25 schoolchildren arrested for protest against repel of benefits

Police detained schoolchildren in Mozyr, who came to Lenin Square protesting against repel of benefits.

Initially, the police detained 14 schoolchildren, and ten more were stopped at a distance of 800 meters from the place where the action was held. The police found a banner “No repel of benefits!” about the young people.

All the detainees were kept in the assembly hall of the police department. The schoolchildren were taken pictures and finger printed. Policemen were drawing up reports against the detained for their participation in an authorised street action. Moreover, in violation of the existing laws, the police didn’t call the parents of the minors.

Local human rights activist Siargei Lapushka said to Radio Svaboda that in spite of his requests, he wasn’t allowed to enter the building, where the detained were kept. It is known that the headmasters of the schools, whose pupils tried to organise a street action, were called.

According to the laws, the police should have been called the parents of the children and released the young people on their parents’ responsibility after an hour from the moment of detainment. But the schoolchildren were kept in police department for several hours. Police chiefs demanded to name the teenagers as the action organisers.

The reports on participation in unauthorised street action were drawn up against all detainees. Administrative case against the schoolchildren will be sent to the Executive Committee’s commission for consideration.