Wife of organisor of picket near Council of Ministers: They promised to solve issue and arrested him

The wife of Siarhei Shtoda, the leader of protesting freight carriers, shared details of his arrest.

“My husband put on a suit and went to see first deputy prime minister Vasili Matsiusheuski,” the businessman's wife Volha told Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi. “According to his friends, he called them later and said he didn't see the deputy prime minister. But he gave all documents and officials promised to solve the issue. It was about 10:00-10:30 a.m. He was detained apparently as he left the building. I began to worry when his friends began to call me and ask what happened. He later called me and said to prepare a parcel for him. He said he was detained for swearing in public.”

Siarhei Shtoda runs a small freight company. The businessman assures that about 5000 companies and sole proprietors were fined from 1000 to 100,000 euros for errors in the toll system, BelToll.

In particular, Siarhei's company was fined 80,000 euros. Both Belarusian and foreign freight companies received fines. Smaller firms found themselves on the verge of bankruptcy. The initiative group of businessmen met with representatives of the transport inspection, Belavtostrada company and officials of the Transport Ministry. Freight companies wanted the fines that were issued during the BelToll adjustment period to be cancelled.

But fines were not cancelled. Siarhei posted a video appeal to the Belarusian authorities on the Internet. He warned that freight carriers would gather near the Council of Ministers at 9:00 on February 4 if the problem wasn't solved.

“You understand, everything depended on the Tuesday meeting,” Volha says. “They agreed that they wouldn't come to the Council of Ministers without a call from Siarhei. And he didn't call.”

Volha says Siarhei will be released on February 18. He is held in the detention centre.

Photo: ok.ru