On June 1, the International Children's Day, activists of the Belarusian Radio and Electronic Workers' Union (REP) were disseminating leaflets all over the country with a demand to return privileges to children, pupils and students, taken away by President in 2007. In Minsk, three activists were detained by special militia agents in the Gorky Park. They were brought to the Partizanskiy ROVD (District Interior Division) for examination, where they were forced to get photographed and give their fingerprints.

The website www.praca-by.info was informed about it by one of the detainees – a union activist Nikolai Pokhabov.

As reported by the REP Trade Union office, the activists were shadowed from the very beginning. At the exit from the park two special militia agents came up to them – one had the rank of a major, the other's name was Ales Bokan. They asked the activists to follow them to the public law and order protection centre for personal identification. Then, the activists were put into a car and brought to the ROVD. There, they were placed in different rooms and invited to a talk in turn. All the detainees were forced to get photographed, full-face and half face, and fingerprinted. Two hours later they were let free.

Leonid Sudalenko, a lawyer of the REP Trade Union, has explained that the activists may be accused of an administrative offence under Article 22.9 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus "Violation of the legislation on the press and other mass media" and fined by 20-50 base units, that is, by maximum of 1,750,000 roubles (about 600 US dollars).

Let us remind you that the REP Trade Union had addressed the authorities asking to sanction pickets on June 1 – the International Children's Day. Activists wanted to protest against cancellation of privileges that had existed before 2007 for children under three years of age, pupils and students and call to return them.

In total, 30 applications had been submitted by primary organizations and rank-and-file members of the REP Trade Union in all country regions. The authorities failed to sanction a single picket.

Trade-union activists had stated that the authorities' bans were illegal and promised to disseminate information about their initiative in spite of the bans.