Vyachaslaw Sivchyk, detained on March 25, during Freedom Day celebration, was sentenced to a fine amounting to 50 basic units (850 thousand rubles or 385 US dollars). As we have informed, Vyachaslaw Sivchyk, Valyantsin Baranaw and Dzianis Bujnitsky chained themselves to a lamppost as a protest against the policy of the Belarusian authorities.

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On March 25 Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Co-Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission of Congress (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe) denounced repressions against Belarusian opposition. In particular, Senator Campbell expressed anxiety because of the opened criminal proceedings against the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka and the chairperson of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Tatsiana Protska. “Lukashenka has a choice - he can continue to act as a pariah, suppressing the voices of democracy in Belarus, or he can realize that the only way to reverse his self-imposed isolation from the international community and, increasingly, from his own people is to end his offensive against democracy and civil society”, said the Co-Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and asked American MPs to approve the Belarus Democracy Act. We propose the text of the statement made by Senator Campbell.

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On March 25 officer of the district court of Byarozawsky Alena Kurylovich distrtrained the property of the journalist of the regional newspaper “Gazeta Dlia Vas” Tamara Schapetskina. The grounds for this were the decision of judge of Ivatsevichy regional court Uladzimir Varabej. It was made on the writ of the plaintiff, former deputy prosecutor of Byarozawsky region, Fedchanka, as a compensation for a moral damage.

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Judge of the Central District of Minsk Natallya Vajtsekhovich sentenced oppositionist Valyantsin Baranaw to a fine amounting to 20 basic units (350 thousand rubles or $160). He was found guilty of violation of article 167 Part 2 of the Administrative Code (organizing of unsanctioned actions). Yesterday during the celebration of the Freedom day Valyantsin Baranaw and Vyachaslaw Sivchyk and Dzianis Bujnitsky chained themselves to lampposts protesting against human rights violations in Belarus. The witnesses for the prosecution were Yuri Luksha, police first sergeant of the 1st platoon of Minsk executive committee special task squad, and Alyaksei Nesilevich, senior sergeant of the 1st platoon of Minsk executive committee special task squad.

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Activists of opposition Vyachaslaw Sivchyk and Dzyanis Bujnitsky spent a night in the Central Department of Internal Affairs of Minsk, told V. Sivchyk to the Charter’97 press center by phone. The reports have been drawn up on charges relating Article 167 Part 2 of the Administrative Code (organizing of unsanctioned events). At present Sivchyk is placed in the police car in the yard of the court of the Central District of Minsk. Valyantsin Baranaw has already been taken to the court. As said by Sivchyk, he is going to solicit for legal proceedings in Belarusian and for granting three days to find witnesses and a lawyer.

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Celebration of the 86th anniversary of the BNR proclamation ended in dispersing people by police and arrests. About 20 people where arrested during the Freedom Day. Most of them are famous politicians and human rights activists, among them – leader of the party Belarusian Popular Front Vincuk Vyachorka, chairman of the human rights center Viasna Ales Byalatsky, activist of the BPF party Uladzimir Kishkurna, activists of opposition Vyachaslaw Siwchyk, Valyantsin Baranaw and Yawhen Skochka, lawyer of Viasna Valantsin Stefanovich, activist of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada Valantsin Matskievich. All the detainees are in the Central Internal Affairs department of Minsk at the moment.

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During the celebration of the Freedom Day, banned by the authorities, about two dozens of people were arrested in the center of Minsk. Among them were participants of the action, human rights watchdogs, politicians. The detained were taken to the Central police department of the city. They have found out there, that in the police department, as well as at the scene of events, there were lots of Russian militia men, who where in the mufti. They were having an “internship” of dispersing mass actions. The names of the two towns from which the “probationers” came are Tver’ and Arkhangelsk. One Tver’ law enforcer’s name is Vinogradov.

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