No ‘random’ people detained – Belarus Prosecutor General about crackdown on protests
Alyaksandr Kanyuk, phot. sputnik.by
Recent detentions were not groundless and the police were acting in the right manner, Belarus’s Prosecutor General Alyaksandr Kanyuk told journalists on Monday.
“If a rally or event is unauthorized, it is illegal and punishable in any country – in Belarus, the US, France, etc. You can how other countries’ police act and how our police act. By the way, our employees – both of the police and other law enforcement bodies – acted much more adequately than those of other countries,” news agency BelaPAN quotes the top official.
When asked about the brutal crackdown on Freedom Day peaceful protests in Minsk, the Prosecutor General stressed that the Belarusian security forces’ actions were fully justified, even towards elderly people. As reported earlier, 81-year-old poet Yan Hryb was put into a paddy wagon on March 25. The photo of his detention went viral on the Internet.
Belarus police beating people in Minsk, 25.03 (ENG subs)
In his opinion, the police did not arrest ‘random’ people on Freedom Day. “If they violate the law, we must react, no matter if they are elderly or young,” he said.
Kanyuk also accused independent media of being biased when covering the protests. He dropped a hint that fines might be imposed on journalists and media outlets which are ‘partial’ in distributing information.
On March 25, the Belarus riot police brutally dispersed a ‘non-parasite’ rally in Minsk. The protesters took to the streets to convey their deep outrage over the so-called tax on ‘spongers’ introduced by president Alyaksandr Lukashenka in 2015.
- Minsk Freedom Day suppression chronicle
- Lawlessness in Minsk: Women, elderly people beaten by heavily-armed police (pics)
- Minsk: Human rights defenders detained by riot police released after rally was over
Moreover, they planned a peaceful celebration of Freedom Day. It is an unofficial holiday commemorating the establishment of the first Belarusian nation-state, the Belarusian People’s Republic, in 1918. But the authorities had their own plan: the Minsk riot police brutally dispersed the march. Hundreds of Belarusians were detained and battered.
belsat.eu following belapan.by
