Anatoly Shumchanka and journalists detained by police

The leader of a small business association and journalists of independent media have been detained after a rally at the Zhdanovichy market in Minsk.

It happened at 11:40, just after the end of the meeting near a market pavilion.

As activists of the small business movement report, deputy head of Minsk's Tsentralny district police department Sharametsyeu approached Anatoly Shumchanka and said they should talk at a police station located at the market. Shumchanka asked if the police were going to detain him and the policeman answered it wasn't a detention. Shumchanka refused to go and left the market with journalists.

He went to the department of small business of the Ministry of Economy to meet with the department head.

The car that carried Anatol Shumchanka was stopped. He and the journalists accompanying him were taken to the Savetski district police department.

Correspondents for Narodnaya Volia, Radio Svaboda and Nasha Niva are reported to have been detained with the head of the public association Perspective. The journalists were set free later. Shumchanka is still in the police department.

Belarusian sole traders hold a national strike today. Many markets in Minsk, regional centres and dozens of other towns don't work today. The decision to hold a strike was taken by the Forum of Small Businessmen devoted to the entry into force of the technical regulations of the Customs Union “On safety of light industry”. The forum took place in Minsk on June 24.