Around half of the 500 surveyed Minsk respondents (49%) stand for the preservation of the Belarusian independence. Around one third – 34% - of respondents uphold the idea of the country’s accession into Russia. Such are the outcomes of the sociological poll, carried out in late July among the Minsk inhabitants by the “Zerkalo” service of the BelaPAN news agency. 17% couldn’t clearly formulate their attitude to the integration of Russia and Belarus.

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The Federation of the Young Labor Union, the youth wing of one of the Polish leading parties, demands immediate release of a Grodno female resident Svetlana Neh. On August 12 the Republic’s Executive Committee of this influential organization passed a concomitant statement, which reads the following:

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Director general of the Russian TV-radio network Gennady Sklyar exposed to harsh criticism the decision of the Belarusian authorities to block the signals of the radio-stations “Mayak” and “Yunost” and reduce the air-time of the RTR and NTV companies. The official said that the authorities are disguising the real motives behind the move by claiming financial problems. Gennady Sklyar assumes that the issue must definitely be touched upon at the Russian-Belarusian meeting, reports the “Echo of Moscow”.

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Starting from Monday they switched off Russian radio-stations “Mayak” and “Yunost”, and reduced air-time of the Russian TV channels RTR, NTV and “Culture”, “Interfax” quotes the source in the “Belarusian radio/television transmission center” as saying.

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Police doesn’t let in visitors to the confinement center, where Svetlana is currently held. However, they accept food parcels for her. Svetlana only takes mineral water and sodas. Yesterday the Belarusian Helsinki Committee representative Alexander Antonyuk and chairman of the human rights center “Vesna” Sergei Malchik sought to be given an audience with Svetlana. But deputy chief of the Oktyabrsky district police station Yury Yakovshits said that he won’t let them do it, for Svetlana herself said that she doesn’t want to see anyone, let alone hear persuasions to give up her protest. The law-enforcer added that her state of health is normal and she didn’t ask for medical help. He also underscored that the cell is filled with mineral water bottles and other drinks.

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Yesterday morning Valery Schukin was released from prison, where he served 15 days of arrest for alleged insubordination to police commands. Valery Shcukin had been apprehended on his way to the Pogranichny village, where the local authorities were demolishing the Belarusian Autocephalous Church building.

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The Committee to Protect Journalists addressed the president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko over the unceasing persecution of free press in libel court actions. Read below its full transcript:

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“Gasprom” and “Itera” gas giants declared the possible 25% curtailment of natural gas supplies to Belarus. “Izvestia” correspondent reports that the reasons for that move are chronic underpayments for the Russian raw materials supplies.

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In accordance with the Ministry of education’s order, starting from this academic year 100 schools will be closed in Belarus. By the year 2004 131 more junior secondary schools will become defunct. Specialists say that this is yet another unyielding attack on the Belarusian-language educational system, for all these schools are Belarusian, reports Radio Svaboda.

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