Minsk: OMON entering university, brutally detaining linguistics students (videos)
On Friday, riot policemen rushed into the building of Minsk State Linguistic University (MSLU) when protesting students were singing La Marseillaise. At least five persons have been detained.
In the morning, three buses without number plates were spotted in the backyard of the university; reportedly, OMON officers were inside. The videos show that the students were being grabbed by undercover police, one of them, however, had yellow letters (OMON) on his clothes.
“We started to sing Marseillaise, OMON bursted into [the lobby] and shouted: ‘Bit**es, if you don’t go back to your classes, all of you will be taken away.’ They caught boys on the spot. They said: ‘Shut up, bit**, or we’ll grab you!’ All the girls who were trying to fight off a fourth-year student, were pushed back. And the administration was standing idle and doing nothing,” a sudent said.
A group of MSLU students met with Rector, claiming that OMON came at the ‘invitation’ of the university authorities. Rector Natallya Baranava denied the allegation and stated that all the detainees would be released. However, the students who were apparently unsatisfied with the outcome of the meeting chanted “Shame!”
On September 1, Belarus’ official Knowledge Day, lots of students took to the streets to protest against vote rigging and the authorities’ harsh response to dissidence. OMON special forces and plainclothed policemen were detaining people in Victory Square. MSLU being located in the vicinity. Notably, university professor Ihar Puchenya, which is responsible for educational work, told students that OMON would be let into the building if they did not stop protesting.
