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Belarusian Union Activist Briefly Detained Without Explanation


MINSK -- Belarusian police have detained an independent trade union leader for almost three hours without explanation, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports.

Mikalay Pakhabau was stopped by Smalyavichy district police while driving from Minsk to the town of Barisau, in the Minsk Oblast, on June 8.

The police searched his car and found about 100 copies of the newspaper "Novy Chas" (New Time) and the bulletin "Workers' Solidarity" along with copies of a leaflet titled "No to the Impoverishment of the People!"

Pakhabau was taken to the Smalyavichy district police department, where he was held for nearly three hours. He was released without any explanation or official document explaining the reasons for his detention.

Pakhabau, a regional leader of an electronics workers' union, told RFE/RL he plans to sue the district police for "illegal detention."

Read more in Belarusian here
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