English

Coordinator of "Tell the Truth!" campaign arrested in downtown Minsk

Andrey Dzmitryyew, a coordinator of the "Tell the Truth!" campaign, was apprehended by who appeared to be police officers in civilian clothes in downtown Minsk on March 25.

Shortly before his arrest, Mr. Dzmitryyew, who was Uladzimir Nyaklyayew's campaign manager in last year's presidential election, led a group of "Tell the Truth!" activists who visited Minsk's main post office to send hundreds of postcards to political detainees. Afterward, followed by plainclothesmen, the activists crossed the street and walked a few hundred meters along Independence Avenue to the entrance of the central office of the Committee for State Security (KGB), where they presented flowers to the wives of two jailed opposition activists, Alyaksandr Atroshchankaw and Dzmitry Bandarenka. As soon as Mr. Dzmitryyew left the group and crossed the street, he was arrested by the plainclothesmen and driven away in a Volkswagen minibus.

Eyewitnesses said that the plainclothes officers had provided no explanations to Mr. Dzmitryyew during the arrest.

Mr. Dzmitryyew was arrested at his home hours after the December 19 post-election demonstration and was released from the KGB detention center on his own recognizance on January 3. He has been charged in a so-called mass riot case opened in connection with the demonstration. More than 20 people charged in the case remain in custody, while a few more have already been sentenced to prison. //BelaPAN