Leaders of Union of Poles summoned for interrogation
- 11.02.2010, 13:56
Policemen visited Hrodna-based Polonika firm headed by the chair of the Union of Poles not recognized by Belarusian authorities.
They gave summons for interrogation to Andzelika Borys and Andrzej Poczobut, Meczyslaw Jaskiewicz and Ihar Bantsar, Radio Svaboda informs.
Policemen haven’t explained the reasons of the summons, but most likely the reason could be holding a street rally in Hrodna in solidarity with the Union of Poles persecuted by authorities, Andrzej Poczobut said.
On February 8 in Ivyanets (Minsk region), policemen and officers of court burst into the Polish House, owned by the unrecognized by the Belarusian authorities Union of Poles. Officers of court attached the property. The building was surrounded by militiamen. Activists of the Union of Poles were forced away from the building. After that militiamen got Stanislau Buracheuski, appointed head of the Ivyanets pro-governmental Union of Poles, into the building.
The previous conflict related to the Polish House in Ivyanets happened late January. The authorities tried to hold a congress there in order to replace the head of the local branch of the Union of Poles not recognized by the authorities, Tereza Sobal (Teresa Sobol). Dozens of organization’s activists were detained on the way to Ivyanets.
The Union of Poles was split in 2005. Its part which was loyal to the regime is officially recognized. Activists of the UPB not recognized by the authorities headed by Andzelika Borys are subject to crackdown by the authorities.
In connection with the events with the Polish House in Ivyanets, Law and Justice party (PiS) from Poland addressed the Foreign Minister of Poland Radoslaw Sikorski with a demand to cancel the visit of Belarus’ Foreign Minister Syarhei Martynau to Warsaw and impose economic embargo against Belarusian authorities.
Radoslaw Sikorski stated that he plans to have “a man-to-man talk” with the Belarusian Foreign Minister Syarhei Martynau, and the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek called upon Minsk to stop crackdown on he Polish ethnical minority immediately.
Poczobut has also informed that they refused to take summons as activists of the UPB were invited urgently, at 3 p.m. however, policemen left the documents and would possible try to take the leaders of the Union of Poles to the interrogations forcibly.
Simultaneously policemen started another inspection of the printed organ of the UBP, Magazyn Polski, and in relation to this another summons was issued for its editor-in-chief Ihar Bantsar.