English

Police keep hunting for "silent" protesters

The Belarusian authorities showed their determination to suppress any manifestation of opposition to Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s government by making an all-out effort on July 13 to prevent people from staging a new series of so-called silent protests organized via websites as part of a campaign called "Revolution through Social Networks."

Although there were relatively few people on Minsk streets on Wednesday evening who could be identified as would-be protesters, the city police made many arrests, just as had been the case during previous silent protests, held every Wednesday evening since June 8.

Police officers told passers-by not to stop or gather in groups, randomly searching people’s bags and ordering them to show their IDs.

At least five people were grabbed by police in central Yakub Kolas Square, where a crowd of several hundred had gathered.

Plainclothesmen prevented reporters from taking pictures and filming, pushing them, hitting them in the arms and legs, and trying to damage their equipment.

Unlike during previous silent protests, no hand clapping was heard, apparently because the “Revolution through Social Networks" coordinators had asked protesters to refrain from doing so this time and instead make the alarms in their mobile phones start ringing at 8 p.m. Several dozen mobile phones really went off in the square at the time.

Ihar Yawseyew, deputy head of the Minsk city police department/public security police chief, could be seen at the center of the square. He and Alyaksandr Lastowski, spokesman for the city police, were attacked with questions as to why unknown men in civilian clothes were being allowed to grab peaceful people and reporters and drive them away in vehicles with no license plates. The officers never gave a specific answer.

Uniformed officers and plainclothesmen also harassed reporters in other places in Minsk, which the police believed could be venues of silent protests.

BelaPAN correspondents Zakhar Shcharbakow and Anton Taras and cameraman Pavel Padabed were grabbed as well but soon freed.

Aleh Hruzdzilovich, a correspondent of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was grabbed, then freed and ultimately captured when he was leaving the scene and taken to a district police station.

Former presidential hopeful Uladzimir Pravalski, a resident of Vitsyebsk, was grabbed by men in civilian clothes at about 7 p.m. when he was walking to the center of the city to attend a protest.

More than 10 people were arrested during a silent protest in Slutsk, Minsk region, including Tatsyana Huseva, a reporter of the local private newspaper Info-Kuryer.

Journalist Ales Sushchewski was arrested during a protest in Babruysk, Mahilyow region, which reportedly drew about 100 people.

At least five people were arrested during a protest in Baranavichy, Brest region.

Journalist Alyaksandr Muzhdabayew of Ximik.info was arrested when he was reporting on a silent protest from a central square in Navapolatsk, Vitsyebsk region.

In Salihorsk, Minsk region, police arrested young opposition activist Andrey Tychyna, who had been released the previous day after completing a 13-day jail term for participation in a silent protest staged in the city on June 29. //BelaPAN