Belarusians Chanted ‘Long Live Belarus!’ At Lida Festival

• 3.09.2023, 16:20

The Lukashists got nervous.

Yesterday, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lidbeer festival took place in the Belarusian city of Lida. Its motto: “We Unite Different People!” However, according to local human rights activists, there were arrests at the event. Police were arresting people for chanting “Long Live Belarus!”. The security services took two men to the police station.

According to human rights activists, the incident happened at about 6-7 pm near the House of Culture, where tents and tables were placed for the event visitors. Two men aged 35-40 chanted “Long Live Belarus!” OMON officers rushed to the place immediately. They identified and arrested the "violators" taking them to the local police department.

It is reported that one of the detainees has already been released without a sentence and said that the second was charged with violating the procedure for organizing or holding mass events (Article 24.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), and he faces a fine of BYR 500.

This is not the first case when the authorities arrested and tried people for chanting the national slogan. So, quite recently, a resident of Baran was detained for a similar “offence” - the court decided that his love for his homeland (with which he justified his words) “does not correspond to reality.” And last year in Vitebsk, a local resident who works as a watchman was arrested for 10 days. According to the prosecution, he wrote on the snow-covered car of his neighbour, a policeman, “Long Live Belarus!” and thus "picketed without permission". The Vitebsk resident explained that he simply wanted to cheer up his neighbour.