Extremely brutal use of force: 10 journalists attacked a journalist

Tut.by Brest correspondent Stanislav Koršunov was arrested after using force. He spent the night in one of Brest’s home affairs districts. So far there is no information available about him.

“Stanislav was attacked by about 10 OMON officers. He was wearing a vest with a large TUT.BY inscription on both sides. The detainee shouted that there is a media representative. It seemed that he was attacked on purpose because he did not touch other journalists who were close, “said the witness Denis to the portal tut.by.

He tore journalists’ accreditation cards, confiscated memory cards, and damaged equipment for some.

In Belarus, law enforcement officials used brutal force against journalists on Tuesday following high tensions following the disputed presidential elections, local media reported.

According to the news portal Tut.by, the correspondent for this channel Stanislav Korshunov was arrested in the southwestern city of Brest. Video operator Vsevolod Zarubin was also affected by the brutal actions of law enforcement officers.

“Arrests in Brest, Tarybų street. Readers tell us about ten owners [milicijos specialiųjų pajėgų narių] He deliberately attacked Tut.by’s correspondent S. Koršunov and severely arrested him. We have no connection with Stanislav, “the portal said in a statement published through the Telegram channel.

At that time, the operator of Tut. De V. Zarubin was affected by police actions in the capital, Minsk.

“Vsevolod Zarubin was beaten and hit in the leg. The officers of the force broke the camera screen and confiscated the working medium with the video,” the portal reported.

“Tut. De ripped the photographer Vadimas Zamirovskis [žiniasklaidos darbuotojo] The card also took the media. The media with working material were also taken from Tut. By photographer Darja Buriakina, [naujienų agentūros] Associated Press photographer Sergei Hryco (camera damaged) also [laikraščio] “Nasha Niva’s photographer Nadezhda Buzan,” the report said.

According to Tut.by, Ruslan Kulevičius, an employee of the local online publication Hrodna.life, was also detained in Grodno.

“Ten people, including correspondents from Tut.by and the local portal Hrodna.life, ran into the store, where OMON broke in and the brutal arrests began. Our correspondent Olga Komiagina was able to defend herself.” Hrodna.life “correspondent Ruslan Kulevičius, his future wife and other Grodno residents were detained by the officers of the force structures, “Tut.by said.

Mass protests continue in Minsk and several other cities on Tuesday before last Sunday’s presidential elections, which, according to preliminary data, were overwhelmingly won by authoritarian leader Aliaksandr Lukashenko, who has already secured his sixth term.

Police detain people on the streets of #Minsk randomly, often violently #Belorussia. Tuesday night video pic.twitter.com/hITVz6GPUN

– Abdujalil A (@abdujalil) August 11, 2020

The protests continued in Belarus for the third consecutive night

Violence broke out again in Belarus during the new protests. Massive clashes between militias and protesters were first reported on social media in the capital Minsk. The security forces used brutal force against peaceful people.

Videos have been posted on the Telegram news channel showing uniformed officers beating and kicking civilians.

It was the third consecutive night of protests since Sunday’s presidential election. The militia again used flashy grenades and rubber bullets against the protesters. They resisted throwing stones and bottles. Explosions were heard. The number of injured is not yet known. On Tuesday, the agencies spoke of about 200 injured in Minsk who are being treated at the hospital.

According to observers, this time the security forces cracked down on the protesters than on previous nights. Many streets in Minsk were fenced off.

Hundreds of people also participated in protests against electoral fraud in other cities of the country. Major problems with the Internet reappeared. By breaking the connection, the agencies want to prevent protesters from joining.

In the case of small and medium plants, the Community will use a large number of small and medium plants. This is true. Усатый готов отправлять пачками народ на тот свет лишь бы удержаться у руля # гнида# Білорусь # Минск # ЖивэБеларусь pic.twitter.com/gB7cfCBtFe

– Президент Зурумбии Шпайзман 🤬 (@Prezident_of_Zu) August 12, 2020

#Belorussia Today they will be defeated pic.twitter.com/0aTXXLtx96

– Rinie de Pater (@rhinopater) August 11, 2020

That is what is happening right now in #Belorussia. Hitting a human being near your daughter. Those guys love their damn job. #NEXTA # Belarus2020 #Belorussia #BelarusPresidentialElection pic.twitter.com/cFi8IiASio

– Andreï (@ RandyMa79094589) August 11, 2020

It is not yet known how many people were detained during the protests. According to media reports, among those detained are journalists. There is widespread violence against reporters and photographers, and against those officially accredited in Belarus. A British broadcaster told the BBC in Russia that security forces had attacked his team.

The Minsk Foreign Ministry has rejected criticism from abroad for the actions of the government apparatus against the protesters. The quick statements of many European politicians are completely unacceptable. “It is already planned to make decisive decisions regarding our country’s relations with the EU,” Belta’s state agency said in a statement.

The EU has announced a review of its relations with Belarus. “Among other things, measures can be taken against those responsible for the observed violence, the unjustified arrests and the falsification of the electoral results,” said EU Foreign Policy Commissioner Josep Borrell, on behalf of the 27 countries.