Two opposition youths briefly detained for passing out leaflets in Brest

Two opposition youths were detained briefly for passing out leaflets protesting the abolition of state benefits in Brest on December 16.
Svyatlana Novik and Yawheniya Kohut were handing out the fliers on Astronauts Boulevard near Brest State University at the center of the city when several plainclothesmen approached them and ordered the girls to follow them to a police station, an opposition activist who asked not to be named told.
The activists were brought to the Maskowski district police department and released without charges an hour later. Sixty-four leaflets were seized from them. The youths reportedly managed to distribute about 20 fliers.
The law, which scraps state preferences for, among others, former Nazi death camp prisoners, Chernobyl-hit people, students and retirees, took effect on December 17.