Illia Bohdan: birthday behind bars

15.07.2008. Tags: Belarusian Popular Front, political persecution, arrest, human rights defenders, provocation.

The member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, human rights activist Illia Bohdan has to celebrate his 21st birthday behind bars. He is kept there on suspicion in relation to the 4 July blast in Minsk.

On 10 July in the evening the apartment where Illia and his parents live was searched by KGB officers. After the search the activist was detained and taken for an interrogation. His friends and relatives spent quite a long time trying to find out where he was. Two days after the detention one of them managed to find that he was at Maskouski district police department. There he was kept in a small cell without windows, (also called ‘glass’).

It’s quite interesting that Illia was mostly asked about human rights activities and his involvement in the electoral campaign, though he was allegedly detained on suspicion in the blast. There is no doubt that by this arrest the authorities are trying intimidate the activist, not to find the real criminals. Such means of political persecution has been also used towards ten activists of different parties and movements so far.

Hold on, Illia! Friends and colleagues congratulate you on birthday and believe in you!

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