A picket like this has never been held in Belarus before. It was not opposition politicians, but bloggers who called on Belarusians to express their opinion on the Freedom Square. In total, they have hundreds of thousands of subscribers. How many of them came to the picket?
“Lukashenka. Criminal records” is the film by Stsyapan Svyatlou that was watched on his NEXTA video blog more than a million and a half times, primarily from Belarus. The film is about the history of authoritarian regime in our country. Disputes from Internet comments have grown into a plan to gather in Minsk to decide what to do next.
One of the initiators – video blogger Uladzimir Tsyhanovich, aka Mozgon, is dissatisfied with the fact that the authorities do not hear citizens:
“According to the Constitution, citizens have the right to take part in the governance of the state both directly and through the deputies,” said Uladzimir Tsyhanovich in a live broadcast of Belsat.
The event was organized within the framework of the electoral picket of candidates for the House of Representatives from the democratic opposition. Nearby was a similar electoral picket of the pro-government BRYU.
Stsyapan Svyatlou himself did not come to Belarus, having warned at once that several criminal cases were opened against him for his creative work. NEXTA was present in a cardboard form. And even he didn’t escape the attack of the policemen in civilian clothes.
The police broke a sound system, detained several people, dragged them into the town hall building, but later released under pressure from other citizens.
Up to a thousand people gathered in the capital’s Freedom Square.
Plainclothed men break sound system and damage cardboard NEXTA.
Story by Yaraslau Stseshyk.
