BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

11/10/2007

Poles detained in Belarus

The Belarusian militia have detained head of the Poles Association in Belarus Andzelika Borys and Igor Bancer, editor-in-chief of the association's weekly magazine "Magazyn Polski" in Grodno. Poland's Foreign Ministry has issued an official protest against the detention.

Borys was detained at a militia station where she came to defend the already arrested Bancer. She was charged with swearing at a militia station.

Bancer was arrested at a bus stop. The reason for his detention remains unknown. It can not be excluded that it was connected with the 'European March', an opposition manifestation which is planed to be staged in Minsk on Sunday.

Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed their anxiety and protested against the detention of the two Poles calling the arrests "illegal".

"Belarusian authorities do not show will of maintaining good-neighbourly relations with Poland," informed the Ministry.

Officially there are 400,000 Poles living in Belarus.(

Source:

http://www.thenews.pl/archives/1420-Poles-detained-in-Belarus.html