At least 17 suspects said to have been arrested in mass disorder case

At least 17 suspects are believed to have been arrested in what is described as a mass disorder case, according to human rights defenders.

The list includes Ales Yawdakha, Miraslaw Lazowski, Andrey Dundukow, Vyachaslaw Duksht, Andrey Komlik-Yamatsin, Ilya Hrek, Yan Mikhalkow, Syarhey Barstak, Tsimur Pashkevich, Alyaksey Abramaw, Viktar Danilaw, Yury Huryn, Zmitser Dashkevich, Artsyom Lewchanka, Maksim Smirnow, Yawhen Afnahel and Syarhey Strybulski.

Many of the suspects are former members of a now-defunct nationalist organization called Bely Lehiyon (White Legion), which ceased to exist more than 15 years ago.

The men may be charged with attempting to organize a riot under Part Three of Article 293 of the Criminal Code, which provides for punishment of up to three years in prison, said the Vyasna Human Rights Center.

The Committee for State Security (KGB) and other law enforcement agencies have declined to speak about the arrests so far.

The arrests began hours after Alyaksandr Lukashenka said that a couple of dozens of people "who were training in camps with weapons" had just been arrested.

"By the way, one of the camps was near Babruysk and Asipovichy," he said. "The other camps were in Ukraine. As far as I know, they were also in Poland and Lithuania, though I`m not sure but somewhere in that region. Money arrived in our country through Poland and Lithuania."

According to him, the authorities learned of the "militants` activities" after a Belarusian citizen resident in the European Union contacted a Belarusian embassy. "She wrote a letter saying that a provocation was being prepared," he said. "And we started investigating and did find very interesting things."

The authorities will now have to establish "where the money came from, who led the training and from what countries the appropriate people came," said Mr. Lukashenka.