Authorities are afraid of Kastus Kalinouski

October 27, on the eve of the Day of commemoration of the passed, the police twice detained the bus with democratic activists going from Minsk to the town of Svislatch, to visit the tomb of hero of the Belarusian national liberation movement Kastus Kalinouski. The bus was stopped in Dziarzhynsk and Baranavichy. Deputy leaders of the Belarusian People’s Front (BPF) Party Viktar Ivashkevich and Yury Khadyka were among the detained democrats.

As Viktar Ivashkevich told Charter’97 press center, the bus with the activists was detained by the road police. According to the officers, somebody had called to warn the bus was about to cross the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.

The oppositionists were taken to the district interior department of Dziarzhynsk and spent there 3 hours. Documents checked and names written down, the passengers were allowed to continue their journey.

Nevertheless, the bus was detained in Baranavichy. As leader of “Youth of BPF” Ales Kalita told press-center of Charter’97, these were the road police again who executed the detention. This time they spoke about an anonymous call claiming there were drugs and alcohol on this bus. The bus was kept in the interior department of Baranavichy district executive committee for 2 hours.

After the second detention the activists did not continue the trip, as they were forced to spend 5 hours in police stations; the bus drove back to Minsk.

According to BPF deputy leader Party Viktar Ivashkevich, today near Minsk the police detained a tourist bus driving on an excursion to Kosava - motherland of another hero of the Belarusian national liberation movement Tadevush Kastsiushka. The tourists were detained for 30 minutes…

Photo: Mass protest actions were held in Minsk after the presidential election of 2006. The demonstrators gave a new name to Kastrychnitskaya Square (October Square) where the manifestations were held - Kalinouski Square.