On Saturday March 25th in Minsk a new wave of protests broke out and
finished with a brutal clash with the police.
The arrest of 460 people in the
protest tent camp on Friday
morning had provoked the population and strengthened the general protest
mood in Belarus. More than 5000 people gathered on Saturday
in the centre of Minsk for
the demonstration which had been announced. Authorities
opposed the protest with all available police forces, special services
and the army.
By the beginning of the action, the city centre was filled with dozens of
armored special forces lorries, and riot squads (OMON) buses. Rows of
the police moved quickly across the streets. The police divided streets
into sectors, surrounding passers-by and not giving them an
opportunity to move. People were squeezed against walls in danger of
being crushed.
The first detentions of individuals took place.
Nevertheless, a significant number of protestors managed to regroup
in a nearby square and hold a meeting against police terror,
elections fraud and for solidarity with the people arrested.
After the meeting a part of the group of
protestors began to move towards the prison where the
arrested people were being held (on Okrestina Street - Окрестина).
The idea of rally was to
provide support for those arrested and to ask to be able to give
food and clothes to them. Some hours earlier, the prison guards had been
strengthened, and snipers had been placed on roofs.
A few kilometres further, in a narrow deserted place, the path of the peace
demonstration was
suspected of political assassinations).
After people had stopped moving, explosions (presumably, gas or noise
grenades) sounded in front of the protestors and the special troops went on
the offensive. Some people, shell-shocked by the explosions,
fell down, and armored
soldiers stepped on their bodies. Other demonstrators started to run
- they were caught, severely beaten and arrested. Two or
three persons, lying on the ground unconscious, had to be
transported on stretchers. One of them was in an extremely grave
condition, and eyewitnesses thought he had been killed (Sergey
Atroshchenkov). It was found out later that fortunately
he is still alive, but doctors at the
hospital have refused to give any information regarding his condition.
After the beating and dispersal, more than 100 persons were arrested and
loaded into armored lorries. According to eyewitnesses, this level
of police brutality was unprecedented in Belarus.
In addition to demonstrators, in the
epicenter of events there happened to be people who had just left
buses and trams, some of them with children.
Further representatives of the special forces in armored jeeps began
hunting for "suspicious" looking people on the streets of the city,
arresting them for participation in the demonstration.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, only 10 people have
been injured, and 8 of them are soldiers of special troops. The police
deny using violent tactics in their attack.
