Response to “Football revolution”

The Belarusian security services take revenge for a song about Putin.

Dozens fans from Ukraine will be tried in Belarus. According to unofficial information, the fans were detained by riot policemen allegedly for swearing after Belarus v Ukraine UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match, football.ua reports. According to the source, 100 persons were detained. At the same time, the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Yevhen Perebiynis informed about 28 detained fans of the guest team. “Viasna” human rights centre told to charter97.org website, that according to preliminary information, 37 fans were detained the day before. Later it was informed that 15 fans from Ukraine appeared in court.

As said by eyewitnesses, some of the detainees were released without reports being drawn up. Different figures could be explained by that.

“They are likely to be fined and deported. The most active fans may get 15 days in custody. Ukrainian fans suppose the Belarusian police were upset to hear their songs and chants during the match, but they decided to act outside the stadium,” the website writes.

The Ukrainian embassy in Belarus was contacted to solve the issue.

Arrests and Fines

A human rights activist Maryna Statkevich (“Viasna” human rights centre) told to charter97.org that 7 Ukrainians were convicted in her presence, and Belarusians were released – all of them were fined.

“6 Ukrainians were sentenced to 5 days in custody, one – to 10 days, for a Celtic cross on stickers, which is considered a Nazi symbol. All these 7 persons are university-educated, some of them are even graduates from 2 universities. One of them is writing a research paper. That is, all of them are educated people. They are charged with violating Article 17.1 – foul speech. None of them curses, only one girl admitted she said obscenities. Trials over Belarusians are over: there were 12 of them, all of them have been sentenced to Br600,000 fines,” she said.

Some Ukrainian fans, detained after the yesterday’s game in Belarus, were released after intervention of Petro Poroshenko.

A report about that was posted on a Facebook account of his spokesperson Sviatoslav Tseolko.

“Ukraine’s President has ordered the Foreign Affairs Ministry to provide consular protection for immediate release and return back home for all Ukrainians detained in Belarus. As of that moment, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, three out of 15 detainees have been released,” he writes.

A Nasha Niva journalist reports that about 20 Belarusians were detained in Barysau.

Artsiom Babounikau was detained for a flare and taken to a police station in Barysau, and journalists observed that. Uladz Lobakh from Mazyr, who wore a white-red-white scarf, was detained, too. He says about 30 people were in a police van. Two girls are reported to have been detained for Ukrainian symbols.

From the first minutes of the game, fans were shouting political chants. Both Belarusian and Ukrainian fans chanted “Long live Belarus” and “Glory to Ukraine”, sang Kupalinka and Soldiers of Light and shouted a popular chant about Putin.

We remind that it became known two days ago that many Ukrainian fans were banned entry to Belarus. Several Belarusian activists were detained before the game.