Maxim Viniarski Taken To ‘Prophylactic Conversation’ Instead Of Release

The “European Belarus” activist was to be released today.

Friends and allies couldn’t meet activist of the “European Belarus” civil campaign Maxim Viniarski at freedoom, although he was supposed to be set free from the Akrestsin Street detention center at 8 a.m. today, after the 10-days administrative arrest.

Maxim’s ally Leanid Kulakou told Radio Liberty that they waited for the activist near the Akrestsin street prison gate at due time, but he didn’t come out. It turned out he had been taken to the police department for a “prophylactic conversation.”

“Maxim was arrested at 8 a.m., although they had told his sister on the eve that, according to their papers, the time of arrest was an hour later,” — Leanid Kulakou said. — We came earlier, waited till 9 o’clock, and there was no sign of him. We called the detention center, and they told “he was discharged after having served the punishment.” But we didn’t see him! It turned out they had taken him to the Maskouski district police department right from the detention center, as they said, “for a prophylactic conversation”. They warned him “You will stay here until we’re done talking.” Maxim said they could keep him there for as long as they want, there will be no proper conversation in any case. So, we are waiting for him at home...”

Tatsiana, Maxim’s mother, has calculated that her son’s average term of various detentions has reached 1 year in mid-October:

“October 14 was the 365th day that Maxim spent in the conditions like the Akrestsin Street detention center. Quite an anniversary, really. And now it’s a year, as today is October 23... Besides, we once applied to the police that Maxim had disappeared — he was supposed to come out of prison and he didn’t.

And today they came up with an idea to take him for a so-called “prophylactic conversation”. In the end, they said: he is in no mood for a conversation today, we will do it some other time, we will contact him later.”

Maxim Viniarski was detained in Minsk on October 13. In the morning he went out to walk the dog, at that moment four people ran up to him, grabbed him and put him in the car.

The Maskouski district court sentenced him to 10 days of an administrative arrest for having shared the article, which the court considered a call for participation in an unauthorized protest. The activist of the "European Belarus" was taken to the detention center in the Akrestsin Street directly from the court.

Before the trial, Viniarski expressed the idea that he was going to be isolated on the eve of the Outraged Belarusians’ March on October 21.