Police displeased with slogan "Stop drinking"

Opposition activists were allowed to leave the Tsentralny district police department after about 2.5 hours.

Police seized about 430 copies of anti-alcoholic leaflets from activists of “Our Alternative” coalition Kanstantsin Shukouski, Andrei Papou and Dzmitry Karashkou to examine if they violate the law. The information materials are to undergo an expert examination to define if they were printed in accordance with the law and if have contain extremism or other illegal content, Viasna human rights centre reports.

The activists were detained by police at 12:30 pm near the Homel central shopping centre as they were holding an anti-alcoholic action. Young people were handing out leaflets calling “Stop drinking! It's time to feed your family and defend your fatherland” and congratulating passers-by on the Day of Defender of the Fatherland marked in Belarus on February 23. SWAT officers came to the activists and guarded them to the Tsentralny district police department, where they were questioned and their leaflets were seized.