Maladay Front activists from Salihorsk to stand trial for chalk in hands

Police in Salihorsk disrupted a chalk-drawing contest that was organized by Malady Front to mark the Independence Day. 6 participants of the action were charged with taking part in an unauthorized event. They will appear in court later this week. Several dozens of people and a huge number of police officers gathered for the event, local Malady Front leader Ivan Shyla told Euroradio.

Shyla: "We were detained right on the spot. I made a short speech, saying the contest would take place for the fifth time in Salihorsk and explaining why it was taking place. After that, police warned that if anyone took a piece of chalk in their hands would be detained. There were six people who took chalk. We did not really believe that the police had serious intentions. But they immediately detained six people".

In the previous years, police would not disperse the chalk drawing contests, according to Ivan Shyla.