The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman protested against the sentencing of “Pagoya” journalists Nikolai Markevich and Pavel Mozheiko. Head of the Czech government met with Markevich during his visit to Belarus as part of the delegation of the Socialist International. The PM called verdict, passed against Markevich and Mozheiko, to be abusive to human rights principles. PM demanded cessation of the journalists’ persecution.

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The Belarusian center in Belgium within the framework of the “Want to know the truth” campaign will hold on July 8 a picketing of the Belarusian embassy in Brussels. The major goal of the action, reports the UCP press-service, is to protest against the clampdown on the freedom of speech in Belarus and manifest solidarity with the relatives and friends of the abducted two years ago journalist Dmitry Zavadsky and “Pagonya” journalists Nikolai Markevich and Pavel Mozheiko.

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Alexander Lukashenko believes that the international situation and the country’s geopolitical location place greater responsibility on the armed forces. “We are paying special attention to the military construction and military reform. Modern and operational army is not only a guarantor of the country’s sovereignty but also a condition for raising its international image,” – underscored Lukashenko during the Thursday meeting with the graduates of the country’s Military Academy. The head of state stressed that they had already put into operation and tested in practice a new organizational structure of the military control bodies.

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The industrialists have to engage in exporting the capital into the third states, recommended director of the Institute of economy Petr Nikitenko in his report, which he read out before the heads of companies at the meeting of the International directors’ club.

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In connection with the partial compensation by “Beltransgas” company of the current debt before international groups of companies “Itera”, gas supplies resumed on July 2, 2002 in full size – 13,12mln cubic meters a day. The total daily volume of gas supplies to Belarus by “Itera” constitutes presently over 20mln cubic meters.

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On July 3 Police arrested famous Belarusian artist Ales Pushkin for his attempt to stage a performance near the “Minsk” hotel in the downtown. The painter wished to remind Belarusians that there exist two viewpoints on the Great Patriotic War and interpretation of the July 3 date. The action got started at 6.30p.m.: Pushkin placed puppets on the white sheet, washed them and put near the portraits of the leaders of the Belarusian anti-communist resistance – Mikhas Vitushka and Vsevolod Rodko. At 6.47p.m. the four law-enforcers captured Pushkin, handcuffed him, beat up and threw into their van. By that time there assembled a crowd at the place of the incident and started shouting “Freedom to Pushkin!”.

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Action in support of the independent press was held on July 3 in Minsk by the Young Front’s activists. The young people were distributing in the streets of the capital Belarusian independent editions, calling on Minskers to read and subscribe for the independent press. Apart from the newspapers, the YF members passed out flyers, reading about the circumstances of cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky’s vanishing. Shortly police detained over such a harmless and lawful act three YF members.

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Yesterday the official Belarusian authorities celebrated the Day of Independence, although July 3 had been long known for the day of liberation from the NAZI occupation. From early in the morning on all approaches to the Oktyabrskaya square of Minsk, where the military parade was supposed to take place (for the first time in recent years they didn’t bring there military machinery, but replaced it with sportsmen’s march and that of the pioneers) were blocked by police cordons. They halted the movement of the traffic on the Skarina prospect. Thus, the authorities tried to prevent those without special passes from penetrating into the square.

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To mark the two-year anniversary of the disappearance of Russian public television network ORT cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) executive director Ann Cooper issued the following statement on July 3:

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The Supreme Court of Belarus turned down the appeal of the United Civil Party against the written reprimand of the Ministry of justice, issued on April 30, 2002, confirming that in the article “Where’s the money?”, published on April 27 in “Narodnaya Volya”, the UCP leader Anatoly Lebedko insulted the president of Belarus. In his article the politician posed a few questions to the authorities, including on the expenditure of the money, which the country earned through arms sale.

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According to unverified data, among the passengers of the Tu-154 aviation company “Bashkirskiye Avialinii”, which collided on July 1-2 night in the German sky with the “Boeing-757” was a family of Brest residents. BelaPAN reports that it was a family of Oleg Shislovsky, one of the founders of the leading Brest private company, specializing in making women’s dresses “Dioma”.

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Yesterday Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree, changing the government’s make-up. “Interfax” was told in the presidential Administration that the head of state appointed Sergei Sidorsky first deputy Prime Minister of Belarus. Previously Sidorsky was simply a Vice-Premier in charge of the energy complex and industry. Anatoly Titunov was appointed the government’s Vice-Premier. Before the man used to chair the joint stock “Keramin”. Andrei Kobyakov was promoted by Alexander Lukashenko’s order to Vice-Premier, the Minister of economy of Belarus. Before he was only Vice-Premier. The former Minister of economy Vladimir Shimov was appointed head of the State Economic University.

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Among the CIS countries the highest inflation level in May 2002 was recorded in Belarus (2,2%). In the CIS Committee for statistics there are no data on Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Belarus is followed by Russia and Armenia (both with 1,7%), Moldova (1,6%), Kirgizia (1,3%), Kazakhstan (0,9%), Azerbaijan (0,5%), Tajikistan (0,4%). The consumer prices didn’t change in Georgia in May, while in Ukraine they fell by 0,3%. Prices on industrial goods rose in Kazakhstan (by 3,5%), Russia (2,5%), Armenia (1,6%), Azerbaijan and Ukraine (1,5% each), Kirgizia (1%), Moldova (0,7%), Belarus (0,4%). Prices on ready goods fell only in Tajikistan (by 0,4%).

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