58 Human Rights Defenders Detained In Minsk

On March 25, at approximately 13.00, riot policemen broke into the public reception office of the human rights center “Viasna”.

This has been informedby the website of the organization.

“They put all the people faces to the floor. The riot police have broken the office doors, they plan to raid the place,” — “Viasna” writes on Twitter.

“A white bus is parked in front of the entrance, full of policemen. The yard is practically sealed,” — the website of “Viasna” informs.

According to eye-witnesses, the policemen have started taking people out of the office at 13.20. Apart from the riot police, the people wearing the uniform of the Investigatory Committee have been spotted.

According to those who have been led out, 58 people were in the office, including journalists and human rights defenders. The police put them in the bus.

It has been informed by journalist Adarya Hurshtyn via live broadcasting, there are citizens of France and Russia among the detainees. They claim they have come to Minsk to observe the protests. Human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovich has confirmed this information.

Among the detainees there are also international observers, head of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak, lawyer of “Viasna” Nasta Loyka. The communication with head of “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski has also broken.

No one has explained the reason for the detention.

58 people have been detained in the office in total.