Some fifty persons detained in yesterday’s Minsk protest

Some fifty protesters were detained during a rally marking the anniversary of the 19 December 2010 post-election protest staged in central Minsk last evening.

Some of them were eventually released without charges, including a number of minors and several independent journalists.

Others were taken to various police departments of Minsk and are expected to stand trials on administrative charges this morning and afternoon.

Official information provided by Minsk City Department of Internal Affairs: 46 most active participants of the event were taken to territorial police departments for identification. After that, 14 persons were released, and 32 persons were charged under Art. 09.04 (failure to implement child-rearing responsibilities), Art. 23.34 (violation of procedures for organization and conduct of a mass event or picket) and Art. 17.1 (disorderly conduct) of the Administrative Code.