Mass disturbances in one of the juvenile colonies of Vitebsk, which accommodate a few hundred under-age criminals, ended up January 7 in police breaking into one of the barracks. During their assault the law-enforcers applied truncheons and tear gas. As a result, one of their officers was hospitalized with a brain concussion, 42 members of the 6th colony brigade were taken to the pre-trial detention, another 49 were sent over to a different colony. Some of the colony`s buildings badly need repair. The prison authorities declared emergency situation throughout its territory. All in all 299 people took part in dispersing the turmoil. Rioting is quite a rare phenomenon in Belarus. The last time something similar happened in Vitebsk was over ten years ago.

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Jan. 8 the US embassy in Belarus allocated on its web-site the interview of the US ambassador in Minsk Michael Kozak, given by him to the Belarusian TV group. December 21, 2000 Mr. Kozak answered the questions of the BT correspondent Viktor Kharkov. Later the ambassador was told that the BT leadership ruled not to broadcast the interview. The ambassador concentrated on the US ballot outcomes and bilateral relations between the two countries.
Kozak noted that both USA and EU believe that last-year`s parliamentary elections in Belarus never really corresponded to democratic standards.

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Journalist of an independent news agency BelePAN Gennady Barbarich was handed in a subpoena to meet with the prosecutor`s office official on January 9. Barbarich told Charter`97 press-center that they currently examine his series of publications on missing Dmitry Zavadsky of ORT.

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Trial over the participants of the action, marking another anniversary of the Universal Declaration of human rights, was scheduled for 2.30 p.m. January 9 in the Leninsky district court of Brest.

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The Ministry of Justice officials say that the single currency treaty singed up by Russia and Belarus and the creation of one emission center is a breach of the existing Constitution. This is mentioned in the concluding remarks of the Ministry of Justice statement, signed by Minister Genady Vorontsov January 8. The conclusion is attached to the text of the treaty, to be considered by the so-called "house of representatives".

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