Twenty Belarusians charged with organizing illegal armed group
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 11 April 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Twenty Belarusians charged with organizing illegal armed group, 11 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59818d185.html [accessed 19 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. |
April 11, 2017 12:32 GMT
By RFE/RL's Belarus Service
Protesters are detained at a demonstration in front of KGB headquarters in Minsk "to support arrested patriots" on March 31.
MINSK – State media in Belarus report that 20 Belarusian citizens have been charged with organizing an illegal armed group.
The reports said the 20 suspects were among a group of 35 people who were accused of plotting disorder in Belarus amid discontent over an unpopular tax on the unemployed.
Belarusian police arrested members of the White Legion and Patriot activist groups, along with members of the opposition movement Malady Front (Youth Front), in March.
Their arrests came after President Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced that "armed militants" had been apprehended on suspicion of planning "armed provocations" nationwide.
Lukashenka's claim came amid a series of angry mass demonstrations across the country against the tax on unemployed citizens.
With reporting by Sovetskaya Belorussia
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
