Chernobyl Way participants beaten and jailed

A Young Front member beaten brutally by police was taken from the court building by ambulance.

Participants of yesterday's rally on occasion of the Chernobyl disaster are being tried today, Viasna human rights centre reports.

Three Young Front activists – Mikalai Dzemidzenka, Mikhail Musski and Raman Vasilyeu – stand trial in the Savetski district court. They were detained on April 26 after the end of the Chernobyl Way rally. Musski and Vasilyeu are accused of disorderly conduct (article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The Young Front activists spent the night in a detention centre.

Mikalai Dzemidzenka, who raised a poster “Sasha, are you stupid?” hinting at Lukashenka, was sentenced to 15 days in custody. Mikhail Musski and Raman Vasilyeu were given the same terms in custody.

Raman Vasilyueu was taken by ambulance to hospital No. 9, but soon returned to court. Mikhail Musski said they had been beaten brutally in the police department.

Two participants of the rally – Alyaksei Churylau and Dzmitry Shaulyukevich – were tried in the same court. The young men were sentenced to 10 and 15 days in custody respectively for “swearing”.