Mass arrests of opponents of nuclear power plant in Minsk

Activists of an anti-nuclear campaign, who were going to convey an adress to Medvedev, are being arrested in Minsk.

A Coordinator of the campaign Tatyana Novikova and Russian nuclear physicist Andrei Ozharovsky, activists of Belarusian anti-nuclear campaign, were arrested this morning. Now the activists are in Leninsky Police department of Minsk. Details of arrest are no known.

As website сharter97.org found out later, coordinator of the Monitoring Group of the Centre of Legal Transformation Michael Matskevich and chairman of the NGO "Eco House" Irina Sukhiy were also detained by unknown persons on the exit of the office of "Green Network”.

Irina Sukhiy was going to the Russian embassy, in order to pass the original of the petition against the construction of the Nuclear Power Plant in Belarus. Michael Matskevich was heading to Leninsky Police department, where, presumably, are located detained activists Tatyana Novikova and Andrei Ozharovsky.

Activists of the anti-nuclear campaign intended to convey to the Russian embassy in Minsk an open appeal against the signing of the general contract for construction of nuclear power plants. Signing the general contract is scheduled on today during the visit of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Minsk.

Here is what is stated in the open appeal, which activists managed to convey to BelaPAN:

“We consistently advocate for the preservation of denuclearized status of Belarus, against the decision to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant, adopted in an authoritarian way, without asking for public opinion and experts”.

According to the activists of the anti-nuclear campaign, “Belarusian NPP, as every other, represents a risk to todays and future generations: there is no 100% guaranty of that a disaster, equal to Fukusima or Chernobyl, won’t happen; regular emissions of radionuclides will lead to the growth of oncological diseases in the area of the NPP; the problem or radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel, which will pose danger in the next hundreds and thousands of years, is not solved”.  

Besides, is noted in the statement, “the project is economically unjustified, its realization will reduce energy security and increase the country's dependence on foreign energy sources and technologies”.

“We were repeatedly notifying you of those violations that occur during the implementation of the project of Belarusian nuclear power plant. Namely: violations of national laws and international commitments of Aarhus and Espoo UNECE Conventions of Belarus, as well as technical standards," – says the statement.”