Riot police raided a bookstore in the Belarusian city of Hrodno on Oct. 9, interrupting a lecture by anarchist historian Pyotr Ryabov, who was visiting from Moscow State Pedagogical University, and arresting him on the pretext of breaking up a "unsanctioned mass gathering." Ryabov, who had been giving a presentation on "Libertarian Social Thought," was convicted two days later on charges of "hooliganism" and sentenced to six days in jail. He promptly went on hunger strike. Belarusian human rights activist Alyaksandr Vaytseshyk, who came to the hearing to support Ryabov, was detained on the scene and charged with contempt of court. Ryabov's supporters picketed the Belarusian embassy in Moscow Oct. 13 to demand his release. (ContraInfo, Oct. 14; LibCom, Oct. 13; RFE/RL, Oct. 12)
This was the second such incident in Belarus in recent months, In August, riot police in Baranovichi raided a presentation by Russian anarchist and anti-fascist activist Alexei Sutuga, detaining all who were present—15 people in all. (Pramen, Aug. 27)
Anarchists face ‘terrorism’ charges in Russia
Avtonom website reports that the FSB has arrested five anarchist and antifa activists in a series of raids over the past days—two in St. Petersburg and five in Penza. They are apprently being charged with "participation in a terrorist organization," and have been beaten and tortured with electric shocks while in custody. Journalists were barred from the hearings where they were formally charged.
Anarchist terror attack on FSB office?
A 17-year-old has died of his wounds after detonating explosives in an office of Russia's FSB federal security service in the northwestern city of Arkhangelsk, officials say. Three FSB employees were hurt when the explosives went off just inside the building. A CCTV image of the suspect emerged soon afterwards, along with a message he allegedly posted on social media just before the blast. Although the authenticity of the message posted on an anarchist chat group has not been confirmed, the user identifies himself as an anarcho-communist and claims the FSB "fabricates cases and tortures people." He was later named by local media as Mikhail Zhlobitsky, a student at a local technical college, although he apparently used the online name Valeryan Panov. (BBC News)