27 July: Chronicle of Celebration of State Sovereignty Day in Minsk

27.07.2007. Tags: actions, detentions.

4 p.m. – the police detain the chair of United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka.

4.10 – mass seizures start. The police detain the deputy chair of the BPF Party Viktar Ivashkevich and some other activists.

4.15 – the riot police push out about 40 persons including journalists and politicians to Miasnikou Street where 6 police cars are waiting. Policemen arbitrary don’t let passers-by to the square, saying that a special measure is taking place there.

4.35 – the youth activist Liudmila Atakulava and an activist of the BPF Party Yury Meliashkevich are detained. Five more detainees sit together with them in a bus of the riot police. Hanna Meliashkevich is among the detainees as well.

4.45 – The action in Nezalezhnastsi Square is over. The policemen are checking the documents of youngsters who wear For Freedom! badges. The police don’t let people go to Yanka Kupala square.

4.55 – about 40 persons including representatives of foreign embassies gather in the square near the monument to Yanka Kupala. Everything is quiet.

5.10 – the riot police rings about 60 persons near the monument.

5.15 – the riot police have pushed out the people to Kupala Street.

5.20 – the detainees are taken to Zavadski police department of Minsk.

5.30 – Nasha Niva informs that after 4 p.m. the police detained Yaraslau Hryshchenia. His location is still unknown.

5.40 – Anatol Liabedzka and Franak Viachorka are kept in Zavadski police department.

5.50 – several busses with riot police are moving towards Banhalor Square.

6.00 – Human rights activists are checking unconfirmed information about detention of the politician Mikalai Statkevich.

6.10 – The press-service of the United Civil Party informs that a youth activist Natallia Starastsina has been detained and the deputy chair of the BPF Party Viktar Ivashkevich and four more detainees have been taken to Tsentralny police department of Minsk.

6.43 – The police started letting out detainees from Zavadski police department. Klara Kuzhaleva and Anatol Liabedzka were released without any reports composed. According to preliminary information, a violation report is composed against an activist of the BPF Party Franak Viachorka.

7.05 – the deputy chair of the BPF Party Viktar Ivashkevich, a member of the BPF Party Yury Meliashkevich, Hanna Meliashkevich a the member of Young Front Liudmila Atakulava have been released from Tsentralny police department without any reports composed.

7.20 – Franak Viachorka is being taken from Zavadski police department to the detention center in Akrestsin Street.