Thousands attend funeral for opposition protester killed in Minsk
BelaPAN / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA On Friday, November 20 a funeral ceremony for opposition protester Raman Bandarenka took place in Minsk — the 31-year-old artist died of severe head trauma hours after he was detained on November 12. Reportedly, Bandarenka was beaten up by a masked man who appeared to be a plain-clothed law enforcement officer. Bandarenka was attacked after he approached a group of masked strangers who were trying to remove red-and-white ribbons (protest symbols) from a fence on “Changes Square” — the courtyard of a residential complex in central Minsk that has become a popular gathering place for local opposition supporters. According to the Belarusian news outlet Tut.by, thousands of people came to say their goodbyes to Bandarenka. They brought red-and-white flowers and wreaths with the inscription “To a Hero of Belarus.”
