“Mopping-up” operation ahead of Medvedev's visit to Minsk

Opposition members are being given short terms in custody.

Ivan Amelchanka, the author of hype causing performance “Musorok”, was detained in Minsk on July 17.

Ivan Amelchanka, who was going to register an initiative group to nominate a candidate in the election, was detained at 11 am. He was caught by law-enforcement officers on his way to a polling station and accused of disobedience to police. The activist was sentenced to 12 days in custody, Viasna human rights centre reports.

Human rights activist Anastasia Loika told BelaPAN her colleague Kasya Halitskaya disappeared in the Minsk Justice House.

Halitskaya was to attend trials over activists of Czech-based Young Front organization Uladzimir Yaromenak and Raman Vasilyeu, who were detained this morning.

Raman Pratasevich, Uladzimir Yaromenak and Raman Vasilyeu were detained in the Kastrychnitski district of Minsk at 7:30 am on July 17. They were taken to the Kastrychnitski district police department, where police reports against Yaromenak and Vasilyeu were drawn up for disorderly conduct (article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Minor Raman Pratesevich was released. Later, Yaromenak and Pratasevich were given 15 and 12 days in custody respectively.

Kasya Halitskaya supposed in the morning the arrest of the young activists may be a preventive measure ahead of a visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Minsk to take part in a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the “union state” on July 18.

The human rights activist also said policemen had called her and the detained activists the day before and offered to “talk”, but the young people refused to have any conversations with police.