Vitebsk Police Persecutes Hrodna Human Rights Activist

27.11.2006.

Viktar Sazonau, an outstanding Hrodna human rights activist, he has been persecuted by Vitebsk police for several days.

Last week he and his Polish colleague were invited to visit Navahradak, Pastavy and Vitebsk and meet local researches. From the very beginning a sightseeing trip became a point of interest for different state bodies: the department for ideology, migration office, police, and people in civil clothes who gave orders to the police.

Viktar Sazonau’s car was followed and stopped several times. A police car followed them in a pointed manner. A local policemen accompanied by officers of migration service entered the private house where Sazonau stopped in order to check the papers and find out the goal of the visit.

The morning of November 24 became the culmination of the trip. Taking the car from a guarded parking lot, Viktar Sazonau noticed that a first-aid kit disappeared from his car. He was stopped at the exit from the parking lot by a traffic policeman. The first thing the policeman asked for was the first-aid kit. Having consulted with a colleague, the police officer seized the driving license. Viktar Sazonau argued that police couldn’t take the driving license for that kind of violation and said he had money to pay the fine right away. The traffic officer responded that police in Hrodna was informed about that case and did not return the driving license.