Festival Vitsebsk: human rights activist Levinau is taken to police office from hospital

A human rights defender Pavel Levinau and a distributor of the independent press, an opposition member Barys Hamaida have been detained in Vitsebsk today. Our reporter Yadviha Stasheuskaya informs about the details:

"Pavel Levinau was taken to the police office right after he had been discharged from hospital. He started suffering from high blood-pressure after a conversation with policemen in the office of Public Prosecutor. Levinau was detained for 10 days for hooliganism (using bad language) during the arrests that took place on March 27. He was delivered to the confinement cell from the police office”.

An administrative protocol has been drawn up against Barys Hamaida for vending in an illegal place. By the way, Mr. Hamaida has been distributing independent editions near the so-called “blue house” in the centre of Vitsebsk for more than 10 years.

Let us remind you that policemen warned Mr. Hamaida that he should not appear in the streets of the festival city during “Slavonic Bazaar”. He was arrested for 3 days on July 11. It was said that the 60-year-old Hamaida had started a street fight.