Today, on March 25, Czech Senate started its working day from the meeting with President of Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR) Rada (Council) Ivonka Survilla. Speaker of the Senate Petr Pithart congratulated Survilla and gave her flowers. She made an entry in a Book of Honorable Visitors of Senate, and received a Senator’s scarf.

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This "New Europe" capital on the banks of the Danube is rapidly emerging as a crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. I first started to get the point as I was getting on a plane a week ago bound for Frankfurt, Germany, en route to a conference in Bratislava of prime ministersand NGOs, mainly from countries about to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union, on the subject of "Towardsa WiderEurope."

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The European Union is to present resolutions on the death penalty, children`s rights and religious intolerance to the sixtieth session of the United Nations` Commission on Human Rights. In conclusions adopted on Monday, the General Affairs Council set these subjects, together with the countries about which the European Union will propose the adoption of resolutions at this session, which will take place in Geneva from 15 March to 23 April: Russia (Chechnya), Burma/Myanmar, North Korea, Congo, Sudan, Zimbabwe, the Israeli colonies in the occupied territory. Together with the United States, the EU will propose resolutions on Turkmenistan and Belarus. The EU "will work with the governments of Colombia and East Timor to ensure that the Presidency`s declarations on the human rights situation of these countries are adopted".

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The organizational committee of the civil initiative Charter’97 congratulates you with the dearest holiday of the Belarusian people – the Day of Freedom. In 1918 the Belarusian Democratic Republic (BNR), independent Belarusian state was proclaimed. The ideals of courageous Belarusians, who created the BNR, live in our hearts. Thanks to the efforts of these people the Belarusian nation, Belarusian language and culture exists today. Our moral duty is to continue their struggle for the future of Belarus. For our and your freedom!

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The festive concert and performance dedicated to the Freedom Day, was prohibited. The administration of the Palace of Veterans in the last minute refused to provide a premises, the painter Ales Marachkin, deputy chairman of the organizing committee for the Freedom Day Celebration , told at an extraordinary press conference in Minsk.

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Eight countries of the former communist bloc are about to become new members of the European Union. Something that until recently hardly anyone could have imagined will thus becomes reality. Countries ruled just 15 years ago by totalitarian regimes suppressing basic human rights and freedoms; countries, whose fate was dictated by a narrow group of people and a governing party backed by armed forces, will now become a part of the first multinational community based on truly democratic principles, sharing common values as well as the responsibility for the future of the whole continent. The precondition for the states of Central and Eastern Europe to apply for membership in the Union was their adoption of the principles of democracy and the rule of law.

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About 60 Lyceum students stood along the Skaryna Avenue in front of the Central self-service store on March 24. They sang “Gaudeamus” and held posters and balloons in their hands. The action finished by a performance in Gorky Park. During the action police detained 9 people, including a father of one of the students, Radio Svaboda informs.

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A film dedicated to the great Belarusian writer Vasil Bykaw was shot by an independent film studio “Tatsiana” by directors Irya Pismennaya and Nikolay Dzinaw. The newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda” told that rumors are that the officials prohibited the film.

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March 25, 2004. Freedom Square, City Hall, 5 p.m., open-air merrymaking. 6 p.m., Janka Kupala park, placing flowers to the monument of the poet. 6.30 p.m., House of literati, a literary soiree with participation of poets, writers, bards (Nil Hilievich, Henadz Burawkin, Volha Ipatava, Ales Pashkevich, Eduard Akulin). Presenattion of a new issue of the magazine “Dzieyaslow”, dedicated to the Freedom Day, and of Russian translation of the book “Long Way Home” by Vasil Bykaw. Rewarding the best authors of the magazine “Dzieyaslow”. 7 p.m., the House of Veterans. Festive Concert Program, dedicated to the Freedom Day. Director Valer Mazynsky.

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