Detained activists: Riot policemen insulted Ukraine and its national flag

Security officials maltreated the detained participants of the rally in memory of "Heavenly Hundred Heroes" in Minsk.

BCD activist Valeryia Charnamortsava, yesterday detained for the rally in memory of those died at the Maidan, told "Radio Svaboda" about abusive actions against protesters and humiliation of Ukrainian national symbols.

"During the detention policemen grossly insulted Aliaksandr Makaeu. He has a bad back, and he was not allowed to sit down and strongly pushed in the back in bus. He just suffered from physical pain. They also maltreated Volha Mikalaichyk.

We did not hold a rally. We simply prayed in solidarity and lit candles. People, bringing flowers and candles in memory of killed journalists of Charlie Hebdo, were not detained near the Embassy of France. In fact, we did the same. But we were detained, abused, and some seem to be put to prison for a day.

On behalf of the detained Ales Makaeu asked to say that during the arrest the police grossly insulted Ukraine and its flag. Ales Makaeu asked tell the Ambassador of Ukraine to react the behavior of the Belarusian law enforcement officers", the activist says.

Dzmitry Zakharevich, the activist of "Razam" solidarity movement, told that riot policemen maltreated women and insulted Ukraine:

"While praying more than 20 officers in plain clothes were watching us in the park. We were detained at the exit of the park. The participants of the mourning rally were captured under arms by officers in plain clothes and placed in the bus where the detained had to stand as seats were occupied by riot policemen in uniform. We were pushed into a bus. Women began to sing "Mighty God", in their turn the riot police turned up "Rammstein" at top volume, and then a song about the homeless of the Russian group "Sector Gaza". They said in a humiliating manner that that song was about us. All the way they were grossly insulting Ukraine and the Ukrainians.

When we were brought to the police department of the Tsentralny district, we were made facing the wall. We had been standing like that for about three hours. I was lucky to be released. Aliaksandr Makaeu, Maksim Viniarski, Volha Mikalaichuk, Mikalai Kolas will be tried", he said.

We recall that trials are held behind closed doors.

In the evening on January 22, about 15 people lit candles and laid flowers at the monument of Taras Shevchenko near the Embassy of Ukraine. A big portrait of Belarusian Mikhail Zhyzneuski who died in Ukraine was unfurled. All the participants were detained by security forces right after the rally and delivered to the police department of Tsentralny district of Minsk.

Nina Bahinskaia, Dzmitry Zakharevich, Yury Vauchok and Valeryia Charnamortsava were released after midnight. Five detainees stayed at the police department of the Tsentralny district until the trial. They are Maksim Viniarski, the coordinator of "European Belarus", activists Volha Mikalaichyk, Aliaksandr Makaeu, Jauhen Batura and Mikalai Kolas.