24-03-2006: OMON storms the democratic tent camp in Minsk

Friday the 24th of March at 03:30 some 450 soldiers from the Belarus Ministry of the Interiors Special Forces (OMON) stormed the democratic demonstrants’ peaceful tent camp at the Minsk October Square. Only a few demonstrants took up a fight, however all the approximately 350 demonstrants were arrested and driven away in the OMON waiting busses. The wellplanned and unprovoced action took less than 15 minutes.

Half of the demonstrants were taken to Minsk prisons and detensions centres, while the other half were driven outside Minsk to an unknown destination. The families of the democracy defending youngsters have been denied information about the location of their family members.

A Danish journalist arriving to the scene shortly after, saw numerious street cleaners standing ready, busy in making sure that no trace of the attack or the excistence of the tent camp were left. The square soon looked as if nothing had happened. However no matter how much the workers scrubed, the pictures of the couragious tent campers will remain in our memory.

Neither SILBA nor DSU observers were at the square when the OMON attacked. Journalists were stopped from entering the camp area during the attack.

More information can be found at www.belapan.com and www.charter97.org