Ukrainian youth NGO hold picket against illegal drafting of Belarusian activists

The Ukrainian youth union Nasha Ukraina held a picket in front of the Belarusian embassy to Kiev urging the Belarusian authorities to stop political persecution of Belarusian civil activists, the illegal conscription to the army of Franak Viachoka in particular.

‘Franak Viachorka was declared unfit for military service. In spite of this, the Lukashenka regime does its best to get rid of young independent politicians. Thus, a number of Belarusian youth activists were illegally drafted to the army, including Zmitser Zhaleznichenka, Vital Karatysh and Ales Kalita. In all of these cases, the Belarusian secret services interfered in the process of conscription, by detaining and escorting them to military enlistment offices and hospitals to be informed they were from now on fit for military service, despite their health problems,’ says one of the Union activists Yury Mindiuk.

As a result of the picket, a special resolution with a number of demands for president Lukashenka adopted by the activists was handed to representatives of the embassy.