At the trial over the group of the former Special squad “Almaz” officer, Valery Ignatovich, facts from the documents on the episode of ORT cameraman Zavadsdky’s abduction were announced. Reports of the examination of the Skoda car, in which Zavadsky was to arrive to the national airport ‘Minsk’ and meet Pavel Sharamet on July 7, 2000, were read out. On arrival Sharamet found Skoda at the place where Zavadsky usually parked it, but Dmitry himself disappeared without traces.

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In the court of the Lenin district of Minsk continues hearing of the criminal case of Alyaxandar Chihir, Anton Yashyn and Zmitser Yutskevich charged with car stealing (Article 205 of the RB Criminal Code). On January 10 Syarhei Kalyada and Vasil Bykau, who had been detained together with Alyaxandar Chihir on February 10, 2001, were interrogated.

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Within the next six months the economy of Belarus will encounter a serious system crisis, BelaPAN was told by the former head of the Belarusian National Bank Stanislav Bogdankevich. According to his forecasts, in the near future the country will witness failure to fulfill the profit provision of the national budget, the level of profitability will remain in decline, while the number of companies operating at a loss will drastically go uphill. Inflation this year may twice exceed the planned parameter, constituting 40-50%. Such a conclusion, says Bogdankevich, can be drawn judging by the ineffectiveness of the Belarusian economy, unprofitable sales markets, both interior, exterior and Russian.

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Polish ambassador in Minsk Mariush Mashkevich received on January 10 wives of the repressed Belarusian politicians. Ludmila Karpenko, Svetlana Zavadskaya, Irina Krasovskaya, Tatyana Klimova and Zinaida Gonchar passed over to the diplomat their letter to the Polish president Alexander Kvasnevsky, who will shortly meet with the Russian president Vladimir Putin. In their letter the women plead with Kvasnevsky to raise an issue of the political killings, abductions and imprisonments in Belarus during his meeting with Putin. The ambassador Mashkvich pledged that he would hand over the letter to his president. Following comes the full text of the letter.

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Deputy prosecutor general of Belarus Prus issued on January 10 a sanction to arrest Mikhail Leonov, BelaPAN was told by the attorney of the former head of the national unitary enterprise “Minsk tractor plant” Nikolai Shalimo. In the evening the suspect had to be transferred from the temporary confinement center, where he had stayed since January 8, to the pre-trial jail. So far, they haven’t officially charged Mikhail Leonov yet. According to the lawyer, Mikhail Leonov reacted to the procuracy’s decision quietly. “He expected it,” – said Shalimo. As concerns his actions, said the lawyer, first of all he intends to examine all information on the case, which he manages to collect.

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ZUBRs from Homel found out a name of the KGB officer who tried to recruit Andrei Zaitsau.
He told the deceased that his name is Ales Eustihneeu. Andrei’s friends are sure that his real name is Alyaxandar Yastremsky (or Estremsky). KGB denies that officer Ales Eustihneeu exists.Now we demand the Public Prosecutor’s Office and KGB leadership to investigate activities of Alyaxandar Yastremsky (or Estremsky).

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Yuri Zaitsau, father of Andrei Zaitsau, a Zubr activist from Homel, whom KGB tried to recruit and make work as an informer, demands from the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Soviet district of Homel, to find those having connection to his son’s death. Earlier Andrei’s mother, Larisa, submitted a tape with a telephone talk of her son and KGB officer to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. A copy of Andrei’s appeal to the Belarusian Helsinki Committee written two days before his death was submitted as well.

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Homel investigation Committee of the Ministry of the Interior brought up an action related to abuse of power against some heads of the local grease plant. A department on economic crimes of the region is involved in the investigation as well.

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Belarus considers Libya to be a promising partner in the Northern African region, said on Thursday deputy head of the Department of information of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Andrei Savinykh. The man reported that the first session of the joint Belarusian-Libyan commission for economic, trade and scientific cooperation will be held on January 15-19 in the Libyan capital Tripoli. The Belarusian delegation will be headed by the Minister for foreign affairs Mikhail Khvostov.

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