Head of OSCE Office gravely concerned over attacks on opposition politicians in Minsk

MINSK, 20 October 2004 - On 19 October, Belarusian riot police carried out violent attacks on a number of leading Belarusian opposition figures and journalists following a political demonstration in Minsk.

United Civic Party (UCP) Chairman Anatoly Lebedko was hospitalized as a result of his injuries. Belarusian Social Democratic Party Chairman Mikalai Statkevich and the former Malady Front Chairman Pavel Severinets were, together with about 40 other persons, arrested or detained. A Russian and a Czech journalist were also beaten.

These events took place two days after the Belarusian election on 17 October, when President Aleksandr Lukashenko received, according to official data, 77 per cent approval for his referendum.

The Head of the OSCE Office in Minsk, Ambassador Eberhard Heyken, expressed his grave concern regarding the event. "The victims were exercising their right to assembly and freedom of expression regarding the official results of the parliamentary elections and the referendum," he said.

Ambassador Heyken was denied access on Tuesday evening to the police station in Leninski Rayon, where the victims were detained.

Russian television channel RTR said journalists from RTR, NTV, and RenTV were banned from broadcasting news of the demonstration in Minsk. Journalists from Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic were detained but released after identification.

Speaking of the attack on Mr Lebedko, Ambassador Heyken said: "Such attacks, in which a man is beaten unconscious in a public restaurant for expressing alternative views, are not acceptable to the OSCE. I intend to follow up this incident with the Belarusian Foreign Ministry."

The International Observation Mission, in its statement of preliminary findings and conclusions, said the 17 October elections to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus fell significantly short of OSCE commitments.