Memorial event to honour victims of Smolensk plane crash banned in Minsk

Policemen thwarted the event near the consulate of Poland in Minsk.

Today at 3 p.m. about 15 activists of the movement of solidarity “Razam”, a civil campaign “European Belarus”, other organisations, gathered near the consulate of Poland in Minsk, in order to pay tribute to the memory of victims of the plane crash in Smolensk, Belaruskaya prauda informs.

On April 10, 2010 a presidential airliner Tu-154M of Polish Air Forces crashed upon landing at Smolensk Severnyj airfield. All 88 passengers and 8 crew members died, including the President of Poland Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria Kaczynska, a number of prominent Polish politicians, almost the entire military command, public and religious leaders.

Public activists gathered near the consulate of Poland with portraits of the people killed in the crash, flowers and candles. However from the beginning a policeman started asking the participants whether the event had been sanctioned. After long clarification and phone calls, a guard of the consulate came out to activists and said that the rally should not be held.

Policemen copied passport details of an activist of Razam solidarity movement, Ales Makaeu.

Participants of the rally came to a decision to continue the rally near the Red Church. One of the participants, a pensioner Nina Bahinskaya, was detained by policemen there, Radio Svaboda reports. It happened after the activist raised a white-red-white flag.

“We tried to hold a memorial event and remember the people killed in the plane crash in Smolensk near the Polish consulate, however guards and policemen didn’t allow that. Then activists went to the Red Church and laid flowers there. Nina Bahinskaya hoisted a white-red-white flag, and she was placed to a police van immediately. I suppose she was taken to the police department of Maskouski district,” an activist of “European Belarus” Leanid Kulakou said.