Lukashenka distracted with sanctions (Photo, video)

Celebration of the Belarusian National Republic 90th anniversary in Minsk ended with mass arrests and cruel beating of people. Hundreds of policemen and riot policemen were thrown against participants of the demonstration. More than 100 people were detained. Many persons were beaten. As detained activists said to Chater’97 press center, emergency took demonstrators with broken ribs and head injuries. 5-7 thousands of people took part in the action, held in different parts of Minsk.

A peaceful demonstration in honour of the great national holiday of Belarusians - Freedom Day, was to begin at 6.00pm on Yakub Kolas Square. The Belarusians planned to go from the square to monuments to BNR figures to lay flowers to them. But the square was encircled yet by 5.00pm. Approach routes to the square were blocked off at a distance 500 meters. Metro trains didn’t stop at Yakub Kolas Square station, and bus drivers warned passengers “transport didn’t stop due to the street meeting.”

People tried to go to the square along Independence Avenue, but policemen with loud speakers blocked the road and said the entrance was forbidden. When the number of people opposite the police chain began to grow, some tens of riot policemen run up to “help” the police.

The number of demonstrators grew up to 2000. People decided to move towards October (Kastrychnitskaya) Square. But another riot police cordon was used against action participants, and people found themselves in a circle. Demonstrators tried to break though chains of riot police, armed with batons. The actions of riot police were extremely cruel: they were beating brutally people, snatching national white-red-white and European flags away, breaking flagpoles, tramping cloth in the mud. Riot policemen weren’t shy to use foul language.

The number of riot police was growing rapidly. It was dark in the eyes from their amount in the avenue. Tarped trucks with policemen in full equipment – in helmets, steel knee caps, big shields, drove up. But they didn’t leave the trucks, they just needn’t, because the number of their colleagues on the avenue exceeded two hundreds.

People were beaten up brutally. It is verified by huge bruise on the face of the youth leader Zmitser Dashkevich, broken ribs of the democratic activist Andrei Babitski, a beaten up member of the Young Front Yaraslau Hryshchenya, who was taken from a police department in one of the hospitals of Minsk. There are many more people injured by riot policemen, but we simply do not know all their names.

In different police departments there are about 30 activists of the civil campaign “European Belarus”, dozens of activists of the United Civil party, the Belarusian Popular Front party, the Young Front and other parties and organizations. More than 100 persons are detained.

Brutality of policemen who were beating up citizens was unbelievable. Among those whom they seized and punch there where women, children and elderly persons. But it couldn’t stop the black line of “law enforcers that was rushing at the people.

The press photographer of “Nasha Niva” Andrei Lyankevich was dragged to the paddy wagon with a bloodstained head. They didn’t react to appeals of journalists to release their colleague… By the way, cameras and other equipment of many journalists was broken by riot policemen during disband.

People detained on the avenue were transported away in four buses. Those who managed to break out, marched the Academy of Science. About 4,000 of people who failed to come to Yakub Kolas Square gathered there. Several hundreds people went to October Square. However on the bridge through the Svislach people were seized by policemen and put to paddy wagons.

Meanwhile a meeting with participation of opposition leaders took place near the Academy of Science. At 7 p.m. paddy wagons arrived to the Academy of Science too. Via voice amplifiers protesters were threatened by application of physical force and non-lethal weapons in case people won’t disband. When the column of demonstrators tried to move towards the center of the city when the meeting ended, riot policemen in helmets and armoured trucks blocked their way…

The rally finished at that, but slogans “Long live Belarus!” were still heard in different parts of Minsk for long…

"Nasha Niva"

Photo by Reuters, France Press