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Police raid in centre of Baranavichy

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The police detained groups of young men and sent them to police stations for identification.

Information about a conflict between the Turkmens and the locals provoked a police raid in the city centre last weekend. The information appeared on social networking websites on December 13. A local news website, Intex-press, learnt about a fight from readers.

Some people called on young men on social networking websites to gather on Saturday in Voikava Street. Two police vans and about ten policemen and riot policemen appeared there at 17:00 December 14. They came to a group of young men heading to the stadium and asked them to show their IDs.

“Don't appear here today,” a riot police officer said to one of the guys and went to inspect yards with his colleagues.

A man heading to the yards stopped and asked:

“Why so many riot policemen are there? What happened? Why didn't they warn anybody? My child is hanging about in the city centre now. I asked policemen what happened, but they only smile.”

Asked by a journalist what happened, police officers answered:

“The war began at 4 o'clock. Nothing else happened.”

The riot police officers say they “have been working here for a week”, but don't say what work they do.

Men in civil clothes explain:

“We suppose the young men want to organise mass disorders. There was a small conflict, supposedly with Turkmens. Now each side gathers more people. We are here to control it. We don't need Maidan protests here.”

Some minutes later, a police officer hears from his walkie-talkie that small groups of youth appeared in the centre.

There are many young people in the city centre. Small groups near the cinema are surprised to see a van with riot police near a monument.

Police cars stand at the parking lot near the city executive committee. Policemen saw a group pf teenagers in the crowd and took them to the car. The blue and white car with teens inside drove away in an unknown direction. The riot police car also drove away.

There's no information how many young people were taken to a police station. Teenagers say the police took pictures of some of them and asked where they had been going and why. The teens were left at the police station to wait for their parents to come. Some were set free two hours later.

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