European Belarus Activist Detained In Minsk

Valeryj Bychkouski was placed in the Frunzenski District Department of Internal Affairs.

The activist Valeryj Bychkouski was collecting signatures for his nomination as a candidate at the entrance to the Skala shopping center. After a while the deputy head of security approached him and rudely demanded to stop picketing, the press service of the European Belarus civil campaign reported.

Valeryj suggested calling the police. Frunzenski police department employees came and said that there was no violation of the law by the activist. After they left, the deputy head of security of the Scala shopping center came up to Valeryj and started pushing him, pulling out the phone and breaking the stand. Then, when the activist tried to protect his property, police officers appeared at the scene of the incident and detained him.

Here is what the activist said:

- From the beginning the guard of the shopping center "Skala" came with a policeman and demanded to leave. I said that the law was on my side, and I had the right to stand here and that I did not need permission from the shopping center. They called in the police. The police arrived, and then the deputy head of security, Andrei Chumak, came. Everything was fine, polite, there were no complaints. The policemen rewrote the data and left. About 15-20 minutes later, the deputy chief came again and started to demand in defiant tones again: "Go away, it's our territory, you need a permit" and everything in this spirit. Then I explain to him the norms of the law, to which he answered me: "Well f.. your law, I'll stick your papers in your ass", in general he began to provoke a conflict.

He came close to me, just right in front of me, pushed me with his body and head, and I pushed him away with my hand. The deputy chief began to shout at once that I had attacked him, scratched him. He immediately started calling his colleagues, who just 30 seconds later showed up around the corner.

I took out the phone and started filming that there were no scratches on either body or face. Then Chumak attacked me with his fists and just staged a provocation. After such actions, I appealed to the policeman to fix the fact of the attack, and the latter is standing as if nothing had happened. Chumak is over 50 years old, and the policeman is a young man who works in the shop and obeys the security of the shop. I tried to photograph Chumak again and he started to push me. After that, both the guards and the policeman threw me face down on the asphalt, handcuffed me and dragged me into the security room. My leg hurts and I have abrasions. I will demand the registering of beatings. Now I am writing a statement against Chumak, and Chumak, in turn, has written against me.