July 13 silent action ended with detentions

21:35, Minsk: Radio Liberty’s correspondent Aleh Hruzdzilovich has been detained. He managed t inform that they took him in the metro, after the silent action was over.

 

21:16, Navapolatsk: Correspondent of “Himik” Aliaksandr Mudzhabaeu has been detained.

21:00, Pinsk: According to the information received from Pinsk, all the 6 detainees have been released without charges, after a warning.

20:55, Vitsebsk: Former presidential contender Uladzimir Pravalski has been detained in the center of the city by an unknown person in plain clothes at about 19.00. This has been informed by “BelaPAN”with a reference to his son Aleh.

20:45, Minsk: Andrej Tsimashenka was among other detainees in the Yakub Kolas square. He called his wife Alena Zhyzneuskaya and informed that he was in the police van already. She asked the deputy head of Minsk city administration of internal affairs of Minsk city executive committee Ihar Yauseeu where her husband was and he said he did not know as many special services worked at the action.

20:43, Hrodna: Artur Hanko and Juras Mandryk have been detained.

20:40, Minsk: Journalists forced Lastouski to give a spontaneous press-conference in the Yakub Kolas Square. The main question was – who interfered with the journalists’ work? He said he did not know. Who were those bandits which caught people and took them to police departments? He said that they were not exactly bandits if they took people to police departments, Zmitser Lukashuk informs.

20:28, Minsk: Many people gathered near the circus as well.

 

20:20, Minsk: Detentions started after a short break.

20:20, Brest: 50-70 people went out to the streets.

20:18, Minsk: People left the Yakub Kolas Square, everything is quiet.

20:17, Minsk: Twitter users inform that several people who were filming the events by their cell-phone cameras were detained in the Yakub Kolas Square.

20:15, Minsk: Plain-clothed agents do not let the journalists work – they take their video-cameras away, try to seize photo-cameras, close the lenses with their hands.

20:11, Minsk: Detentions started in Yakub Kolas Square. Police van arrived, two more cars joined it – a mini-van and another bus. People are dragged out of the crowd right to the vehicles.

20:10, Plain-clothed agents started forcing people off the monument to Yakub Kolas, having made a circle around it. 

20:05, Pinsk: According to the information provided by human rights defenders, the number of detainees reached 5.

20:03, Homel: No less than 8 people have been detained, including the correspondent of “Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus” Pavel Mitskevich, reports "BelaPAN". Participants of the silent action got together near the supermarket “Homel”, with no applause or alarms ringing. Policemen in black uniform detained those who stood aside. When they detained Mitskevich, they used physical force.

20:01, Minsk: There are some people in the Yakub Kolas Square, but not many. Euroradio’s correspondent heard no alarms ringing.

20:00, Barysau: The main square of the town is empty. Only “plain-clothed agents” are sitting on the benches. About 15 people are standing near each car parked beside the House of Trade and the Consumer Services Center, eye-witnesses say. Thus, about 200 people are taking part in the action. No detentions have been reported so far.

 

19:52, Homel: Lenin Square still unsealed – for the first time for a long time on Wednesday. This is because the organizers decided to conduct the action near “Homel” supermarket. Here policemen and traffic policemen are on duty at every possible approach to the supermarket, they check documents and things of the passers-by. Police cars and a bus with riot policemen are parked near the public traffic stop.

19:48, Minsk: Euroradio’s correspondent Nasta Mantsevich reports: "There are really many people walking along the Independence Ave, they just keep on walking. I approached the Yakub Kolas Square where the two streams of people are supposed to meet and ring the alarms of their mobiles at 20.00. Buses and minibuses are parked around, I noticed police vans in the yards".

19:50, Vitsebsk: Head of the Belarusian Christian Democracy’s youth Nastassia Sotnikava has been detained for “personal identification” at about 19.00, informs the BCD’s web-site.

19:47, Minsk: 4 police vans are parked at the cross-roads of the Independence avenue and Akademichnaya Street. It is obvious that there are more people than usual here and that more people are standing on the one side of the street, than on another side.

19:45, Minsk: There are 3 small buses in Yakub Kolas square, one of them is filled with plain-clothed agents. Two numberless buses are parked near the shop “1000 little things” in Kalinin Square".

Police vans are parked in the yards along the distance from Yakub Kolas Square till the Academy of Sciences. “Plain-clothed agents” are filming everything. Besides, planned conversation of Minsk police spokesman Aliaksandr Lastouski and representatives of the Belarusian Association of Journalists did not happen – he refused to talk, having said he would do it when the action was over.

 

19:42, London: About 30 people, including 3 MPs, gathered near the Belarusian Embassy in London and clapped their hands.

19:40 Baranavichy. There are about 60 participants of the action in the Square. Policemen approach them, show their certificates and insist they should go to another place. Two people were detained before the action, informs Radio Liberty.

19:35, Minsk: There is a group of people in plain clothes at the exit from the "Academy of Sciences" metro station, and along the avenue. Several hundred youngsters gathered in the Yakub Kolas Square, by the monument.

19:35, Salihorsk: Web-site www.saligorsk.org informs about detentions in Salihorsk. Andrus Tychyna and Ivan Shyla detained.

19:31, Minsk: Three men in plain clothes stand at each corner of the building near "Kastrychnitskaya" metro station - Euroradio's correspondent informs.

19:30, Minsk: Zmitser Lukashuk informs from the Victory Square. "The yard of the "Gallery Ў" is crowded with police vans and buses with policemen. Riot policemen in black uniform saying "police" stand near metro exits, as well as plain-clothed agents. There is also a group of men with walkie-talkies, and Mayor Hryshchanka".

19:27, Minsk: employees of "BelaPAN" news agency - video-operator Pavel Padabed and journalist Zakhar Scharbakou have been detained near "Karona" supermarket or on the way to it from the metro station. They are not available by phone.

19:23, Slutsk: Police detained Slutsk correspondent of Radio Liberty Tatsiana Huseva for explanations.

19:18, Brest: Preventive detentions took place in the regions, informs Radio Liberty. Police are trying to detain the administrator of the local group "Revolution Through Social Networks" of "vkontakte.ru" Siarhej Aleksievich. They are interrogating him about acts of youth hooliganism in his district.

19:12, Pinsk: Detentions started in Pinsk. Underage girls are detained.

Pinsk police traditionally sealed the Lenin square and approaches to it. It is forbidden to come through. A police van is demonstratively parked in the center of the square. There is also a patrol with a German shepherd.

Two 14-year-old girls and a youngster have been preventively detained. They get detained almost every Wednesday, although they spend their time in the square every night.

19:10, Hrodna: there are many policemen in Savetskaya Square, where "walks" usually take place.

19:05, Minsk: I is still quiet near "Chkalauski" supermarket as well. A traffic police car is parked nearby, plain-clothed agents may be notices at a closer look.

19:00, Minsk: Policemen approach people near "Kastrychnik" cinema ("Academy of Sciences" metro station) and advise them "to walk in some other place". 

18:50, Minsk: Police van appeared near "Rahneda" shopping center, located by the fast food cafe "Masterbis" - the place of gathering of the silent protesters.

18:45, Mahileu: web-camera on the building of the city executive committee has been switched off since 12.00.

18:43, Minsk: It is still quiet near "Belarus" shopping center. Policemen walked around the territory, outside and inside. No riot policemen are observed, but there are people in plain clothes. A green bus is parked aside - detainees were "loaded" into such bus last time.

18:40, Minsk: It has been reported in the Internet that buses with policemen arrived to the back yards of the Independence Square and Yakub Kolas Square.

18:35,Minsk: Zmitser Lukashuk informs: "I am near the shopping center "Karona". Nothing special is happening, there are no plain-clothed agents or police both outside and inside.

18:30, Minsk. Euroradio's correspondent informs from "Belarus" shopping center, that everything is quiet there so far. No activity of the protesters, or detentions. Alongside with that, Twitter users inform that the people in plain clothes are concentrated at the cross-roads of Partyzanski Avenue and Zhylunovich Street.

18:20, Minsk. Euroradio's correspondent Nasta Mantsevich informs that Minsk metro works as usual so far.