Activists of the Young Front and of the Belarusian Association of Journalists are to carry out Independent Press Day in Minsk on July 27. The coordinators would like to attract attention to the state of the independent media in Belarus, which experience pressure of the authorities, and to the fate of repressed journalists. The action in support of the independent mass media is timed for the 12th anniversary of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Belarus.

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On Tuesday in Frunzenski District Court of Minsk a sentence is to be passed to former prime minister of Belarus Mikhail Chyhir. He is charged with negligence and tax evasion. Ex-prime minister can be sentenced to three-year imprisonment with confiscation of property.

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Press secretary of Belarus Natalia Petkevich disproved the rumors of some mass media about a meeting between A. Lukashenka and Russian president Vladimir Putin planned for July 25. Press secretary has not notified about the date of the meeting of the two leaders.

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Annulment of documents of Russian private enterprise “Zapad-Transnefteprodukt” registered in Belarus “as a matter of fact, does not decide anything”. It was declared by official Russian FM representative Alexandr Yakovenko. The decision by the Supreme Economical Court of Belarus was passed on July 17 on the suit of the Belarusian Economy Ministry. According to Yakovenko, such kind of problems should be solved according to the existing agreements, and realized Russian-Belarusian agreements in the sphere of formation of the common economical area of the “union state”.

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