Human Rights Activist Andrei Stryzhak Detained At Border

The chairman of the Homel REP trade union committee and his wife were on their way back from Lithuania.

Human rights activist, chairman of the Homel REP trade union committee Andrei Stryzhak and his wife Yauheniya were detained for a thorough inspection at the border checkpoint Kamenny Loh, Belsat reports.

Andrei and Yauheniya were returning by bus from Lithuania. During the passport control at the border, the red frame turned up on the monitor. The border guards sent them for a thorough inspection. At the moment they are waiting for the inspection in the assembly hall of the border crossing point.

According to Andrei Stryzhak, the detention is fuelled by the prosecution of the independent REP trade union.

"When the border guard told us to get off the bus, he did not show any documents, did not explain the reasons of our detention. I saw with my own eyes as they talked on the phone with the deputy head of customs, because they needed a sufficient resolution for the thorough inspection. The resolution was not there at the moment we were detained – it is being drawn up right now," – Stryzhak says.

The human rights activist stresses that this fact will be given a proper legal assessment.

We remind that on March 8, REP trade union deputy chairman Zinaida Mikhniuk and youth activist Hanna Dus were taken off the train at the border.