Two members of coordination council detained in Minsk

Volha Kavalkova and Siarhei Dyleuski, members of the opposition Coordination Council, have been detained by riot police outside Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ), according to eyewitnesses.

A source in the city police department said the activists were detained over an administrative offense, most likely “organizing an illegal mass event”. The exact charges are yet unknown.

Kavalkova, member of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s campaign team, and Dyleuski, representative of the MTZ’s striking committee, arrived at the enterprise to meet with the workers. However, they were soon ushered into a prisoner transport vehicle, a video shows.

The detention comes after Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s repeated threats to “deal with the Council” and the Prosecutor General’s statement alleging the unconstitutional and illegal nature of its activities.