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Some 10 people arrested as police crack down on United Civic Party’s rally in Minsk

Some 10 people were arrested by police during a rally held by members of the United Civic Party (UCP) in front of the Kamarowski Rynak food marketplace in central Minsk on Sunday.

The opposition party had informed the city authorities that the rally would be held to promote the campaigns of its candidates for the Minsk City Soviet.

Amid a heavy presence of uniformed police officers and plainclothesmen, the activists displayed images of imprisoned opponents of Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Viktar Hanchar, Yury Zakharanka, Anatol Krasowski and Dzmitry Zavadski, who disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 1999 and 2000.

Fifteen minutes into the event, all of the activists were ordered to board a police bus and were taken to the Savetski district police station.

Among those arrested were UCP Chairman Anatol Lyabedzka and several candidates for the city soviet and their campaign aides.

The activists were expected to be charged with a minor civil offense and stand trial on March 17. //BelaPAN