Participant of Anti-Integration Picket Is Kept in Jail

On October 23, 2002 Belarusian Freedom Party and Young Front carried out a joint unauthorized picket opposite the house where the conference “Belarus-Russia: new integration” was held. It is worth mentioning that Belarusian authorities deported from the country vice-speaker of the Russian Parliament Irina Khakamada and the leader of Right Forces Union, political scientist Sergey Markov to the conference in order to prevent their participation in the conference.

According to information of the leader of the unregistered Belarusian Freedom Party from 9 a.m. to 14 p.m. on October 23 Belarusian Freedom Party and Young Front were holding the picket “For Independence”, aimed against those local political forces that favor annexation of Belarus by the Russian Federation. About 30 people participated in this picket near IBIB center in Pravda Avenue. They also intended to express their point of view on the integration. Some Russian politicians weren’t admitted to the conference, and after the end of the picket the police started to detain its participants. Among the detainees there were: Paviel Sieviaryniets, Illia Iadrantsau, Siarhiei Matskoits with his wife, mother of two under-aged children, Aliena Matskoits. Immediately after the detention Siarhiei Vysotski came to the city police department in order to prevent the possible illegal actions of the police towards the detainees. Illia Iadrantsau was sentenced to three days of imprisonment, the trials over Sieviaryniets and Matskoits were postponed to 11.30 a.m. on October 28.

At present Illia Iadrantsau is kept in the detention center in Akrestsin Street.

Information Department of PA HRC “Viasna”