As of right now four Belarussian anarchists are under arrest, accused of having organised a series of direct actions 2009-2010.
Everything started long before last September (2010). The years 2009-2010 were rich in radical actions claimed by Belarusian anarchists. Such as:
*an illegal anti-militarist demonstration in September 2009 against a mutual Russian-Belarusian war exercise, when a Joint Staff was attacked with a smoke grenade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iQ3kz0hVDM
* an attack on a Minsk casino using paint bulbs and flares in protest of the relocation of most Russian casinos to Belarus after the law banning casinos in Russia was passed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXKjrVVAHXw
* an attack on a police station in Soligorsk during the days of common action against the police (windows were broken and a flare was thrown inside)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT27oiSwCY0
* an attack on the Headquarters of the Trade Union Federation on the 1st May with the statement that the state and this formal organisation uses workers in its interests, and doesn’t defend their rights, often preventing workers from cooperation with each other and organizing strikes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLNyIpJYz7Q
* an attack on a branch of Belarusbank as a protest against the financial system in the world (molotov-cocktails) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT7f1hro9jc
and finally
* an attack on the Russian embassy in Minsk as a solidarity action with Khimki arrestees on the 30th August 2010 where a car belonging to the embassy was burnt.
This was the last drop for the regime as the attack was carried out in a period of harsh antagonism between the leaders of Russia and Belarus. Before the action was claimed by anarchists each country had already blamed the other one for having maneuvered the provocation. On August 3rd 8 people in 3 different flats were detained and 7 of them were put in a detention center for 9 days. During this period another radical action took place
* an attack on the detention center with the statement to set free all detainees. The attackers set fire to a door of the detention centre. Later the video was removed from youtube.
After 9 days 5 of the 7 people are set free, but other people are detained in the meantime. One of them, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, is accused of the attack on the police station in Soligorsk. He admits that he was filming the event.
The other guy, Mikalai Dziadok, is kept in the detention facility for different reasons till October 1st, when he is accused of organising last year’s anti-militarist action. In the meantime they also find witnesses who claim that he also organised an attack on the casino and the House of Trade Unions. All episodes mentioned above are now united under one case. Mikalaj denies his guilt.
* In October the KGB quarters in Bobrujsk are attacked with Molotov-cocktails. They take a guy who lives in the neighbourhood, Siarhei Sliusar, and keep him for 10 days without accusations. (He had also been detained for 9 days in September)
On the 4th of November Maxim Vetkin is arrested and accused of an attack on the Russian embassy and on Belarusbank. He admits his guilt. He is also giving testimony against other people, so we have withdrawn support from him.
On the 17th of November Dzianis Bystryk is detained, where he is told that Maxim gave testimony that he was filming the action at the Russian embassy. He admits his fault but is set free without accusations so that he can contact one of the other suspects, Ihar Alinevich, and have him detained, but eventually the plot is not successful.
On the 29th of November Ihar Alinevich is detained in Moscow, when trying to meet his comrade Anton Laptsionak (one of those detained on September 3rd). He is accused of the attack on the Russian embassy and is held in the KGB remand prison. Ihar admits that he was participating in the anti- militarist action, but doesn’t consider it a criminal act. He denies all other accusations.
On the 17th of January Jauhen Vas’kovich, a journalist from the newspaper “Bobruiski courier,” a nationalist democrat without connections to the anarchist movement, Artsiom Prakapenka and Pavel Syramolatau are detained and accused of the attack on the KGB headquarters in Bobruisk. The period of investigation for all of the arrested is prolonged till April 12th. All of them may face up to 10 or 12 years of imprisonment. It appears that they are also accused of “intentional destruction of property committed by an organised group (7 to 12 years of imprisonment).”
Addresses of prisoners for support:
Mikalaj Dziadok, SIZO-1, ul. Volodarskogo 2, 220050 Minsk, Belarus
Aliaksandr Frantskevich, k. 46 SIZO-1, ul. Volodarskogo 2, 220050 Minsk, Belarus
Ihar Alinevich, P.O. Box 8, Glavpochtampt, 220050 Minsk, Belarus (Unfortunately Ihar is only allowed correspondence in Belarusian and Russian language, but you may send postcards and such)