Two Belarusian activists forced into army
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 30 January 2009 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Two Belarusian activists forced into army, 30 January 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/49904c5ac.html [accessed 27 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 30, 2009
Police in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, have taken two young opposition activists into custody and transferred them to military recruiting stations, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports.
Both Ivan Shyla of the Youth Front movement and Franak Vyachorka of the Belarusian People's Party had medical deferrals that exempted them from military service. The deferrals were suddenly reversed.
Belarusian Helsinki Committee Chairman Aleh Hulak told RFE/RL that the incident could be classified as an illegal arrest.
Hulak said the secret services should not be involved in army recruiting, and activists were supposed to get letters telling them to report to military recruiting stations, which was not the case.
Yuras Hubarevich, a Belarusian opposition politician, told RFE/RL that officials are simply removing the two activists from society.
