30 Nov 2017 13:25

Charges of planning civil unrest dropped in Belarus

MINSK. Nov 30 (Interfax) - The Belarusian Investigative Committee has decided to drop criminal charges against people implicated in the White Legion case.

"The preliminary investigation into the criminal case against the so-called White Legion ended on November 27. The investigator has made a decision," Ivan Noskevich, the head of the Investigative Committee, was quoted as saying by Belarusian state-run media at a briefing in Minsk on Thursday.

In March 2017, Belarusian State Security Committee officials detained 26 White Legion and Young Front activists on suspicion of planning to participate in mass riots following President Alexander Lukashenko's statement that he suspected some force, a "fifth column," of attempts to destabilize the situation in the country and carry out a color revolution.

Some of the detainees were also charged with the "creation of an illegal armed formation."

Charges against some detainees were later dropped. Some were released after agreeing to travel restrictions.