 after a concern he and his friend were detained by riot policemen in a railway station. As said by Akhromenka, riot policemen got very aggressive when they heard Belarusian speech.

“They demanded me to speak Russian, otherwise they threatened to take me into the police station. I said that our country is called Belarus, and at least someone should speak Belarusian there. We were taken to the police department, and one of the officers started telling me: “Well, you must speak Russian when talking to me, and you can shove Belarusian up your as.” I could not bear that anymore and spat into his face.

After that, as Akhromenka said, he was thrown his face on the floor, and started beating him, until he fell unconscious.

“As a result, my nose and leg were broken, I had hematomas all over my body. I spent a night in such a state,” – Akhromenka said.

After that Kastus had his battery-induced injuries verified and filed a report to the Investigative Committee. However, he doubts that the report would be considered.

We remind that on January 25 a trial in the “graffitists’ case” started in the court of Frunzenski district of Minsk. The trial started with a rally of solidarity with graffitists. Two young guys, Pavel Siarhei and Maxim Shytisk, unfurled a banner “No to political repressions!”, one of them was chanting “No to political persecution!”, “Art is no crime!” and “It is not a court, it’s a circus!” The young me were beaten up by policemen in the building of the court for that, and then they were fined $450 and $500.

The journalist of tut.by website Pavel Dabravolski, who had been videoing the expulsion of the activists from the courtroom, was detained and beaten up with the protesters. As said by the detainees, they were kicked dozens of times. The sound of beating was heard in the courtroom.