People who were arrested for solidarity with Ukraine secretly taken from jail

Two activists, who were earlier detained in Minsk on the death anniversary of Mikhail Zhyzneuski, were released yesterday evening.

Yulia Stsiapanava, an activist of the civil campaign European Belarus, wrote it on Facebook.

“Yauhen Batura and Mikalai Kolas have been released. They were taken to the Tsentralny district police department. They are free now. They already phoned me,” she writes.

Another participant of the picket, Volha Nikalaichyk, was released in the same way. She was secretly taken from the detention centre to the Tsentralny district police department.

On the evening of January 22, 15 people lit candles and laid flowers to Taras Shevchenko monument near the embassy of Ukraine. They unfurled a big portrait of Belarusian Mikhail Zhyzneuski, who was killed in Ukraine. All of them were detained by the police and taken to the Tsentralny district police department.

Four people were released at night. Coordinator of the European Belarus civil campaign Maksim Viniarski, activists Volha Nikalaichyk, Aliaksandr Makayeu, Yauhen Batura and Mikalai Kolas remained behind bars until trial. All of them wee sentenced to a short term in custody.

The released activists asked representatives of Ukraine's embassy to turn attention to the fact that Belarusian police officers insulted Ukraine and Ukrainians.