New detentions of Union of Poles’ activists. Polish house seized (Photo)

The leader of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andzelika Borys and activists of the union were detained on their way to Valozhyn.

As told by vice chair of the unofficial Union of Poles in Belarus (UPB) Anżelika Orechwo, the leader of the UPB Andzelika Borys and 8 activists of the organisation were detained by police on February 17.

It happened at about noon. The activists of the organisation were heading to the court of Valozhyn district (Minsk region), in order to support the leader of Ivyanets branch of the UPB Tereza Sobal.

First Andzelika Borys and two activists accompanying her together with a driver were detained near Lida (Hrodna region), and other 5 members of the UPB were detained near Valozhyn.

The head of the UPB changed the car and continued her way to Valozhyn. However on the road near the town the car with Andzelika Borys was stopped by traffic police again. Then the head of the UPB left the car and went on foot. The woman was overtaken by a bus, unknown people in plainclothes jumped out of the bus, pushed away the journalists who were walking together with Borys, hustled the UPB head into the car and drove away.

Andzelika Borys was taken to Valozhyn police department and released only on the insistence of the Polish consul. He managed to come to the place where the trial over Tereza Sobal was held. However the head of the UPB, as well as the Polish Consul Marek Nowak, were not allowed to attend the trial, and Borys was not allowed to give witness testimony.

It is the second mass detention of activists of the unofficial UPB over the last three days. On February 15 in different parts of Belarus about 40 activists and leaders of the association were detained. Andzelika 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.

Today in the court of Valozhyn district preliminary court hearing in the case of the leader of Ivyanets branch of the UPB not recognized by the authorities, Tereza Sobal, has taken place. She is 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). The both organisations lay claims for the Polish House in Ivyanets.

The process in the court in Ivyanets ended with a victory of the pro-regime Union of Poles. The Polish House has passed into its jurisdiction, and Tereza Sobal’s stay there was found illegal. The leader of Ivyanets branch of the UPB was compelled to abandon the premises.

The Union of Poles was split in 2005. One part remains loyal to the authorities and is officially recognized by them. The activists of the UPB not recognized by the regime, headed by Andzelika Borys, are persecuted by the authorities.

On February 16 Polish President Lech Kaczyński sent a letter to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, expressing his concern and firm protest related to the growth of repressions against the Union of Poles in Belarus.

Besides, on February 16 Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice Chair of the European Commission , condemned actions of police against the Union of Poles in Belarus and is “attempts of the authorities to impose new leadership to the Polish association”. She said that developments of the situation with the UPB undermine efforts of the EU to strengthen relations between the European Union and Belarus.

Photo by "Наша Ніва"