Riot police cordons off Minsk centre before Chernobyl Way rally

By such measures riot police tried to prevent street actions on the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

As Interfax-Zapad correspondents inform, policemen arrived on Yakub Kolas Square and a square in front of the National Academy of Science, the places announced by the opposition as sites of mass actions. Parking on some streets was not allowed, some minibuses with policemen, three prisoner transport vehicles, buses with tinted windows with riot police, and a minibus with traffic police were noticed.

The square in front of the Academy of Science was surrounded by metal barriers. The exit from a metro station to the Academy of Science was closed. An emergency ambulance, a tow truck and a traffic police car were standing on the opposite side.

The permitted rally was held in the Park of Peoples’ Friendship, rather far from the city centre. Bangalore Square, where the rally was carried out, was enclosed with metal barriers. People were allowed inside only after inspecting their bags and screening with metal detectors. All demonstrators were video recorded.

According to Radio Svaboda, the rally attracted about 1,000 people. Among political leaders were presidential candidate, deputy head of BPF party Ryhor Kastusyou; presidential candidate, co-head of BCD party (under formation) Vital Rymasheuski; founders of Belarusian Movement party Viktar Ivashkevich, Vintsuk Vyachorka, and Yury Khadyka; leaders of independent trade unions Henadz Fyadynich and Alyaksandr Bukhvostau.

Demonstrators were holding posters “Chernobyl, Fukusima, what comes next?”, “Astravets NPP – No, thank you”, “We don’t need second Chernobyl”, “Enough blasts”, and Belarusian national white-red-white flags.

Organizer of Chernobyl Way rally Yury Khadyka noted addressing to people that the authorities permitted only a “meeting of silence” in the Park of Peoples’ Friendship. He said the Chernobyl accident was a global disaster and referred to Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who said only a little more than 200,000 out of 829,000 liquidators are alive now. Demonstrators held a moment of silence in memory of late liquidators and scientists Ivan Nikitchanka and Vasily Nestsyarenka.

Professor Ryhor Lepin said most of Belarusians eat radioactively contaminated products, some of which are produced in contaminated areas. “We are all victims of the Chernobyl disaster. We suffer from this terrible accident,” Lepin said.

Demonstrators adopted a resolution urging the Belarusian authorities to refuse an idea of constructing a nuclear power plant in Belarus.