Riot policemen disbanded rally on Independence Day in Minsk (Photo)

Oppositionists planned to lay flowers to the monuments of Yakub Kolas, Yanka Kupala and Maxim Bahdanovich.

As BelaPAN was informed by the co-chairman of the organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Christian Democratic Party Alyaksei Shein, 4 participants of the rally detained in Minsk during the rally dedicated to the 20th anniversary of adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus are charged with petty hooliganism (Article 17.1 of the Administrative Code).

The opposition activists were set to lay flowers to the monuments of Yakub Kolas, Yanka Kupala and Maxim Bahdanovich, and also to read poems of poets near their monuments.

In Yakub Kolas Square where the rally started, about 30 gathered. After participants laid flowers to the monument, 5 policemen came up to the, and warned about responsibility for staging an unsanctioned event.

Activists had to leave the square, however policemen prevented them from getting to the next place of their rally, the monument of Yanka Kupala in the park with the same name.

When activists were leaving Yakub Kolas Square, policemen tried to detain the deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Ryhor Kostuseu, but the oppositionists prevented them from doing so. In a moment policemen detained 4 participants of the rally forcefully, including the leader of “Razam” solidarity movement Vyachaslau Siuchyk and opposition activists Mikalai Dzemidzenka, Andrei Kim and Katsyaryna Davydzik. They were packed into a police car and taken to the police department of Savetski district of Minsk. Late at night they were transferred to the prison in Akrestsin Street. Trials are to take place on July 28. The detained have been given parcels with water and medicines.

Photo by Radio Svaboda