Human rights activists report to UN on preventive detentions before IIHF World Championship

Oppositionists get arrested on made up charges before the Ice Hockey World Championship in Minsk.

The human rights center Viasna informed the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions on the preventive detentions of Belarusian citizens before the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship.

As a rule, the activists get detained only on falsified charges of the same type – “disorderly conduct”, “insubordination to police”. Courts approach the administrative cases partially and formally, employ the presumption of trust to policemen and do not pay attention to the evidence presented by defense.

Such cases of detentions were repeatedly assessed by human rights organizations as groundless and politically motivated.

As of 4 May under arrest are Dzmitry Dashkievich, Aliaksandr Frantskievich, Jury Rubcou, Leanid Smouzh, Mikalaj Kolas, Dzianis Karnou, Aliaksandr Kurbaskin, Aliaksandr Stukin, Valer Tamilin, Uladzimir Novikau.

We would remind that yesterday was released a coordinator of the European Belarus civic campaign Maksim Viniarski, who took a 12-day hunger strike in prison.