Belarus grieves over the death of 31-year-old Raman Bandarenka, participants in chains of solidarity were detained by the police, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced the People’s Tribunal
13 November 2020 | BYHelp-Mediagroup
13 November – Memorial Day of the late Raman Bandarenka
On 13 November, Belarusians honored the memory of the late Raman Bandarenka, a 31-year-old resident of Minsk. His house was located in a courtyard that has become a symbol of the protest movement and is known throughout the country as the Square of Changes.
On the evening of 11 November, there was a scuffle between the residents of the courtyard and unknown persons who came to remove the red and white ribbons from the fence. As a result, people without identification marks forcibly carried Raman Bandarenka into a minibus with tinted windows. There is information that Raman Bandarenka was taken to one of the Minsk police offices, and already at midnight an ambulance brought him to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed a coma caused by multiple head injuries. Raman Bandarenka died on the evening of 12 November.
Since the morning of 13 November, people across the country have lined up in solidarity chains. Joint prayers and church services took place. Major media and business representatives have abandoned online advertisements.
At 12:00, a minute of silence was announced, in which factory workers, doctors, students and citizens of various professions took part.
Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Lukashenko and the investigation say that the late Raman Bandarenka was drunk, doctors say the opposite
According to the official version of events, in the courtyard “there was a fight between aggressive local residents who were hanging up the ribbons and those who were filming them”. The report notes that police officers “found a man with bodily injuries and signs of alcohol intoxication” (although it was documented and, according to the testimony of doctors, it was confirmed that Raman Bandarenka was sober). A criminal case on the death of Raman Bandarenka has not been opened; the investigation cites the ongoing check.
In the evening, Lukashenko also announced that alcohol had allegedly been found in the blood of the deceased, expressed his regret and ordered the Investigative Committee to take control of the case.
It is also important to note that today, the law enforcement agencies have suspended the investigation into the case of Aliaksandr Taraikouski, who was shot dead in Minsk on 9 August.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced the People’s Tribunal
“If the state judicial system does not work, we will cope without it. Everyone who has cynically violated and is violating the law must answer,” Tsikhanouskaya said.
According to Tsikhanouskaya’s plan, Belarusians can send evidence of the regime’s crimes to a centralized system. Law enforcement officers will be able to confidentially transmit videos and other evidence of execution or participation in the execution of criminal orders. “Everyone who does this, under my guarantee, can count on amnesty or mitigation of criminal liability,” Tsikhanouskaya promised.
Based on the collected data, the “People’s Prosecution” process will be conducted on the Golos platform, and every Belarusian will be able to vote. Tsikhanouskaya intends to sum up the results on 20 December. On this day, she plans to organize the biggest popular march and present the “People’s Prosecution”.
Mass arrests and searches continue
During the actions in memory of Raman Bandarenka, arrests were carried out in Minsk and Brest, in Liakhavichy. Individual detentions took place in Slutsk, Kletsk, Maladzechna, Vileika, Svetlahorsk and Barysau.
The police also detained activists of the Belaruskali strike committee who went on an excursion to the Ivatsevichi district. In the excursion bus were not only employees of Belaruskali, but also just residents of Salihorsk – 43 people in total – who were also detained.
In Minsk, officers of the security forces broke into the editorial office of the oldest opposition newspaper in Belarus, “Narodnaya Volya”, without presenting any documents and confiscated the newspaper’s entire last print run.
The UN is concerned about the mass arrests of protesters, the EU is ready to impose new sanctions
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that they have received information about the detention of more than 25,000 people in Belarus during the protests.
The statement emphasizes that the government of Belarus has never released information about the investigation of torture and ill-treatment of detained protesters.
The department also expressed concern over the violent death of Raman Bandarenka.
The EU Delegation to Belarus expresses its deepest condolences to the family, friends and neighbors of Raman Bandarenka. In their statement, the diplomats emphasize that all law enforcement officers who carry out criminal orders must be held accountable.
The European Union is also ready to impose additional sanctions against those responsible for repression and intimidation in Belarus.
The ranks of the strikers are constantly growing
Three workers of Belaruskali have joined the strike, and three employees of the Belarusian Railways have declared a strike. At Hrodna Azot, two people joined the strike.
For more information on the events of 13 November 2020, please visit Infocenter Free Belarus 2020:
