300 thousand copies of special issue of independent “Nasha Svaboda”, dedicated to the unique democratic candidate Vladimir Goncharik, were arrested today by the Committee for financial investigation. “Over the period of newspaper’s existence we published more than 15 special issues, but only the last one about the unique candidate, has been confiscated ahead of the elections,” – Charter’97 press-center was told by the “Nasha Svaboda” publisher Pavel Zhouk.

---

The tax inspection of the Frunzensky district of Minsk launched an investigation into the economic activities of the Central coordination council for elections monitoring, that is part of the initiative “Independent Observation”. “IO”, as is known, intends to conduct a parallel count of votes, cast during the fall presidential ballot. This initiative provoked an utterly negative reaction from the authorities – yesterday the Ministry of Justice labeled it “illegal”. Today we learnt that as a result of the examination the tax inspection would confiscate part of the equipment that belongs to the “IO”.

---

Leadership of the Zhodino pre-trial jail and the Committee for penalty execution of the Interior Ministry denied access to imprisoned journalist Schukin, requested by the archpriest of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Yan Spasyuk. In this connection the Belarusian Autocephalous Church expressed its decisive protest against the violation of citizens’ constitutional right for the freedom of faith. They claim that persecution of the prominent human rights advocate Valery Schukin ahead of the presidential ballot testifies to the regime’s unwillingness to comply with fundamental human rights.

---

Today OBEP police (department for economic crimes) placed an arrest on the special issue of “Nasha Svaboda” newspaper, published in a private press “Magic”. The special issue was dedicated to the unique candidate from wide public coalition Vladimir Goncharik. At the moment “Nasha Svaboda” editor-in-chief Pavel Zhouk set off to “Magic” for clarification. At 1.35p.m. “Magic” (Knorina str. 50) will host a press-conference, at which journalists may pose their questions to the newspaper staffers and OBEP agents.

---

Three interior forces servicemen seized from two ZUBR girls a white-red-white flag. They didn’t even bother to provide explanations or at least draw a protocol. The law-enforcers discovered the banner in their bag. Right now all those wearing ZUBRs T-shirt are exposed to police searches. The group of thirty ZUBR activists asked policemen to pronounce their names. In response, they were told that “police acts upon orders not laws”.

---

The Ministry of Justice of Belarus hastened to release a statement in which it refers to the intentions of candidates, representing wide public coalition, during the period before and after the presidential elections as “contradicting the Constitution”.

---

The biggest official newspaper of Belarus “Sovetskaya Belorussiya”, published by the presidential Administration, is coming up with publicity images, calling on readers to vote for the new government. Under the heading “Time of choice” they run two snapshots: today’s beggar, suffering from poverty in black and white colors, and the same person on a colored photo, representing the new lifestyle of Belarus. The readers are offered to make their choice between old and new.

---

Alexander Lukashenko stated the inadmissibility of implementing “any sort of land reforms” in the country’s agricultural sector. Interfax reports that during his Thursday speech before the state farmers from Schutchin, Lukashenko underlined that it will be namely the production of industrial goods, which will form the backbone of our agriculture in perspective. “I’m not going to dismiss collective farms,” – underscored Alexander Lukashenko.

---

The Central Electoral Committee declined to issue for Valery Schukin a document, certifying that he is a confidant of the candidate for the president Syamon Domash. At present Schukin is serving a three-months term in Zhodino jail.

---

In a statement, circulated by the Ministry of Justice on August 16 it is noted that “recently certain media outlets have been telling about the intentions of an unregistered public association “Independent observation” to monitor the work of electoral commissions and parallel count of votes in order to announce on September 10, 2001 their own results of voting.” In this regard the Ministry of Justice reminds that the activities of individuals, acting on behalf of unregistered public formations is an administrative breach, whereas “the presumable work of independent observers contradicts Belarusian legislation”.

---

The amalgamation of Goncharik’s and Domash’s headquarters is almost complete. Under the signed accord between two nominees for the presidency Domash is obliged to withdraw his candidacy in favor of a single candidate from democratic forces and place his organizational structures at Goncharik’s disposal.

---