One of organizers of the Protest March, human rights watchdog and journalist Valery Schukin is in the court of the Partyzansky district of Minsk now waiting for a verdict. Valery Schukin proved to Charter’97 that on Saturday in the morning police officers took him from the intensive care ward of the neurosurgery department of the military hospital to the special detention center in the Akrestsina street, while he had a dropper in his vein. Despite of the fact that Schukin was prescribed to keep to bed, the physicians wrote that he was in good health. However, we must remind that on the same day in the morning the doctors of the hospital informed our press center that Schukin has serious injuries of spinal column, small of the back and chest. Now, after two and a half days in prison, Schukin told us that he suffers from a strong pain in his side, intense headache, his arms does not bend. He could hardly sleep at night because of strong aches and pains.

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Influential international organization Amnesty International declared that it considers that anyone detained solely for exercising their right to peaceful assembly to be prisoners of conscience. Prisoner of conscience status would therefore apply to anyone detained and subsequently imprisoned for his or her participation in the 19 April 2002 peaceful protest action in Minsk. AI is calling the Belarusian authorities for their immediate and unconditional release. Amnesty International will issue a report documenting the whole series of arbitrary detentions of peaceful demonstrators in 2002.

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The court of the Partyzansky district of Minsk has sentenced Alyaksandr Atroschankau, ZUBR press secretary, to 5 days of arrest. Human rights watchdog from Barysau, member of the human rights center “Viasna”, Anatol Askerka, was sentenced to 10 days of arrest. They both were found guilty on charges relating article 167 Part 1 of the Administrative Code (participation in unsanctioned rallies). Alyaksandr Atroschankau and Anatol Askerka both remained incarcerated since the moment of detention during dispersal of the Protest March on April 19.

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One of the organizers of the protest march, human rights watchdog and journalist Valery Schukin, who was ruthlessly beaten up by the police during the action on April 19, was taken away from the intensive care ward of the neurosurgical section of the Military Hospital in Minsk and placed to the Akrestsyna Street to a special detention center, while the physicians reported that Valery Schukin had serious injuries of his spinal column, back and chest. Today nothing is known about the destiny of the human rights defender. All the courts of Minsk tell that Schukin was not transported to them. And the police refuses to inform the relatives and journalists whereabouts of Schukin.

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World-known Belarusian filmmaker Yuri Khaschevatsky was sentenced by the Sovietsky district court of Minsk to 10 days of arrest. Being one of the PM organizers Khaschevatsky was found guilty of violating art.167/2 of the Administrative code. As you remember, the man has been staying in pre-trial detention center since the moment of arrest on April 19. In such a mean way Alexander Lukashenko determined to retaliate the famous film producer, who authored the “Ordinary president” movie about him, which was awarded numerous international prizes.

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Dmitry Borodko, “Vesna” human rights defender, was sentenced by the Central court of Minsk to 5 days of arrest. The human rights defender was held in custody since the moment of his detention on April 19. Dmitry Borodko was found guilty of violating art.167/1 of the Administrative code (unsanctioned rallying). Police released famous filmmaker and one of the PM organizers Yuri Khaschevatsky who petitioned the jury with a plea to be assigned a lawyer. The man will be tried at 4p.m. today. Lubov Kuchinskaya, Maksim Shiraev, Sergei Peskin were all handed in court subpoenas for tomorrow after which police sought to return them to the Okrestina jail. However, owing to the human rights defenders efforts, all three were set free.

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Those, apprehended during the Protest March “CAN’T LIVE LIKE THAT ANYMORE!”, are now being assigned to various Minsk courts. 16 people were taken to the Central court of Minsk, other 10 will be sued in the Partyzansky court, while others remain locked in the Sovietsky court. Something that’s happening is a clear breach of legislation, for the detainees must be tried by the court of the district where they had been arrested. Seems like the authorities are set to deal with all of them, which would be hardly possible by means of the Sovietsky court alone. One of the action organizers Dmitry Bondarenko (Charter’97) released minutes ago, gave his brief commentary to our press-center:

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The court of the Soviet district of Minsk has sentenced activist of the ZBR movement Alyaxandra Andzhieuskaya to 5 days of arrest for her part in the social protest action “Can’t Live Like This Anymore!”. 18-year-old Alyaxandra was placed to the special detention center in Akrestsyna Street on Friday. One of the organizers of the protest Dzmitser Bandarenka (“Charter`97”) was released after receiving a summons to court for tomorrow. But strange things happen to other people who receive summons. Liubou Kuchynskaya, Maxim Shyryaeu, Syarhei Peskin were placed to the detention center again, which is an outrageous violation of law. According to the available information, the judges were ordered to send back to jail all those who appealed for attorney assistance.

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First trials over participants of the Protest March took place at the court of the Soviet district of Minsk. A pensioner Ryhor Akhromenka was fined 200 thousand roubles. He was accused of violation of the Article 167, Part 1 of the Administrative Code (participation in unsanctioned rallies). Another protester, Professor Heorhy Lepin, applied for attorney, and he was handed a summons for April 23. This old man’s leg and shoulder were injured badly during dispersal of the demonstration by the law enforcers.

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According the information received by the “BDG” correspondent in the German Foreign Ministry, the European Union has entrusted the supreme EU Comissioner on Foreign policy and security Xavier Solana to carry out talks with A. Lukashenka. In the opinion of the representatives of the European Union, Mr. Solana is the only person with whom the Belarusian leader could discuss the future fate of the OSCE mission in Minsk. However, the first attempt to carry out talks has failed.

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The United States is seriously disturbed by the recent violence at Kuropaty. The unknown assailants set fire to a tent, seriously burning one of the people sleeping in it. That individual is reportedly in serious condition in a local hospital. The U.S. Embassy calls on Belarusian authorities to conduct a credible investigation of both of this and previous violent incidents and to take appropriate steps to bring the perpetrators to justice and otherwise to protect peaceful protestors.

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Belarusian journalist Pavel Sheremet received an annual OSCE award “For journalism and democracy”. OSCE noted personal courage, manifest by Sheremet when he prepared reportages about the situation in Belarus.

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Belarusian Defense Minister Leonid Maltsev and deputy Defense Minister of Belarus Pavel Rogozhevsky left on April 21 for China with an official visit, BelaPAN was told by deputy head of the department of international military cooperation of the Defense Ministry, colonel Alexander Yatskovich.

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In a contest for the post of “Slavneft” president ahead of the company’s privatization, there happened a sudden change. At the directors’ board session last Friday representatives of Belarus (possess 10,8% of stock) nominated the candidacy of the vice-president of the state-run “Rusneft” Anatoly Baranovsky to be elected head of “Slavneft” at the May extra-curricular assembly of shareholders.

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A series of trials over 60 Protest March “Can’t Live Like That Anymore!” participants, detained during the dispersal of the peaceful demonstration on April 19, will take place today in the Sovietsky district court of Minsk. The detainees spent this weekend in the Okrestina confinement center. Among them are a famous filmmaker Yuri Khaschevatsky, human rights defender Dmitry Bondarenko and journalist Nikolai Khalezin. Another PM organizer Valery Schukin was sent to the detention center from the intensive care, where he got after heavy police maltreatment. Around 40 people were delivered to the jail with bruises. One of the detainees Leonid Sadovsky is said to have been let go home with a broken arm. Relatives and friends of the arrested have already come to the courtroom to support the suspects. Later in the day read on our site updated information on trials.

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At least 40 demonstrators remained in a Minsk jail today (note: around 62 according to verified data – Charter’97), after truncheon-wielding police officers in Belarus on Friday violently broke up a downtown march protesting living conditions and inadequate salaries.

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MINSK, Belarus. More than 100 protesters seeking economic reform were arrested after police moved in to disperse marchers in the Belarus capital of Minsk.

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On April 19, another time, the Belarusian authorities have demonstrated their disregard to the constitutional right of the citizens to carry out meetings and demonstrations. Participants of the action “Can’t Live Like That Anymore!”, mainly young people, were blocked by the police and special squads in the center of the capital. The law enforcers were headed by the ill-famed Dzmitser Pauliuchenka, who met with Alyaskandr Lukashenka the day before. An obvious manhunt, accompanied by beating of the protesters and mass arrests, started.It was the reaction of the regime to the demand to fulfill pre-election promises of the presidential candidate Lukashenka to improve the living standards of the Belarusian citizens.

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The United States joined the EU support of the OSCE Advisory-Monitoring Group in Belarus and personally its chairman Michele Rivolier, denied prolongation of visa by the Belarusian authorities.

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The deputy head of the USA Embassy in Belarus Josef P. O’Neill in his interview to the BElaPAN correspondent named a “terrible and serious crime against human rights” setting fire on the volunteers’ tent that happened in Kurapaty. In the result of the fire a 24-year-old Ales Poklad was seriously injured and was placed to the intensive care ward.

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The Belarusian leadership plans to carry out a humanitarian action in Iraq, RIA “Novosti” correspondent reports. In this connection on April 22-26 a visit of the Belarusian delegation to Iraq is planned. The delegation will be headed by the second-in-command of the presidential administration, Leanid Kozik. The representatives of the ministries of health, trade, of the National air company “Belavia” and pharmaceutical joint venture “Belfarm” are to join the delegation.

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One of the Protest March organizers, famous human rights defender and journalist Valery Schukin, brutally beaten by police during the April 19 rally dispersal, was delivered this morning from the military hospital to the Okrestina confinement center, Schukin’s relatives were told by the hospital’s workers. This morning the medics told Charter’97 press-center that Valery Schukin had severe spinal, waist and ribcage injuries. In such a heavy condition a 60-year old human rights defender will stay in the detention center till Monday, April 22, when he will stand trial.

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Employees of the special confinement center in Okrestina street refused to accept food parcels for the arrested participants of the April 19 Protest March “CAN’T LIVE LIKE THAT!”. As we previously reported, at the moment around 65 are still held in custody there. Charter’97 civil initiative, in accordance with the existing legislation, prepared 54 food parcels for them, 15 kilos each. However, police guards categorically refused to take them, referring to a concomitant order from the Minsk city hall.

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