BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

24/08/2007

Belarusian Police Check Theater Performance Once Again

Police officers on August 23 raided a private house near Minsk that was hosting a performance by an unregistered theater company called Free Theater, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. The official reason given for the raid was an alleged bomb planted in the house. The police officers left the house after checking the identities of all actors and spectators. A day earlier, in their first raid on Free Theater (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 23, 2007), police detained some 50 actors and spectators. On that day, the official reason for the raid was an alleged anonymous telephone call complaining that there were bangs and noise heard in the house hosting the performance. Belarusian philosopher Valyantsin Akudovich told Belapan that the arrest of actors and spectators on August 22 was an unprecedented event even by Soviet-era standards. "This goes over the line. The police are watching every step that Free Theater takes. It's impossible to imagine that a performance by an unregistered theatrical company could lead to arrests in a European country," Akudovich noted. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/08/3-cee/cee-240807.asp