Human rights activist of Salihorsk attacked with a knife

• 13.11.2008, 16:41

Am unknown woman attacked Yana Palyakova and inflicted several knife wounds.

As the human rights activist told to Radio Svaboda, she learnt in the morning she must be in court at 4.00 p.m. She arranged to come to court two hours earlier to learn the materials of the case. She was going to leave the flat, when she heard a ring at the door. Yana Palyakova opened the door and was attacked by a woman. Palyakova managed to close the door and call for emergency help.

Human rights activist Yana Palyakova is in the militia department of Salihorsk now. Doctors recorded some slash wounds on her hands and arms.

“There was a door ring, and I went to open. I opened the door... I know that this woman lives in our block of flats, but I don’t know her by name. She attacked me. She held something in her hands – a knife, or something like that. She began to abuse me, then attacked and hit me on my hand, as I was trying to defend myself. She aimed at breast, by I defended with my arm. My left hand is injured, and my right arm is injured, too,” the woman said.

Yana met problems in Salihorsk after she had begun to gather signatures for Volha Kazulina during the electoral campaign. The human rights activist told after she had gathered more than 2,000 signatures, she began to receive telephone calls from the KGB inviting her for a conversation.

On August 30, a district militia officer stopped her in the street. He and two men in civvies made her get in a car and took her to a militia department. There a militiaman hit her at her arms and her leg.

Yana Palyakova told her injures were recorded and she sent a complaint against the militiaman to a prosecutor’s office.