People Gathered In Square in Salihorsk

On the 16th day of every month at 8 p.m. people gather in the central square of Salihorsk, holding candles and portraits of disappeared politicians and political prisoners. This month candles were lit on the square again. About 50 protesters gathered on the square to demonstrate their solidarity with families of disappeared public activists, with political prisoners and those who continue hunger strike.

Policemen stood around the square. Two police buses stood behind the House of culture. Policemen videotaped the protest.

Despite of the close attention to the participants of the Day of Solidarity, there were no detentions. One of the policemen even answered the questions of the Belarsuain Helsinki Committee representative:

It is clear that it would be difficult to arrest so many people in the center of Salihorsk. Salihorsk is a little town. And people know what the aim of the protest is. Many people, especially supporters of the current regime, think that we live in a free country, and people have a right for peaceful protest. That is why the publics reaction to a total lawlessness by police like in Minsk would be extremely negative. It looks like policemen understand that, an activist of the Young Front Ivan Shyla said.

We would demand the authorities to understand that to stop Days of Solidarity is possible only by ending political persecution of public activists and by answering the questions about the fate of disappeared politicians, Alyaksei Valabueu said.
Source: www.charter97.org