Action of solidarity with Mikalai Autukhovich: day four

The action of solidarity with political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich, who has gone on hunger strike, continued in Minsk on 4 May.

The leader of European Belarus Artur Finkevich and the Young Front activists Anton Koipish and Mikola Dzemidzenka were detained before the action of solidarity with the political prisoner began in Kastrychnitskaya Square. They were arrested by riot policemen in mufti, who didn’t show any documents to the young people and took them away to Tsentralny district police department for verification of the identity.

Riot policemen also checked the identity cards of all journalists in the square.

Activists of the civil campaign European Belarus sat on ground in front of Kastrychnitskaya Square, on the other side of Nezalezhnastsi Avenue, in protest. The oppositionists were holding portraits of political prisoners Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka. Riot policemen in uniform and in mufti surrounded the protesters. They threatened the demonstrators and demanded them to disperse. Famous Belarusian figures – Charter’97 coordinator Zmitser Bandarenka, European Belarus activists Zmitser Barodka, Maxim Viniarski, Yauhen Afnahel, former political prisoners Andrei Kim, participants of the Process of 14 Maxim Dashuk and others sat on the ground in protest.

The participants of the action unfurled a big national white-red-white flag and shouted ‘Freedom to Political Prisoners!’ and ‘long Live Belarus!’

The action lasted for 30 minutes. Riot policemen were standing opposite the protesters trying to hide them from passers-by and cars.

It should be reminded that action of solidarity with political prisoners are held in Minsk every day at 6.00 p.m. Belarusians take to streets to support the political prisoners, one of whom, Mikalai Autukhovich is on indefinite hunger strike, menacing his life.