Yauhen Afnagel: «With every new IMF credit riot policemen get more and more impudent”

“European Belarus” activist has told how he was beaten up in the police department of Maskouski district after the arrest of Solidarity.

“They started to beat me up in the bus, when I asked the men in mufti why they had arrested us. I was given a strong kick in the ribs. In the police department of Maskouski district I asked those people to tell their names and show documents. In response they started to beat me up. Guys tried to defend me. Then they started to beat everybody. Aleh Ladutska was dragged by his hair, Maxim Vinyarski was kicked on his legs, and somebody’s clothes were torn. Policemen didn’t react to beating in any way.

After that a policeman Henadz Pyntsikau said that he knows those who were beating us up, but he won’t name them, as they are riot policemen. We demanded policemen to receive our statements about beating by unknown criminals. Policemen refused to take it, but finally they took it after 4 hours.

Since the talks about “liberalisation” have started, the situation in Belarus started to change for the worse. And after loans were started to be granted to Lukashenka’s regime, detained oppositionists were started to be treated unceremoniously. If just a few months during arrests we were almost left alone, now with every new IMF loan the regime is getting more and more brutal. Riot policemen are getting impudent. For the first time in recent months I was beaten so impudently. They didn’t think about consequences and didn’t fear punishment,” Yauhen Afnagel told to the www.charter97.org website.

In July 16 activists of the civil campaign “European Belarus” held a rally of solidarity with political prisoners in front of the remand prison in Valadarski Street in Minsk. In 15 minutes law-enforcers in mufti ran up to them and started to beat activists. 6 persons were taken to a bus to a police department of Maskouski district of Minsk. About 50 oppositionists were arrested in Minsk on that day.