Circumstances of Detention in Mahiliou Revealed
On 13 September Uladzimir Padalian, first secretary of Mahiliou Regional Committee of the Party of Communists of Belarus, passed away. The reason of death was the heart attack he had on 9 September.
During the parliamentary election of 2004 U. Padalian was nominated a candidate from PCB. Being pressurized by the authorities, he had to resign from the position of the director of Mahiliou regional lyceum #2.
More than a hundred people came to say goodbye to him on 14 September. The procession was ringed by the police, who shot the people with a video camera. The procession participants wanted to take the coffin with Padalian’s body to the lyceum on the way to the cemetery, but the authorities didn’t let it happen. They ordered the teachers to finish the classes earlier and let children go home. The road to the lyceum was blocked by the police cars and janitors who suddenly decided to clean the adjusting territory. When the procession went away to the cemetery, a police officer said the janitors they could go away as well.
Four activists from Mahiliou weren’t able to attend the funeral. The police blocked Ryhor Kastusiou, chair of Mahiliou regional organization of Belarusian People’s Front, Barys Bukhiel, lawyer of Mahiliou branch of HRC Viasna, Valiantsina Shchetnikava, activist of Belarusian People’s Frant and Larysa Shukaila, activist of The Conservative Christian Party BPF in Kastusiou’s car for more than an hour not far from the lyceum. The operation was directed by Piatro Shashkou, lieutenant colonel from Mahiliou Kastrychnitski Borough Board of Internal Affairs. They were released only after the procession returned from the funeral. Ryhor Kastusiou thinks the policemen were ordered to detain them so that he couldn’t deliver a critical speech at the funeral.
