Police beat up participants of 7 May action

09.05.2009. Tags: Young Front, political prisoners, actions, beating, political disappearances, Zakharanka, European Belarus, Autukhovich.
Source: Charter`97.

Participants of the rally on 7 May were beaten even for a denial to be fingerprinted, though formally this procedure is voluntary.

As the Charter’97 press-centre was told by an activist of the civil campaign European Belarus Zmitser Yarmolich, he was beaten up in the police department of Tsentralny district of Minsk for his denial to be fingerprinted. ‘I was taken to a separate room, the door was locked. I was hit on the face and into the abdomen several times. After that I had to be fingerprinted,’ Yarmolich said.

An activist of the European Belarus Maxim Siarhiyets was beaten up right after the detention in the bus on the way to the police department. He was beaten by fists and legs.

As the press-centre Charter’97 was told by the spokesperson of the Young Front Tatsiana Shaputska, who was detained with other activists during the rally on 7 May 7, in the bus on the way to the police department a riot policeman hit the activist of the Young Front Yuliya Mikhailava on the head. Tatsiana Shaputska was also punched on her face by a riot policeman.

As said by the activist Mikola Dzemidzenka, who is on a hunger strike of solidarity with political prisoners, riot policemen were dragging him on the ground and threw him into the bus, and in the bus he was hit by his head on the bus floor.

The activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party Iryna Hubskaya was beaten up I the police department of Tsentralny district of Minsk. As the Charter’97 press-center was told by the party representatives, the girl was beaten during detention and in the police department as well.

The Young Front activist Artsiom Dubski was made to stand near the wall of the police department with his hands up and was hit in kidney area a few times.

All the detained protesters were videotaped, forcibly fingerprinted, and made sign papers with a warning that participation in unsanctioned rallies is illegal.

On 7 May several hundreds of people gathered in Kastrychnitskaya Square with portraits of the former Interior Minister Yury Zakharanka, who disappeared 10 years ago. Besides, they were holding portraits of the political prisoners Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka. Riot policemen clashed with the participants of the memorial rally dedicated to the abducted and assassinated general Yury Zakharanka. Before and after the rally dozens of oppositionists were beaten up and arrested.