Minsk: Riot Policeman Beats Ukrainian Resident for Participation in Meeting with Electorate

On 12 March after the end of the electoral meeting with Aliaksandr Milinkevich in Minsk riot police detained a number of Ukrainian citizens, including the third-year student of Mlyn Veterinary Technical College Mykola Karpinskyi. The student was taken to Minsk Frunzenski Borough Board of Internal Affairs. The detention report was composed by the police sergeant-major Akhramovich. Mr Karpinskyi was accused of active participation in unauthorized meeting, shouting anti-state slogans and waving the national flag of the Ukraine.

At the trial Mr Karpinskyi said he was detained by persons in plain clothes who showed no documents. They pulled him into a police car and beat there. A riot squad policemen wrapped his fist with the Ukrainian flag and punched him in the face, demanding from the detainee to tell who paid to him for participation in the action. The traced of beating could be clearly seen on Karpinskui’s face. The court closed eyes to it as well as to the fact that Mykola Karpinskyi has ill heart and sentenced the defendant to 10 days of jail. On 19 March, the election day, Mr Karpinskyi turns 26.