Participants of Another Action of Protest against Putin’s Visits Detained in Niamiha Street

14.12.2007. Tags: administrative trials, actions, political persecution, detentions, For Freedom.
Source: Charter`97.

Actions For Independent Belarus continue in Minsk. Another action against Vladimir Putin’s visit to Belarus was organized at 6.20 p.m. on 13 December. Several dozens of activists of the civil campaign For Freedom! with a banner ‘Putin, Go Home!’ came out to the Minsk center in Niamiha Street. The young people unfurled European, national and official Belarusian flags. They chanted ‘Putin, Go Home!’ ‘Independence!’, ‘No unions with Russia!’, ‘It’s not Russia here!’ and tore portraits of Putin into pieces.

The action was held in a busy traffic area and aroused interest among Minsk dwellers. The majority of passers-by stopped near the protesters and expressed their support. The torn portraits of Putin were mixed with mud. A street cleaner with broom came up and cleaned swept the remains of Russian president’s portraits.

The young people stood for 10 minutes, shouting slogans of independence. Then a bus with riot policemen drove up and twenty policemen attacked the protesters. Having seen the riot police, the activists sat down on the ground. The young people were again treated brutally– girls and guys were pulled into the bus by force. The policemen were so zealous that they were slipping and falling on the ice.

15 youth activists were detained and guarded to Maskouski district police department of Minsk. Some of the passers-by, watching the dispersing, tried to defend the action participants and shouted to the police: ‘What are you doing? You are Belarusians after all!’

The detainees were taken to Maskouski district police department of Minsk. There the police kept them for three hours. The activists were not allowed to sit. Violations reports were drawn up on each of the detainees. The policemen also told them that later all of them will receive summons to court. 

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