Police checking distributors of Soviet flags in Vitsebsk

Representative of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee in Vitsebsk Pavel Levinau received a reply from the regional police about distributors of Soviet flags in the streets.

"It says that my statement was forwarded to the district police at the place where the incident occurred for further checks. I asked the head of the regional police to take control of the situation. But, based on the response, I realized that nothing had been taken under control," said Levinau in the commentary to Euroradio.

In early April, there appeared information online about distributors of Soviet flags in Vitsebsk. In particular, Levinau made photographs of the distributors on the Tserashkova street. Also popular among Internet users was the story of a motorist who knocked out teeth of one of the "deaf and dumb" distributors, who offered him a Soviet and Russian flags. After this the "deaf and dumb" allegedly spoke.

Levinau draws an analogy with the Ukrainian events. In Crimea, Donbas and in the central part of Ukraine before the war activists distributed Soviet and Russian flags. The same actions in Belarus, according to a human rights activist, are potentially dangerous.

"Somebody needs it and does it for purpose. This is not a fool running around Belarus and distributing something. This is a planned campaign. If we allow for this some other things, we can lose our sovereignty," expressed his opinion Levinau.