Information about a possible meeting of Vladimir Putin and Alyaksandar Lukashenka in Moscow on July 10 does not correspond to the validity, as Natalia Petkevich, A.Lukashenka’s press secretary informed BelaPAN news agency on July 9 in the morning.

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WITH MOST of his neighbors preoccupied with the war on terrorism or crises in the Middle East and South Asia, Europe`s last dictator was enjoying a quiet year until recently. Alexander Lukashenko, who rules the 10 million people of Belarus, was free to continue propping up his regime with the kind of police-state tactics associated with the former Soviet Union, of which Belarus was a part. Last month, for example, two journalists were sentenced to two or more years of unpaid public labor for "libeling the president"; they were bold enough to refer in print to the abduction and disappearance of several prominent opponents of Mr. Lukashenko. Parliament meanwhile rubber-stamped a new law severely restricting religious organizations, including most Protestant faiths.

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About 10 participants of the action “Chain of those who care”, dedicated to the second anniversary of cameraman Zavadsky’s disappearance, where arrested on July 8 in Hrodna. 15 activists of the UCP, the Young Hramada, the UCP Youth lined in the center of Hrodna, along the Soviet Street. They held pictures of Zavadsky and shared out his photographs to passers-by. They stood silently and did not shout slogans. At about 6 p.m., after the Polish reporters left, the police ordered to stop the protest. People kept standing. Then 8 picketers were detained and taken to the interior affairs department of the Lenin District. The courts are scheduled for July 10.

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In the first week of July Public Prosecutor’s office has instigated 125 criminal actions, directed 902 cases for court consideration, and supported public accusation in 917 cases.

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Today in Mir castle the head of the UNESCO Kaitira Matsuuri will hand out a document that this monument was added to the World Cultural and Nature Heritage List. There, in presence of Mr. Matsuuri the representatives of the Belarusian Union of Writers and of the “Belarusian Language Society” want address A.Lukashenka with an offer to sign a decree on creation of Belarusian national university.

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Information about a possible meeting of Vladimir Putin and Alyaksandar Lukashenka in Moscow on July 10 does not correspond to the validity, as Natalia Petkevich, A.Lukashenka’s press secretary informed BelaPAN news agency on July 9 in the morning.

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WITH MOST of his neighbors preoccupied with the war on terrorism or crises in the Middle East and South Asia, Europe`s last dictator was enjoying a quiet year until recently. Alexander Lukashenko, who rules the 10 million people of Belarus, was free to continue propping up his regime with the kind of police-state tactics associated with the former Soviet Union, of which Belarus was a part. Last month, for example, two journalists were sentenced to two or more years of unpaid public labor for "libeling the president"; they were bold enough to refer in print to the abduction and disappearance of several prominent opponents of Mr. Lukashenko. Parliament meanwhile rubber-stamped a new law severely restricting religious organizations, including most Protestant faiths.

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Minsk city court has refused to satisfy the claim of the editorial office of the independent Belarusian newspaper “Narodnaya Volya” against the court of the Lenin district of Minsk. On June 18 judge of Lenin district court of Minsk Liudmila Hrachiova ordered to arrest 5 mullions BYB on the account of the newspaper, in connection with the action against the newspaper, that will be considered on July 29.

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In his last word said on July 8 in the court of Frunzensky district in Minsk, Mikhail Chyhir insisted that he was not guilty in a loss of one million dollars by “Belagroprombank”. This sum was transferred to a Canadian constructing firm as a payment in advance for construction of a new office in Minsk, while Chyhir was a chairman of “Belagroprombank”. But the construction stopped after his leaving and the contract with the Canadians was broken. “I cannot answer for the thing made by somebody else, and I have nothing to be ashamed of while looking in people’s eyes” – says Chyhir.

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On July 8 in front of Belarusian embassy in Brussels took place a picket-line organized by Belarusian Center, as the representative of the Belarusian Center Pavel Radziuk informed Charter’97. People who gathered there expressed their protest against persecution of free press in Belarus and convictions for independent journalists Nikolai Markevich and Pavel Mozheiko. Protesters also demanded to reveal the destiny of disappeared people and to stop endless repressions and persecution against Michail Chigir.

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