Jokes mixed with tears: Belarus human rights defenders set to buy paddy wagon from police
The Minsk police are selling a paddy wagon for 16,500 Belarusian rubles.
Paddy wagons have gained notoriety in Belarus because the police often throw peaceful protesters to them during rallies.
Activists of the Viasna human rights center have expressed their intention to purchase the paddy wagon. They are going to launch a fundraising campaign and, if everything goes according to their plan, they will make a designer vehicle of it.
“Now we are looking for a coordinator who will help us with fundraising,” lawyer Nasta Loyka says.
On August 3, human rights activists posted their photos with posters “We want a paddy” and the image of a gift-wrap paddy wagon.
It is hard to say whether the campaign will be successful. Undoubtedly, in Belarus there is a large group of people who got to know paddy wagons literally from the inside and now they would like to see them in a different kind. On March 25, the police reportedly took up to 1,000 protesters, who celebrated Freedom Day in downtown Minsk, to paddy wagons.
Police beating protesters on March, 25 (ENG subs)
