9mn fines for posters on International Mother Language Day

The police detained five members of the Alternative group in the centre of Minsk on February 20.

Radio Svaboda learnt it from Aleh Korban, the leader of the public organisation Alternative. The incident took place in Yakub Kolas Square as the activists were pasting posters on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day.

The activists were distributing posters to congratulate Belarusians on the Mother Language Day, which is marked tomorrow. They already pasted posters on advertising boards in the suburbs and decided to put them on advertising columns along Minsk's main avenue. The police detained them and took in an unknown direction. One of the detainees, Alternative's press secretary Volha Burnevich, called later and said they were at the Savetski district police station. One of the detained activists is a minor. Two activists were charged with failure to obey orders of an official.

The detained activists are Volha Burnevich, Siarhei Kachur, Volha Zhurauliova and Uladzislau Zapasau.

Siarhei Kachur and Uladzislau Zapasau were tried in the Savetski district court. Volha Burnevich and Volha Zhurauliova were set free,” activist Illia Dabratvor says.

“Uladzislau Zapasau and Siarhei Kachur were fined 9 million rubles.

According to the activists of Alternative, the trial against Siarhei Kachur and Uladzislau Zapasau took less than an hour.

“It is a rather strange and unexpected reaction of the authorities. We wanted to focus on distributing posters with cultural content. I don't know why the saw politics and radicalism there. The authorities apparently continue to block all initiatives. Maybe they decided to play it safe. There's nothing political in the posters. They are about the national Belarusian symbols and congratulations on the International Mother Language Day,” Aleh Korban said.