Youth Combat Regime with Graffiti
According to RFE/RL
Belarusian youth continue to express their decisive protest against the dictatorship by making political graffiti. Their number on the walls of houses of Minsk and other towns and cities increases. The number of police patrols in the center of Minsk has increased as well. As a result, the police managed to detain several activists of different youth movements. Criminal cases have been brought against the detainees. Nevertheless, political graffiti are getting massive.
The activist of Young Front Artur Finkevich is kept in the investigative isolator in Minsk for the graffiti We Want New One and He Pissed Us off! He was detained together with Aliaksei Ianusheuski who was later released under written undertaking not to leave Minsk. Both guys are accused of malignant hooliganism. It is quite interesting that, unlike the article for malignant hooliganism, the article for graffiti doesn’t allow keeping the suspects and the accused in custody during the investigation. Most probably, activists are accused of hooliganism for two reasons: firstly, it gives the possibility to keep them under arrest and, secondly, speak of them as hooligans, conceiving the political motivation of their deeds.
On 9 March Minsk Tsentralny Borough Court will start the trial of the activists of Zubr Aliaksandr Kazakou and Dzmitry Zubr, who were detained for graffiti in the night of 28 December 2005.
In their interview other activists of Zubr thusly commented the situation:
-- Despite the criminal cases members of different youth movements will continue making graffiti, distributing information and hanging out banners, continuing their struggle for free democratic Belarus, -- said Katsiaryna Liaskavets.
-- The authorities see that youth are inclined to changes and can’t be stopped with criminal cases, -- added Zubr press-secretary Aliaksandr Atroshchankau.
