English

Opposition activist in Homyel told by police to stay at home during "silent protest" on Wednesday

 

A young opposition activist in Homyel has been ordered by police to be at home on the evening of September 21, when a “silent protest” is scheduled to take place in the city.

A policeman visited Kseniya Yaraslawtsava, who has a child aged two years and nine months, on Monday to tell her that a children’s officer would call on her at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Ms. Yaraslawtsava told BelaPAN that there were no legitimate grounds for the inspection, as her family had no history of anti-social behavior.

The young woman took part in "silent" protests that were staged in Homyel this past summer. She and three other young opposition activists were briefly detained by police on September 5 after they attempted to collect signatures in support of the "Narodny Skhod" (People`s Assembly) rallies.

Last week the opposition activist told BelaPAN that a KGB officer had tried to recruit her as an informant. “He offered me to `cooperate` with him, that is, to spy and report on my friends and acquaintances,” she said. “He threatened that I would have difficulties in getting a job or getting admitted to an educational institution. He also told me to think about the future of my child. Of course, I rejected the offer, and now have problems because of my refusal to spy on people."

On Monday, two opposition activists in Homyel, Dzmitry Shawchenka and Dzmitry Karashkow, were sentenced to jail after being arrested while passing out flyers for coming “silent protests.