Propaganda on Belarusian TV has never been sophisticated enough, targeting the most naïve dwellers of the remote villages. Malicious attacks at America, West, opposition by various Novikovs, Kovalevs and Hruschevas only avert their viewers. War in Iraq once again revealed the true nature of the Belarusian television. Since the very first day of the military operation in Iraq it only televised lies. By so doing they tried to disguise the real face of Saddam Hussein – one of Alexander Lukashenko’s best cronies. Belarusian TV claimed that whole of the Iraqi nation supports Hussein, hates the American “aggressors” and is ready to fight till the last drop of blood for their leader. On the day when the alliance forces penetrated deep into Baghdad, BT abstained from showing the demolition of the monument to Hussein by the Iraqi. Nor did we see on our TV screens the triumphant residents of Baghdad. Instead they declared the following day that the monument was brought down by the US troops. Thanks to other channels, though, Belarusians could realize the falseness of these claims by BT.

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Radio Svaboda reports that another US congressman Rush Holt upheld the “Act on Democracy in Belarus”, put for consideration of the US Congress. For the time being the Senate version of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2003, S. 700, is cosponsored by Senators Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and John McCain (R-AZ). The House version, H.R. 854, is cosponsored by Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), Commissioner Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA), Commissioner Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), Commissioner Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Rep. Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA) and Rep. Elton Gallegly (D-CA).

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The free trade union of Novopolotsk heat-electric station forwarded to various state institutions complaints over the regular abuses of their members’ rights at the companies of employment. They sent petitions to the procuracy of Novopolotsk and Vitebsk region, pointing out the facts of discrimination against the station’s employees due to their belonging to the independent trade union.

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German and French ambassadors in Belarus Helmut Friek and Stephan Shmelevsky accordingly visited on April 9 professor Yuri Bandazhevsky, serving his term in the hard labor colony of Minsk.

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Last week, leaving for Strasbourg, I wholeheartedly shared the fears, harbored by my friends: what if PACE falls in OSCE PA’s footsteps and recognizes the “national assembly”? It seemed as though Uta Tsapf’s shadow was flying towards their plane, waving an accreditation note in her hands. But she failed to pass it on to them…

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Wives of the missing opposition members sought to argue in the Minsk city court the decision, which had been passed by the Belarusian procuracy. In particular, the procuracy halted investigation into Viktor Gonchar and Anatoly Krasovsky’s disappearance case.

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Thousands of personal guards, hundreds of residences both in Baghdad and outside, dozens of palaces and at least three doubles – all this is supposed to lead astray anyone who takes after Saddam Hussein. Since the start of combat actions USA twice tried to annihilate him, casting down powerful bombs on the places of his potential hiding. However, rumors that Saddam was killed find no official confirmation.

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Introduction of the Russian ruble as the sole means of payment on the territory of the “union state”, originally scheduled for January 1, 2005, may be put off till a later date, “Rosbalt” correspondent quotes the chairman of the Belarusian National Bank Petr Prokopovich as saying at the Thursday press-conference in Minsk.

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The Union of Belarusian Jewish public organizations and communities, the Association of Jewish communities, the Jewish religious association and the Religious association of progressive Judaism communities protested against the dissemination on the Belarusian territory of the Russian newspaper “Russky Vestnik”. The leaders of the afore-mentioned organizations petitioned the prosecutor general of Belarus Viktor Sheiman with an open letter in which they charge the newspaper over undisguised propaganda of anti-Semitism.

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