Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration in Belarus was marked with mass (and in some cases, quite rude) detentions of human rights defenders and civil activists.
In Hrodna journalist Ivan Roman and the participants of a human rights action Aleh Kalinkou, Uladzimir Khilmanovich and Viktar Sazonau were detained.
In Mahiliou there were detained the lawyers Alexander Karaliou and Alexander Padalian.
In Brest the police detained Young Front activists Yury Bakur and Andrei Sharenda.
In Kobryn – Stanislau Kuchynski and an activist of Young Front.
In Minsk eight activists of Young Belarus were detained near the central KGB office: Raman Bahdanovich, Volha Burnevich, Artur Finkevich, Siarzhuk Kliuyeu, Ales Krutkin, Nina Lazouskaya, Valer Sakovich and Ales Stsepanenka. During their action all of the detainees were dressed in prison uniform.
In Navapolatsk human rights activists distributed leaflets with congratulations on the 60th anniversary of UDHR out in the streets and in the building of Navapolatsk State University. None of them were detained.
A bit later riot policemen in mufti detained near GUM department store six human rights defenders who handed out the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Ales Bialiatski, Uladzimir Labkovich, Aleh Matskevich, Maryna Statkevich, Siarzhuk Sys and Iryna Toustsik.
Several minutes later the activists of the BPF Youth Siarzhuk Karpovich, Anton Koipish, Siarzhuk Semianiuk and Franak Viachorka were detained. All of Minsk detainees were guarded to Tsentralny district police department of Minsk.
During the detention of Ales Bialiatski and Iryna Toustsik the policemen used violence. They snatched the mobile phone out of Iryna’s hands and took out the SIM-car out of it.
Thus, according to incomplete information, 28 activists of civil movements and organizations were detained on 10 December. The Belarusian officials again show us how they prefer to celebrate Human Rights Day.
