On Thursday morning, 42-year-old Yury Korzun chained himself to mining equipment as a sign of protest against the policy pursued by the Belarusian leadership.
The man was 305 metres underground in one of the mines belonging to Belaruskali, a world-known producer of potash fertilisers. In his statement, Korzun demanded that president Alyaksandr Lukashenka step down.
“I demand the intimidation and dismissal of workers be stopped, all arrested members of the strike committee be released. I demand [the authorities] put an end to kidnapping people and using physical force against peaceful protesters,” Korzun stated, refusing to leave the mine.
According to the miner, he was fully aware of his actions and controlled them; his protest was peaceful. There was no intention to self-harm or injure other people, Yury Korzun stressed.
The police arrived at the scene and cut off the handcuffs. Korzun was forcibly taken out of the mine and ambulanced. A column of several dozen protesters headed to the hospital.
