As it became known to press-center of Charter97 four persons in staid of three were arrested in Grodna during the protest action organized by National strike committee of entrepreneurs on 1st of May in Grodna. Entrepreneur from Uzbekistan was sentenced to 5 days of prison. The person was arrested by people dressed in civil after he protected a woman from a policeman who was trying to throw her into car. Citizen of Uzbekistan was accused of violating two articles of Administrative code – 166 and 167-1 (Disobedience to police officer and participation in non-sanctioned street rallies). Today the entrepreneur was set free.

---

Vol.7, No. 18
April 28-May 4, 2004
Edited by Nate Young
International League for Human Rights

---

President Lukashenko thinks the media should help build a "state ideology." The regime prevented a dozen independent media from appearing in 2003 using imaginative administrative harassment. A hundred or so journalists staged a "A Day of Closed Newspapers" on 19 September 2003 to stress their rights, which had been particularly abused during the year. The authorities suspended and punished a dozen newspapers over several months, mostly because they had printed articles from the banned independent newspaper Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta (BDG). Every administrative excuse was used to block publication of the independent press and several printers were punished and some sacked for working with the papers.

---

Youth movement “Zubr” continued distributing printing production in regions of Belarus this week.

---

The Central Electoral Commission "has not received any requests or proposals on holding a referendum either from official or unofficial representatives" as yet. This is how the secretary of the Belarusian Central Commission for Elections and National Referenda, Mikalay Lazavik, commented for Belapan on a statement made by the leaders of the Five-Plus Popular Coalition [opposition election alliance] on 4 May about a referendum being prepared in the country.

---

A Defense Ministry General said the signing of the contract to transfer to Belarus S-300 air defense missile systems was being delayed to the inconsistent position of Belarus. "The Defense Ministries of the two countries reached an accord on the transfer to Belarus of several S-300 air defense units, as part of military assistance. Under these accords, the air defense units are handed over for free, but Belarus has to pay the costs of pre-export preparations, including repairs and modernization to bring the systems to combat readiness," the high-placed official said on Wednesday. However, Belarus recently announced its intention to carry out repairs on its own, which breaches the earlier accords. "Of course, we cannot sign the contract on such terms," he said.

---