Performance in Moscow: Belarus was freed from cage (Photo, video)
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11:05, — Politics
On April 16 a meeting was held in the framework of the Day of Solidarity with victims of political repressions in Belarus organized by youth movements “Inititsiativa”, “Oborona” and others. Policemen allowed holding the rally with difficulties.
Activists of the movements “Initsiativa”, “Oborona”, Young Human rights movement, as well as Belarusian expat community in Moscow, gathered in front of the Belarusian embassy in Moscow “to attract attention of public to total lawlessness in Belarus”. The rally is international and is held in many countries of the world: in Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Sweden, the US, Belgium and others. The young people hold rallies on the 16th day of every month since policemen disbanded a rally on September 16, 2005. The rally was dedicated to memory of disappeared public leaders of Belarus. Russian citizens have taken to streets as well protesting against political repressions in modern Belarus. They also called upon the newly elected president of Russia to direct attention to the events in the neighbouring country, NewTimes.ru informs.
The organizers of the protest reminded that in the end of the 1990ies “a series of abductions and deaths of outstanding oppositional politicians, and of a cameraman of Russian TV took place”. Circumstances are still unclear. Among the victims were Henadz Karpenka, a leader of the Belarusian opposition, who “died under mysterious circumstances in 1999”, Viktar Hanchar, the chairman of the Central Election Commission of Belarus abducted in autumn of the same year; a cameraman of the First channel Zmitser Zavadski, abducted in airport Minsk-2, and others. As said by activists, all these people are united by two things: they were in opposition to Lukashenka’s regime, and suddenly died or disappeared in the moment they “constituted the greatest threat to the president”.
Today the young people also protest against “political repressions and illegal arrests” against oppositionists in Belarus. As NewTimes.ru was informed by one of the organizers of the rally, a member of the Belarusian expat community in Moscow Ales Chajchyts, by the rally they want to attract attention of the society to the facts that people are expelled from universities, imprisoned and tried only for their political believes. As said by him, on April 16 a trial over 10 participants of the protest of market vendors started in Belarus. The protest was held in January 2008.
Ales Chajchyts has also stressed that there is an article in the Belarusian Criminal Code envisaging a punishment for taking part in an unregistered public association. “It’s a totally absurd article,” Ales said. “Even in Russia there is no such article”. Thus, he noted, in January a student of Homel University Zmitser Zhaleznichenka was expelled. Activists of the organizations “Initsyatyva”, “Young Front” and others undergo repressions as well. Among them is a student Andrei Kim. He was detained at one of the meetings “for administrative violations which are not proved by the investigation”. “At the moment he faces up to 6 years of imprisonment,” Ales Chajchyts said. “And there are 14 of such persons at least”.
The organizers of the meeting have planned a large performance. A girl with a national white-red-white flag was to be placed in an iron cage. Before the rally policemen came up to the young people and said that they didn’t like the cage, and “it would interfere with holding the rally”. Without any explanations they neared one of the participants of the rally and asked him to show his documents. They tried to detain him. The young man was a citizen of Belarus, a student of the Moscow State University. People in uniform referred to the fact that “he had some problems with registration”. To numerous demand of one of the participants of the rally to show their credentials and explain the reason of the detention, a policeman said with a smile: “I am not expected to show anything you, my little lady”.
After a while, it was allowed to start the meeting. A girl in the cage, an activist of the Youth human rights movement and the movement “Legal team” Maria Paramonova, explained that she placed herself in a cage voluntarily, protesting against illegal arrest of people. As said by her, a meeting of entrepreneurs with about 5,000 participants was held in Minsk in January. They protested against a Decree of the president which disallowed businessmen to hire more than 3 persons, and those who are not their relatives. 14 activists are now tried for alleged “disorder” they provoked at the meeting. Among the accused are girls and underage, Maria said.
Participants of the rally held white-red-white flags, while a different flag with different colours is fluttering of the Embassy of Belarus in Moscow. As explained by activists, they held the national flag of Belarus, while the official flag was authorized illegally, and now symbolizes lawlessness. The protests were chanting: “Long live Belarus!” and “Freedom to political prisoners!”
As stated by the protesters, they hope that the newly elected Russian president would join the world community which condemned actions of the Belarusian regime for a long time.
Video «New Times»
Photo - "Novaya gazeta"
