Opposition activist Pavel Sevyarynets arrested in Minsk

Archive photo: Volha and Pavel Sevyarynets. Photo: svaboda.org
Archive photo: Volha and Pavel Sevyarynets. Photo: svaboda.org

Pavel Sevyarynets was on Thuerdsay detained in Minsk when walking with his pregnant wife Volha. She wrote on Facebook: “He was simply grabbed in the street without any respect for the pregnant woman. He was not allowed to take his bag or say goodbye. I have learnt to accept many things but I cannot accept this disrespect, this usage of any chance to humiliate people and demonstrate power. I never will.”

The opposition politician is about to serve his 15-day arrest for the September 8 protest action. He was sentenced on October 2. Yet, he was not imprisoned after the trial. According to Sevyarynets, it was done on purpose. They wanted to arrest him later. Mikalai Statkevich’s next protest action will be held on October 21. “They are demonstrating to everyone: ‘We can take you whenever we want, we want you ‘to be pending’, we will torture you a bit more, we will play on your and your pregnant wife’s nerves,’” Pavel Sevyarynets told Euroradio on October 3.