BPF Member Vatslau Areshka Detained with Social March Flyers

30.10.2007. Tags: detentions, Social March.
Source: RFE/RL.

Today activist of Belarusian Popular Front Vatslau Areshka, who had the leaflets on the Social March on him, was detained. He was brought to the Central District Internal Affairs Department, Valer Ukhnalou, deputy head of the Party of Communist Belarusian, head of the Social March organizing committee, told RFE/RL.

Vatslau Areshka does not pick up his phone. According to Valer Ukhnalou, the activist had many flyers on him. The flyers said the authorized Social march was to take place in Minsk on November 4^th, the action starts at the Academy of Sciences at noon.

Valer Ukhnalou is sure the police will not return the flyers. In general, he points out, the authorities hinder spreading information about the action, aiming to change the social policy in the country.

Yesterday the head of the Social March organizing committee received a letter from Natallia Piatkevich, deputy chairman of the President’s Office.

Earlier the March organizers sent letters with the proposal to discuss the Social March campaign and the state social policy to the President’s Office and personally to Natallia Piatkevich.

Ms. Piatkevich replied, in her opinion, such problems as social policy, social guarantees are impossible to solve with the help of street actions. According to Ukhnalou, Piatkevich said the President’s Office was looking at new possibilities for solving the problem of benefit cuts.