Mass searches have been held by policemen and KGB men in Minsk, Hrodna, Brest, Homen and Mahilyou at the places where democratic activists live .
Information about the reasons of searches is contradictory. It is said that the searches are held in the framework of the defamation criminal case opened by Leninski district of Minsk. Prosecutor of Leninski district of Minsk authorized teh searches.
At the same time, it is said that a criminal case initiated for activities on behalf of an unregsitered organisation, the civil campaign "Say the Truth!" According to other sources, the case has been initiated unde Article 250 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (dissemination of false information about goods and services).
The first search was held in Minsk in the headquarters of "Say the Truth!" civil campaign. It was held among others by policemen from the special brigade of Savetski police department who had armoured vests and machine guns. All computers, leaflets, booklets and books were confiscated from the office.
Radio Svaboda informs that 11 activists of the campaign including their leader, a poet Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, were detained and taken to the police department of Leninski district. About 20 persons in all detained during searches in different parts of the capital were taken to the police department.
They were interrogated about the activities of "Say the Truth!" campaign: where their leaflets are printed, what events are planned.
Searches have also been held in the flats of journalists Alyaksandr Ulitsyonak, Alyaksandr Fyaduta and Syarhei Vaznyak, who cooperate with the campaign. Their computers, data carriers and printed materials were sezied. The journalists were taken to the police department of Leninski district for interrogation as well.
In the office of "NOVAK" independent opinion polls labaratory headed by Andrei Vardamatski all financial documents were seized. The agency obviously cooperated with Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu as well.
The flat of "Say the Truth!" campaign in Frunzenski district of Minsk Yury Fabisheuski was searched as well. His computer and leaflets of the campaign were seized. Then the activist was taken to interrogation to the police department of Leninski district. Flats of the United Civil Party activists and participants of the campaign Alyaksandra Vasilevich and Dzmitry Bandarchuk have been serached too. Notebooks, phones, memory sticks, a printer have been confiscated.
An activist of "Say the Truth!" from Minsk Mikhail Bashura told after interrogation in the police department where he had spent more than 4 hours, that his computer, notebook and data carriers were seized.
Yefin Vasilyeu from Barysa who had been kept in the police department of Leninski district of Minsk for at least 4 hours, told that he had not been said in which criminal case he was interrogated as a witness.
In Mahilyou policemen and KGB officers held searches in the head offices of two independent organisations: "Forward movement" and a charity "Sincerety". Books of Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, system blocks and booklets "Say the truth!" have been confiscated.
Today in Homel about ten policemen and people in mufti blocked the flat of the former deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, an activsit of the United Civil Party Yury Varnezhtsau. The flat of the activist is searched.
Policemen have also picked up from the UCP office the chairman of the United Civil party's city branch Andrei Talochyn. The policemen demonstrated a search warrant for searching his flat. Two system blocks of the computer, two scanners, two mobile phones, CDs, photos from a personal photo album, a memory stick, a printer and party booklets have been seized.
Searches in the flats of Social Democrats, members of the United Civil Party, of the Free Trade Union and of activists of "Say the Truth!" campaign have been held in Brest.
In Hrodna the flat of "Say the Truth!" activist Ihar Lameka was searched. He was picked up from his working place by policemen in mufti.
In Vaukavysk a search took place at the place of the UCP member Vitaly Hulyak. It was held by policemen from Hrodna.
Office equipment and printed materials have been confiscated from all of them. And even a Pole's card was seized from Vitaly Hulyak as well.
We remind that the tactics of the regime to hold searches on one day is not new. On March 16 in news offices and flats of the journalists Natallya Radzina, Iryna Khalip, Svyatlana Kalinkina and Maryna Koktysh, and leader of "European Belarus" civil campaign Andrei Sannikov searches were held and computers sezied. In the news office of charter97.org website the number of the seized computers was the largest one, 8 items.
Source: Charter'97 :: News from Belarus
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