International human rights activist detained by KGB men during trial

Today, April 28, during the trial over participants of December 19, 2010 events, law-enforcers detained a representative of the he International Observation Mission while he was carrying out monitoring.

A participant of the International Human Rights Movement, a citizen of Russia Ivan Kondratenko was detained in the court of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk. At the moment Ivan is kept in the police department of Maskouski district.

The detention happened at about 1.30 p.m. Minsk time during a recess in the hearings of the criminal case of Uladzimir Khamichenka, Dzmitry Drozd, Ales Kirkevich, Andrei Pratasenya and Pavel Vinahradau, who are charged under Article 293 Part 1 of the Criminal Code (organising mass riots).

About 5 persons in mufti came up to Ivan Kondratenko (probably KGB officers). They checked his IDs and took him to the district police department. Besides, the human rights activist was stopped near the entrance of the court and asked about the aim of his visit to Belarus. He was filmed at that moment.

In the police department the passport and phone with Belarusian SIM-card were seized from Kondratenko. For some time he was available on his Russian mobile phone, but soon the connection disappeared. Before that law-enforcers told him that they were establishing whether his passport “is not forged”.

At the moment the reason of the human rights activist’s detention, the reason of taking him to the police department, as well as his legal status are not clear.