Vyachaslau Siuchyk has been detained and beaten in Minsk. The civil activist will stand trial for ‘petty hooliganism’ and ‘disobedience to the police’. The hearing will start in Minsk's Centralny District Court at 11 a.m., spring96.org reports.
He was detained near his house at about 3 a.m. on April 19. The police had been waiting for him for a long time and started beating him after the detention, Siuchyk’s mother said.
Over the past several months, the police in Belarus have not resorted to violence during detentions, human rights defenders note. Nobody would be detained even during unauthorized street rallies. Protesters would be summoned to court afterwards and sentenced to fines.
