Hello John,

On July 29th, civil rights activist and Students For Liberty’s Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe, Piotr Markielau, was detained in front of Detention Center #1 in Minsk, Belarus, where he arrived to support a group of women on a hunger strike.

Minutes after Piotr arrived at the venue, OMON (Special Purpose Mobile Unit in Belarus) started to check-up on the present activists. Immediately officials approached Piotr. They checked his ID, forcefully put him in their car, and disappeared.

Piotr’s whereabouts were kept unknown to his family for nearly 24 hours since his arrest. Late on July 30th, The Court Of The Moskovsky District in Minsk sentenced Piotr to 12 days of administrative arrest for violating the rules of conduct of public gatherings.

The Students For Liberty community is deeply concerned about the ongoing events in Belarus.

In the light of the upcoming Presidential elections in Belarus, we call for the Belarussian government to free Piotr and all civil rights activists that have been wrongfully imprisoned and denied a free and just trial.

Help us spread the word by demanding freedom and justice for Piotr.

Please, click on the link to the blog post below and share this message using the hashtag #FreePiotr with your family and friends in support of Piotr Markielau and other freedom fighters in Belarus.

#FREEPIOTR