UCP leader to stand trial for “Je suis Charlie” poster

The authorities demonstrate their fear of any rallies of solidarity, the politician believes.

Today the leader of the United Civil Party Anatoly Lyabedzka was summoned to the police department of Tsentralny district of Minsk because of his staging a rally with a poster “Je suis Charlie” near the Embassy of France on January 11. Right after his visit to police the politician gave an interview to charter97.org.

- It’s true, the case has been trumped up already, – the leader of the United Civil Party says. – Today I was just asked to give a written explanation, whether I took part in the rally of solidarity with the French journalists on January 11. I confirmed that, as well as the fact that I was holding a poster “Je suis Charlie” in my hands. I wrote about my perception of the situation, but I refused to tell anything about other participants of the rally near the building of the embassy.

— So what have you written in the explanatory statement?

- I have written that I certainly disagree with their report on the violation, and that I believe that crackdown on the participants of the rally of solidarity is immoral and is a manifestation of political schizophrenia. I am waiting for a summons.

By the way, it was at charter97.org website and at my Facebook page where the authorities found information.

— How serious a punishment could be?

- It’s an administrative offense, so it could be either a fine or several days in a detention centre. The detention facility in Akrestsin Street or a fine could not be not excluded, as it is not the first offence for me this year. So everything is possible.

- — Why the response to the rally of solidarity with the French journalists is so aggressive?

- It’s a manifestation of the fear of our authorities. The thing they want the least of all is any communications or outbreaks of street democracy, when people lose fear. Their task now is possibly to reduce the number of repressions, but increase their quality.

Now repressive measures could be pinpoint and of demonstration nature. And the struggle between us looks in the following way: either the authorities are going to make us walk these “corridors” after they have built them, or we are going to fight for making these corridors wider and wider every year, at least by half a brick.