The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement calling on Russian authorities to „stop using force against peaceful demonstrations and arbitrary detentions”.
During Saturday’s protest in Moscow, the police detained nearly 1,400 people, according to human rights project OVD-Info, and 77 people were reportedly beaten. The protest, which authorities deemed illegal, was originally called for by jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny in response to opposition candidates being excluded from the upcoming Moscow municipal elections.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Saturday’s events „are part of increasingly frequent violations of civil rights and detention of prominent opposition activists.” In response to the crackdown, A spokesperson for the European External Action Service iterated that „we expect the authorities of the Russian Federation to abide by their commitments to the OSCE and other international obligations…”
Those who were detained face a fine of up to 20 thousand rubles, or 1200 złoty, or 40 hours of required community service. Alexei Navalny is currently imprisoned, but was taken to hospital for a „severe allergic reaction”.
Arrests made in response to violence in Białystok
In Poland, Deputy Minister of Interior and Administration Paweł Szefernaker reports that 112 individuals have been identified in connection with the violence that broke out at last week’s Equality March in Białystok.
Following up on a government pledge to identify, prosecute, and “severely punish” aggressors, a special group has been established in Bialystok to actively pursue investigations into the instigators and perpetrators of last week’s disturbances. To date, 86 people have been charged in connection with the attacks on the 21st of July.
As the Polish Ministry of Affairs noted in separate statement regarding protests in Moscow, „freedom of assembly and freedom of expression are one of the basic civil and political freedoms” and „guaranteeing them is the duty of every democratic state”
Source: PAP
Longest Braid Competition held in Poznań
Women from all over Poland competed for the “longest braid” during the 21st annual festival of „Mary Magdalene’s Locks” in Poznań.
Named for the parish saint, Mary Magdalene, the festival welcomed women of all ages to compete in various categories for the honor of having the longest braided locks. During the popular Poznań festival, residents are given access to normally restricted areas of the Poznań Fara, or Collegiate Church, the finest example of Baroque architecture and the most important Christian temple in the region. Along with the special basilica tours, festival goers also enjoyed artistic performances, food tastings, and games.
For those men lamenting a lack of opportunity to show off their luscious locks, registration is currently open for the Perfect Beard, a competition for the best beard and mustache in Poland. The competition, which is organized by Health and Beauty Media, will take place during the annual Hair Forum in Warsaw this October. Registration for the competition is open until September 6, giving participants just enough time to brush up on the latest facial hair fads.
Source PAP, https://perfectbeard2019.konfeo.com/pl/groups
Lechia Gdańsk and Wisła Kraków fail to score
For the second domestic match in a row, Lechia failed to score and had to settle for a 0-0 draw with visiting team Wisła Kraków. The hosts couldn’t break their opponents’s defense and their frustration showed in the 24 fouls they conceded.
Lechia’s attention now turns to Thursday’s Europa League match as the Green and White focus on progressing to the next round. They lead 2-1 from their first leg victory over Danish team Bröndby and could potentially face the Portuguese team Braga in the next stage.
The next match will take place Thursday, August 1 in Denmark.
International tennis tournament opens in Sopot
For fans of tennis, today marks the first day of the International Tennis Tournament, the BNP Paribas Sopot Open
As part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour, 48 tennis players will take part in the singles’ main tournament with 16 pairs in the doubles competition. Spectators can cheer on many prominent Polish players, including former top 20 world-ranked and 2013 Wimbledon semi finalist Jerzy Janowicz, along with US Open and ATP finalists in doubles Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Frystenberg.
In addition to a strong focus on promoting younger players like Kamil Majchrzak, this year’s tournament is about more than just tennis, according to tournament director Mariusz Fyrstenberg, emphasizing the tournament’s “proactive ecological solutions, including reusable bottles and waste segregation. We want to enjoy tennis while caring for the environment.”
The tournament will continue through next Sunday, August 4th.
Source: http://sopotopen.com/
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