BERASTSE, Belarus -- Vandals have destroyed 74 graves in a Catholic cemetery in the western Belarusian city of Berastse, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports.
Members of the Union of Poles in Belarus (ZPB) and Poland's consul-general in Berastse filed an official complaint over the August 26's vandalism with the local police, who have launched an investigation.
ZPB Deputy Chairwoman Hanna Panishava told RFE/RL that Polish Consul-General Anna Nowakowska visited the cemetery earlier today and took pictures of all 74 damaged graves. She said the cemetery had never been vandalized before.
Local architect Mikalay Ulasyuk said that the cemetery had been designated a historic site by the Belarusian government. The oldest graves are dated 1836.