Police Detains Six Participants of St. Valentine’s Day Action

14.02.2004.

On 14 February the Young Front members conducted the eighth action, devoted to celebration of St. Valentine’s Day, this time under the slogan “We Love Europe! We Love Belarus!”.

The action participants were detained in Freedom Square.

Pavel Seviarynets said: “At about 12 p.m. I appeared in Freedom Square. Policemen immediately ran to me and pulled me into a bus with bars. Two other persons, Ales Vasilewski and Artsiom Litvinaw, were already sitting there. The boy, who cried out “Shame on you!” while they were pulling me, was seized as well. It was Andrey Shybko. Then came Barys Haretski with flowers, he was also detained. Then they detained a girl, Yulia Sipovich and took us to Tsentralny Borough Board of Internal Affairs. There they told us to write explanatory notes, composed reports for violation of article 167.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations (violation of the order of holding of mass actions) and about 3 p.m. released us.

We should remind that the procession devoted to St. Valentine’s Day wasn’t sanctioned by the authorities, who stated that the law prohibits mass street actions near the buildings of state institutions and diplomatic missions.