Participants of prayer for political prisoners to stand trial

Five women, detained on October Square in Minsk on November 16, were released from the Tsentralny district police department. No reports were drawn up against them.

BelaPAN news agency learnt this from youth democratic activist Tatsyana Shaputska.

According to her, activists gathered on October Square every day for over a week and prayed for Belarus and the release of political prisoners and then walked to prayer in the Red Church. The chief of the Tsentralny district police department, Viktar Radzevich, said on November 14 that participants of the prayer would be dispersed.

Seven praying people were detained on October Square at 7 pm on November 16: Hanna Shaputska, Tatsyana Kim, Alyaksandr Makayeu, Nina Bahinskaya, Natallya Bayaryn, Alena Taustaya and Alyaksadnr Kalyanau.

All women were released by midnight. No reports were drawn up. As Tatsana Shaputska, Hanna Shaputska’s daughter, said, all women did not find white-red-white scarves in their bags after the release. “The women are going to file complaints to the police department chief and prosecutors over the matter,” the activist said.

According to her, two detained men, Makayeu and Kalyanau, were taken for a medical check-up.

Human rights activist Anastasia Loika told BelaPAN that Alyaksandr Makayeu and Alyaksandr Kalyanau would be tried in the Tsentralny district court of Minsk, but it remains unknown when and on what charges.