Clashes in Minsk: Kozulin detained, Milinkevich “in a safe place”

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Head of the press office of opposition presidential contender Alexander Milinkevich’s Sergey Voznyak talking to a REGNUM correspondent in the afternoon of Saturday denied earlier reports that Milinkevich had been detained. “After dispersal of the rally in Oktyabrskaya Square he has been in a safe place with his guards,” Voznyak said. At the same time, Voznyak informed on detention of Milinkevich’s Spokesman Pavel Mozheiko.

Besides, Voznyal gave to the correspondent details of another detention – of presidential contender, Alexander Kozulin. According to Voznyak, a column of demonstrators led by Kozulin was moving to the detention center where demonstrators, who had been detained earlier, were held. At about 03:00 p.m. the column was met by a special forces’ unit. A scuffle started, one of the officers brought Kozulin down and started beating. After that Kozulin was detained. His whereabouts are unknown.

Sources in the opposition report several wounded and one killed during the clash with the special forces. However, there are no independent proofs of it, or official confirmation by the Byelorussian authorities.

A source in the Interior Ministry told the correspondent that nine people were hurt in the ckash, eight of them were police officers. The only demonstrator hurt was sent to hospital, his life is out of threat.