Lyabedzka, Kalyakin, Atroshchankau file applications over passports theft

• 2.04.2012, 16:21

Their passports were unlawfully seized by police.

The Belarusian opposition politicians – UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of Fair World Party Syarhei Kalyakin and coordinator of European Belarus civil initiative Alyaksandr Atroshchankau – were detained in Orsha on March 28. They filed applications to police reporting about the theft of their passports by police in Orsha.

“We have filed an application to police. We informed them about the surname of the police officer, who seized our passports that in fact appeared to be a theft,” Lyabedzka told Interfax-Zapad news agency. The politician added two his passport were seized: one of them was an old one with valid visas (the politician used it for abroad trips when his acting passport was in the KGB – Interfax).

According to Lyabedzka, a decision on the application should be taken within 15 days. “But we won't wait that long. We'll begin to push the Ministry of Internal Affairs tomorrow,” the UCP leader said.

According to earlier reports, the politicians were going to visit Brussels via Moscow. They were taken off the train in Orsha on their way to Moscow and accused of disorderly conduct. The city court of Orsha found them guilty of disorderly conduct and fined them 350,000 rubles ($45).

Lyabedzka and Kalyakin were earlier denied from leaving the country.