13 July silent protests in Belarusian regions
The format of the silent protest actions
was changed (their participants were advised not to clap their hands, just to
walk silently and set the alarm clock of their mobile phones to 8 p.m. to mark
the end of the action). However, the places of gathering remained the same,
which gave the law machinery the opportunity to prepare to them. The central
squares of many Belarusian towns were fenced with iron tourniquets or blocked
by the police.
Babruisk
The police detained journalist Ales Sushcheuski without offering any
explanations to him.
Baranavichy
According to Vital Syrytsa, 5 peoeple were detained including Ryhor Makarevich,
(who was let go after a “prophylactic talk”) and workers Maksim Salankevich and
Yauhen Zamula.
Brest
7.08 p.m. Three youngsters were detained on Lenin Street and lead into a yard. There
the police put down their passport data. Two of the detained youngsters were
let go. Four more were put into a police car.
8.15 p.m. Civil activist Aliaksei Koutun was taken to the Leninski District
Police Department of Brest. About 150 people took part in the action. Policemen
with loud-speakers warned the protesters that the action was prohibited. At
7.30 the people started to disperse. Some of them went to the central
supermarket along Savetskaya
Street. Some of them entered the supermarket and
started clapping their hand, after which Mr. Koutun was detained.
The police also interfered with the work of Milana Kharytonava, a journalist
for the BelaPAN news agency, prohibiting her to take photos. When she
quoted the law On Police, colonel Melnikau came up to her and said that the
police had a video of one of the previous actions where she could be seen
walking in front of the crowd, like an organizer. He threatened to send the
video to the Ministry of Information so that it could take “adequate measures”.
Homel
All ways to the Homel supermarket were controlled by the police, who
checked the documents of the people who went there. According to preliminary
information, about 35 people were detained, including about 20 bicyclists, who
were guarded to the police station together with their bicycles and told that
there had been massive thefts of bicycles in the Homel region.
The police also detained Pavel Mitskevich, a correspondent for Komsomolskaya
Pravda v Belarusi. However, he was released in some time. According to
Andrei Papou, the civil and political activists Siarhei Stsepanets, Andrei
Tsianiuta and Kanstantsin Zhukouski were detained on Savetskaya Street in the suburb of Volatava.
According to some citizens, on guy was severely hit in the face during the
detention. A journalist with a video camera was detained. Most probably, it was
Larysa Shcharykova.
Malaryta
Police detained three people including human rights defender Uladzimir
Malei.
Mazyr
Lenin Square was blocked by police, some of whom
had machine guns. Those who came up to a monument were warned against standing
there and making any photos. Some 8-10 people were detained and put into a
police bus. The detainees were shown a movie in the bus and were released in
some time.
Navapolatsk
According to different sources, 50-150 people came to the action. The square
was not blocked, but as soon as the protesters started clapping, some people in
plain clothes started running towards them, detaining the most active ones. Two
people were detain. The protesters managed to defend two more from the
detention.
Human rights defenders also learned about the detention of three more people,
including Yauhen Kanstantsinau and Aliaksei Trubkin.
Traffic police took part in the detentions this time.
According to the press-service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists,
journalist Aliaksandr Muzhdabayeu who was making a report from the Budaunikou Square,
disappeared. By the way, the journalist had been detained during the silent
protest action on 6 July.
Pinsk
The Lenin Square was blocked, nobody was let there. Two people were detained by
the police before the protest action.
Salihorsk
6.50 p.m. Police detained Ivan Shyla and Andrei Tychyna, who had been released
from jail on 12 July, after serving 13-day arrest for participation in the
silent protest action on the central square of Salihorsk on 29 June.
7.32 p.m. The entrepreneur Aleh Bakht, who intended to come to the protest
action, didn't answer his phone.
10.50 p.m. All detainees were given charges and left in jail till trial. The Young
Front activist Ivan Shyla, detained by the crime detection police in the
supermarket Salihorsk, was charged under Article 17.1, “disorderly
conduct”.
Andrei Tychyna was charged with “disorderly conduct” (Article 17.1 of the Code
of Administrative Offenses) and sentenced to 9 days of arrest by Judge Raby. The trial of
Ivan Shyla was postponed to 15 July due to his solicitation to be provided with
a lawyer. The case will be tried by Judge Barautsou. Judge Yahor Barysenka
fined Aleh Bakht 350,000 rubles for alleged violation of Article 17.1
Slutsk
Vital Amilalkovich, an activist of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, was
released after a questioning in a police car. The police asked him why he had
come to the square. A part of the detainees were questioned right on the
square, some more were taken to the Slutsk District Police Department,
including Tatsiana Huseva, a journalist for Infa-Kur'yer. The police
detained only those who had taken part in the previous silent protest actions.
Vileika
Dzmitry Kaptsiuh, Uladzimir Maliarchuk, Aliaksei Pasynkau, Aliaksei Siudak,
Yauhen Siudak and two more men were detained. All of them were told to give
written explanations and were released from the police in three hours. Their
mobile phones were switched off during the detention.
Vitsebsk
7.00 p.m. Nastassia Sotnikava, a coordinator of the organizing committee of
the Belarusian Christian Democracy in Vitsebsk, was detained before the silent
protest action, allegedly for “identification”. She was guarded to the police
station on Zhastkou Street.
Zhodzina
7.40 p.m. The police detained Raman Vasiliieu in a supermarket. Four more
protesters were detained in another place.
7.53. Vasiliieu was charged under Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative
Offenses, “disorderly conduct”. He was told to give away his belonging – most
probably he will be kept in detention till trial. On 14 July he was sentenced
to 3 days of arrest. The other detainees were released late on 13 July without
getting any charges.
