Updated at 17:53,27-03-2024

Lukashenka: police shouldn’t have arrested people supporting Charlie Hebdo

Euroradio

He has ordered the Minister of Internal Affairs to deal with the case.

Tatyana Melnichuk from BBC asked Alyaksandr Lukashenka about the detention of the people who came to the French Embassy and to Taras Shevchenko monument in Minsk. Such detentions are bad for the image of a strong state, she thinks.

Anatol Lyabedzka, Paulyuk Kanavalchyk and two other activists came to express solidarity with the murdered journalists of Charlie Hebdo. Lyabedzka still has to stand trial for his solidarity.

The activists who came to Taras Shevchenko monument to commemorate Mihail Zhyzneuski and other heroes of the Sky Hundred were also detained.

Lukashenka agreed with the journalist. The police should not have detained those people, he said. He ordered the Minister of Internal Affairs to deal with the case. The Minister tried responding that they were not afraid of anyone. But Lukashenka interrupted him and told him to deal with the case to avoid such problems in the future.