Prosecuted doctors, detained musicians and outlawed posters
4 November 2020 | BYHelp-Mediagroup
Amid growing COVID-19 cases, Belarusian doctors continue to be prosecuted for participating in the protests
The country’s courts keep hearing the cases of the doctors detained on the evening of 2 November. Nothing has changed a lot since yesterday – the medics are sentenced to days in jail.
At the same time, according to the official statistics, more than 980 COVID-19 cases are registered every day (the numbers are similar to those seen at the spring outbreak peak), and social media are sharing the messages on hospital facility shortage. According to doctors’ unconfirmed statements, the number of positive coronavirus tests is manyfold higher than the data reported by the Health Ministry.
The doctor who tweeted on COVID and the state of the detainees, had to urgently flee Belarus.
“It might look like I have been spared from any kinds of repressions, yet it is not so. I had to be at the police department a couple of times for tweeting, then my case was transferred to the Investigative Committee [of the Republic of Belarus], and, apparently, I could be locked up for quite a while. So, we had to pack and urgently set off.”
Source: REFORM.BY
Belarusians are prosecuted for posters and commenting on the police and officials
In Vaukavysk, a man is charged with public offence on the grounds of two “cynical” posters, one of which depicts the face of Lidziya Yarmoshyna, the Central Election Commission head.
The Internal Affairs Department of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee stated, “A man was detained in Vaukavysk for producing and distributing cynical posters.”
“It turned out that recently a 30-year-old man placed a poster with the image of the Central Election Commission head on the football pitch fence on Kalinouskaha street,” reported the police. “Both posters are cynical. With editing tools, the man merged the face images and other people’s figures.”
Onliner.by reports that the man was pressed with criminal charges under the article “Public offence”.
On 4 November, two residents of Babruisk were tried. They are charged under article 364 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (“Violence or threat of violence against a law enforcement officer on duty”). The 53-year-old father and his 24-year-old son are facing imprisonment for up to six years. On 10 August, Ihar and Aleh Bukas were trying to find out why a traffic police officer was detaining another driver, and pointed out that there was no technical revision sticker on the traffic police car. Both the father and the son were brutally detained right at the spot. 53-year-old Ihar Bukas was beaten unconscious. The second court session is to be held on 11 November.
Source: TUT.BY
Two musicians were detained right at their workplaces at the Philharmonic Orchestra. More artists are being persecuted
Dzianis Ivanou, a Chamber Choir musician, and Aliaksandr Serdziukou, a cellist, were detained near the Belarusian State Philharmonic where they work. This is not the first case when musicians have been arrested.
Earlier the police forces opened a hunt on choral conductors. Halina Kazimirouskaya, the Concordia choir conductor, was detained twice, imposed with a 520 euros fine and later released. Choral conductor Tatsiana Haluza, a Belarusian State Academy of Music graduate and a Minsk State College of Arts teacher, was also detained.
On 4 November, 188 employees of the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus recorded a video message in support of their dismissed colleagues.
The poster reads: “We are Belarusians. We are peaceful people.”
Source: TUT.BY
Musicians were detained again during courtyards concerts
Since August 2020, neighbors all over the town have been gathering in their courtyards for small festivals. People bring tea and pastries, listen to music, talk. Famous Belarusian musicians come to play at the “yard concerts”, the performances of Russian and foreign stars, as well as speeches of Belarusian politicians, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, have been broadcast online.
On 3 November, the authorities opened up a hunting season on the musicians who perform at such meetings. As of 4 November, more than 10 artists are known to have been detained.
For more information on the events of 4 November 2020, please visit Infocenter Free Belarus 2020:
