Barysau: Police Disrupt Gathering of Democratic Activists

12.12.2006.

According to the UCP press-service

On 8 December in the office of the Untied Civil Party in Barysau a meeting of activists of the united democratic forces was taking place, when the police announced evacuation, because of alleged anonymous telephone call informing them that the house was mined. The evacuation was performed by the police, unidentified persons in mufti and workers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in presence of the deputy head of Barysau District Executive Committee Siarhei Trusau and two deputy heads of Barysau district police department, colonels Uladzimir Iakimovich and Andrei Panamarou. A person in mufti shot everything with a video camera.

Workers of two all offices were lead out. A brigade with a dog and a mine-detector came from Minsk. However, they did not find any bomb.

At the meeting the activists of the United Civil Party, the Party of Communists of Belarus, the Belarusian People’s Front and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) discussed the election campaign.

Leu Marholin, chair of Minsk Regional UCP branch, commented: ‘The situation reminds of the period of preparation to the first Congress of Democratic Forces. It seems that the authorities consider our gatherings as preparation to the next congress. That’s why it was ordered to disrupt them. I think there will be more such cases soon.’