Human rights defender Valery Shchukin protects print run of independent newspaper from police

Vitsebsk police have detained part of the print run of the “Vitsebski Kurier M” newspaper. A human rights defender Valery Shchukin was transporting it from Smolensk (the edition had been printed there) on a regular bus.
A police car kept following the bus and policemen confiscated newspapers from Shchukin at the first bus stop. Shchukin felt bad during the conflict with the police. His blood pressure rose and an ambulance took him to hospital.

According to the human rights defender, the “Vitsebski Kurier M” newspaper is officially registered and there was no reason to confiscate the print rum. Shchukin thinks that the authorities did not like his article printed in the issue of the newspaper.

BelaPAN reports that policemen are drawing up a protocol for the violation of the order of distribution of obligatory free issues of periodicals.