Police arrest 28 youth activists in Minsk

"We were holding the meeting of the central council, when at 16:01 Interior and secret police agents broke into the apartment. We were turned face-to-wall and searched. Then, they later threw us into a police bus and took to the police station," Zmicier Khvedaruk told the European Radio for Belarus on the phone from the Savecki district police department.

"There is a total of 25 people here. We have been told that the police raided the apartment as part of the criminal prosecution of the unregistered organization Malady Front. They told us that our operation was illegal," he also said.

According to the people close to the organization, the meeting of the Malady Front's central council was devoted to the upcoming street action on the Valentine's Day. They planned to gather young people on the Freedom Square in Minsk in order to mark this popular holiday.

The police raid could be an attempt to thwart preparations for the youth street action.