Liberalisation in Lukashenka’s style: Young Front activist arrested for 15 days

The authorities continue to use mean methods of pressing the political opposition. If earlier democratic activists were arrested on false accusations of allegedly “using of foul language in public”, an article “drinking alcohol in public” has been used for the first time against Young Front activist Vadzim Khanyauka.

However, militiamen didn’t take into consideration that the accusation is more than absurd: the arrested Young Front activist is a Christian, who abstains from alcohol.

As the Charter’97 press center has already informed, Vadzim Khanyauka was arrested by militia on September 5 at 11 in the morning. The guy managed to send an sms to his friends, saying he was being guarded to the Tsentralny district militia department of Minsk. After three hours Vadzim’s friends began to address to militia, the KGB and court, but were said everywhere his location was unknown. It is known that Vadzim Khanyauka was invited to the KGB for a conversation two weeks ago.

Nothing was known about the activist for 13 hours. Only at midnight militiamen told the Young Front activists Vadzim Khanyauka was in prison on Akrestin Street, as he had been arrested for 15 days.

An apartment of Young Front member Dzyanis Karnou was searched yesterday. Yesterday, when Karnou came home, militia officers were waiting for him in the apartment. As the Charter’97 press center learnt from the Young Front press service, militiamen broke (!) a lock and entered the apartment, though they didn’t have a search warrant.

Information materials, stickers and banners calling to boycott the oncoming “parliamentary election” were seized from the Young Front activist’s apartment.

It should be noted that only the activists who call to boycott the election farce, became victims of repressions.

At the same time the western diplomats says a process of “liberalisation” has begun in Belarus. It should be reminded that so far all talks about “liberalisation” of the Belarusian regime ended in tightening repressions against the opposition and crackdown.