Vitebsk resident detained for complaint about policemen

A local activist, Piotr Ivanou, was detained in the police department of the Vitebsk regional executive committee on April 12.

He said to human rights activists on the phone that he had given explanations to colonel Stiapanau in the regional road police department as a witness of detentions during a solidarity picket on February 16. Aliaksei Kishchuk and Stanislau Laurenau, activists of the organising committee to found the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, were detained on that day, Viasna human rights centre reports.

Piotr Ivanou complained about actions by police officers and demanded to bring them to administrative responsibility for violating traffic rules. In response, a police report was drawn up against him allegedly for giving deliberately false evidence.

Piotr Ivanou was taken to the court of the Pershamaiski district, but a police car returned to the police department again. The activist said on the phone that another police report was made against him.