Attempt of kidnapping UCP activist in Brest, but Lyabedzka ready to go to finish
13- 10.09.2008, 9:06
In the evening on September 8, an attempt to kidnap Yury Panasyuk, a Young Democrats activist, a member of the United Civil Party, was made in Brest.
It happened near Pyaty Element shop, where the oppositionist works. Panasyuk was going home after his work shift, when some men came up to him and asked to go with them without giving reasons. By-passers were witnesses of this scene that was outside plans of the “people in civvies”. Moreover, Panasyuk began to shout for help. The strangers left Yury alone, the UCP press service informs.
But only for a short time, as it was found out. A Zhiguli car was waiting for the activist in the yard of the house where he lives. As soon as Yury came up to the house entrance, the “people in civvies” surrounded him. He was knocked on his head and handcuffed. Panasyuk understood what organisation the strangers belonged to after they asked him questions about Minsk blast on 4 July.
The questioning lasted for 10 minutes, then Yury was set free.
“Our colleague has cuffs marks on his wrists,” Uladzimir Vuek, head of the Brest region organisation the Young Democrats, told to the UCP press service. “We view this fact of force actions against Yury Panasyuk as an attempt of intimidation of our organisation activists, involved in the election campaign.”
Panasyuk is preparing an appeal to the regional prosecutor’s office on the fact of unlawful actions of secret service officers.
In the meantime, leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka says the opposition parties should run in the so called parliamentary election. Speaking at the enlarged session of the Political Council on August 31, the politician said the democratic forces shouldn’t oppose themselves to the authorities but seek for a compromise with them.
Lyabedzka thinks it is high time the democratic forces expressed their position of opposing themselves to the authorities not only inside the country but also abroad. “They shouldn’t share the policy of the authorities, but seek for a compromise with them. The authorities should propose some constrictive suggestions, too. A decision on withdrawing democratic candidates today or adopting decisions on this matter by different structures of the United Democratic Forces will be wrong,” he thinks.
