A 20-year old Anton Kishkurno, son of the condemned participants of the March 25 action in Minsk, was detained and beaten up at the Sovietsky district court of Minsk, where he came to attend the trial over his father Vladimir Kishkurno. Anton Kishkurno was delivered to the Sovietsky district police station of Minsk, where they filed against the lad protocol under article 166 of the Administrative code – insubordination to legitimate police claims. Anton Kishkurno was visited in jail by his lawyer Sergei Tsurko. The attorney insisted on medical examination, which showed that the law-enforcers broke the young man’s arm during detention.

---

Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus must carry out the role of the spiritual leader of the East-European civilization. “Time, destiny and situation predestine Belarus to serve as a spiritual leader of the East-European civilization,” – said Lukashenko at the Thursday meeting in Minsk, organized for the state management officials. According to him, presently “Moscow doesn’t realize the necessity of the ideological policy, ceases being a spiritual and cultural stronghold of the East-European civilization. Neither technologically nor economically can it serve as an example for us,” – added Lukashenko.

---

Ideological apparatus must be set up at all levels of state management, said Alexander Lukashenko during the March 27 seminar of the leading workers of the national and local state bodies on the sophistication of ideological work.

---

Deputy chairman of the Grodno BPF Party Nikolai Voron was sentenced to 7 days of arrest for organizing an unsanctioned rally on March 23, marking the Freedom Day. The verdict was passed on March 27 by the judge of the Leninsky district court of Minsk Natalia Kozel.

---

The Belarus Democracy Act was introduced on March 25, in the Senate, by Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell along with Senator Joseph Biden . Sen. John McCain is also a cosponsor. The Act was drafted by vice-president of the Committee for foreign affairs of the US Congress and president of the Commission for security and cooperation in Europe, US congressman Christopher Smith. On February 13, 2003 Smith once again propelled the juridical mechanism of the Act’s passage, having read it out to the congressmen.

---

During the spring PACE session, due to take place on April 1-5, Belarusian issue won’t be included into the daily agenda. Nonetheless, the unofficial debates promise to be quite intensive. In an interview to the UCP press-service, deputy chairman of the United Civil Party Yaroslav Romanchuk shared his plans before his departure to Brussels:

---

Trial proceedings against March 23 protesters were held behind closed doors. Representatives of the defendants and their relatives were waiting at the doorstep to the Leninsky district court of Minsk. Vyacheslav Sivchik’s mother was among those, who were denied entry into the courtroom. My colleagues and I entered the building not until the chairman of the Supreme Court Sukalo voiced a personal invitation to the press.

---

Within the framework of the Belarusian-Cuban relations, the Foreign Minister of Cuba Felipe Perez Roke will pay an official visit to the Republic of Belarus on March 28-31, 2003, said at the briefing the FM press-secretary Andrei Savinykh.

---

Scandalous process of the “union state’s” formation with the turn of the year has seemingly come to a halt. However, realizing the contradictory nature of the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, one cannot be sure of anything at this stage.

---