Criminal case may be instigated against Anatol Lyabedzka, beaten in Valozhyn (Photo)

The UCP leader was detained during the trial over Teresa Sobol (Tereza Sobal), the head of the Ivyanets division of the Union of Poles.

On February 15, head of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka was released from the Valozhyn militia department at 7 p.m., having spent there more than 9 hours. The politicians told the website ucpb.org about details of his detention.

“Militiamen refused to allow people in the court room saying it was a special operation. When I started filming of this outrageous situation with my cell phone, I was caught, twisted my arms and taken to the militia department.

Lieutenant Colonel Petash listened to my explanations, then at 5 p.m. assistance prosecutor Yurevich took me to judge Zyanko. I was accused of violation article 23 of the Code of Administrative Offences and organizing an unauthorized meeting. Judge Zyanko said the case wouldn’t be considered at that time, but all materials would be sent to the prosecutor’s office to instigate a criminal case,” Anatol Lyabedzka said.

As charter97.org has already reported, on February 15, the Belarusian authorities detained the leadership of the Union of Poles in Belarus (UPB) headed by Andzelika Borys ahead of the trial over Teresa Sobol, the head of the Union of Poles in Ivyanets, unrecognized by the authorities.

Borys was fined 30 basic units (Br1 mln 50 thousand), representatives of the organisation’s leadership Andrzej Poczobut, Ihar Bantser (Igor Bancer) and Myachyslau Yaskevich (Mieczyslaw Jaskiewicz) sentenced to 5 days of arrest for staging a rally in support of Ivyanets branch of the UPB in Hrodna on February 10.

The chair of Ivyanets branch of the independent organisation Tereza Sobal was charged with seizure of the local Polish House. The suit against Tereza Sobal was filed by the leader of the local branch of the pro-regime Union of Poles Stanislau Syamashka (Stanislaw Siemaszko).

We remind that the Polish House was taken over by militia on February 8. All activists and their head Teresa Sobol were forced out, and Stanislaw Buraczewski (Stanislau Buracheuski), the leader of the pro-governmental Union of Poles in Ivyanets, entered the building under convoy of militia.

The Union of Poles in Belarus was split by Belarusian authorities a few years ago. The part of the organisation controlled by the authorities is officially recognized. The UPB headed by Andzelika Borys and supported by the government of Poland is repressed in Belarus.

On February 15, editor of the Polish language newspaper Glos znad Niemna na uchodzstwie Irena Walus, was also detained near the court building