Minsk: Police Prevent Protest Action in Kastrychnitskaia Square by Detention of Youth Activists

On 5 June a number of youth activists intended to hold an action against the forced deportation of citizens of the Ukraine, Georgia, France, Canada and other countries from Belarus during the presidential election. Before the beginning of the action the riot police detained the following persons: Katsiaryna Fursa, Iulia Harachka, Aliaksei Kazulin (nephew of Aliaksandr Kazulin), Anastasiia Korshun, Kanstantsin Usianok and the under-aged Ukrainan citizen Artem Chystyakov. The detainees were taken to Minsk Tsentralny Borough Board of Internal Affairs, where the policemen composed violation reports on them. Several hours later all of the detainees except for Artem Chystyakov were released.

According to Aliaksei Kazulin, a riot policeman tried to flip something like drugs to him. The riot policeman started searching me and suddenly took out a tiny black bag out of my pocket. He proposed me to take it and explain what it was. However, I didnt touch it. I didnt touch it and said that it wasnt my thing, there were no fingerprints on it and I was ready for expertise. They started to intimidate me, but then had to let me go, said Mr Kazulin.

According to the coordinator of the BPF Youth Ales Kalita, a judge who refused to introduce himself said that the administrative case against Mr Chystyakov would be considered within three-day term. Belarusian human rights activists consider the detention of Artem Chystyakov illegal.