ZUBR Office Comes Under Attack :: Charter'97 :: News

Today unidentified attackers tried to break in ZUBR’s press-center office. Around 5a.m. someone slang a rock into the house. The movement’s activist, who was there in the office, was lucky enough to avoid getting a trauma from the broken window glass. A few minutes later the attackers took out the metal grate from another window and tried to penetrate into the room. However, at realizing that someone was in there, the evildoers fled away. ZUBR press-secretary Alexander Otroschenkov, who was in the office then, links the incident with the prepared People’s March “For Better Life!”, in which ZUBR plans to most actively engage. ZUBR coordinator Vladimir Kobets said that such hooligan methods, used by the regime, would never be able to stop them and preparatory activities to the march will go on.

Kobets also recalled the recent accident, involving ZUBR member. Dennis Chikalev on February 10 was strolling down the Lenin’s prospect in Gomel, when a black vehicle with dark window-shields pulled over near him. A few big men in civilian jumped out of it. They twisted the guy’s arms behind his back and threw into the rear seat of the car. Some cabbies tried to protect the young fellow but one of the attackers flashed some documents and the tax drivers no longer interfered. ZUBR activist said he has no idea as to where they drove him, but in 10-15 minutes time he heard how someone opened iron gates. Denis was taken out of the car and brought to the third floor of some building. For two hours a man, who never identified himself, has been posing his questions to Denis about the People’s March “For Better Life!”. ZUBR activist replied none of them. Then they got him back in a car and delivered to the place, from which they had previously seized him.

Today we also learnt about the February 19 detention of another two activists of ZUBR, who were spreading flyers with People’s March “For Better Life!” logo. The law-enforcers delivered ZUBRs to the Leninsky district police station of Minsk, where they faced protocols for violating art.143 of the Administrative code They were set free three hours later. In total over the past week eight ZUBR activists got apprehended for the same reason.