Deputy head of Brest branch of the United Civil Party Uladzimir Radzivonchyk joined the hunger strike of the deputy group “Respublika”, Radio Svaboda informs. Thus now nine people are on hunger strike in Belarus: MPs of group “Respublika” Valery Fralou, Uladzimir Parfyanovich and Syarhei Skrabets, deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front party Viktar Ivashkevich, activists of the United Civil Party Maryna Bahdanovich, Uladzimir Charvonenka, Henadz Ananyeu, Yuri Istomin and Uladzimir Radzivonchyk. They all protest against protraction of Lukashenka’s term, imperfect Election code that allows the authorities to falsify the voting, and against the arrest of one of opposition leaders Mikhail Marynich.
On June 8 journalists of independent mass media could not attend plenary session of the “chamber of representatives” of Belarus. In front of the entrance to the building everybody was met by people in mufti. They checked journalists’ IDs and compared them to their list, containing no names of independent journalists. Unprecedented measures of security were allegedly carried out in view of Russian prime minister Mikhail Fradkov visit to Minsk.
The Washington Times, influential American newspaper, has written about termless hunger strike, announced by deputy group “Respublika”:Uladzimir Parfyanovich, Syarhei Skrabets and Valery Fralou. “The deputies are protesting the blockade by the parliamentary leadership of their initiative to put on the agenda a draft bill providing for democratic changes to the Election Code. They are also demanding the release of their political associate Mikhail Marynich, who has been in custody since April 26,” informs the Washington Times. The newspaper also writes that activists of the oppositional United Civil Party, “who pitched several tents in the backyard of Fralou`s house, joined the hunger strike Saturday. However, police dismantled and confiscated the tents, warning the activists they could be punished for staging an unauthorized rally”.
Two Zubr activists were detained in the town of Ruzhany (Brest region) on June 6. Policemen came to them and asked to follow them to the police station. When asked about the reason, the policemen told that the guys are suspects in committing a crime. “Zubrs” were taken to the police department in Ruzhany, where they have spent an hour, and then they were taken to Pruzhany, capital of the region. There the report was drawn up on charges relation Article 143 of Administrative Code (insanitary conditions).
On Tuesday morning officers of law-enforcing agencies detained five members of the Belarusian Freedom party and of the “Young Front” for handing out leaflets with the appeal to the deputies of the “chamber of representatives”, citizens and world community. By the building of the “parliament” and government in Minsk the representatives of the opposition handed out leaflets with the appeal to change the Election Code, and also contained the information that the authorities plan a “constitutional coup d’état”. The police defend the necessity of oppositionists’ detention by additional security measures in connection with a session of “union” government of Belarus and Russia. The head of Russian government Mikhail Fradkov has arrived in Minsk. In the afternoon OSCE Chairman-in-Office Solomon Pasi is to arrive in Minsk, Interfax reminds.
The authorities have made an attempt to prevent the UCP activists Maryna Bahdanovich and Henadz Ananyeu to continue the hunger strike. On Saturday morning Bahdanovich and Ananyeu were detained by police officers in the yard of the house in the Kazarmenny Lane, 4 and taken to the police department of Lenin District. The attempt of the activists of the UCP to make a tent in the yard was understood as a violation of law. Yesterday their cases were to be submitted to the court. But the UCP activists had not arrived to the police department, as they continued the hunger strike in the apartment of deputy Fralou.
On June 7 at 23.45 a car with a crane came to the house # 4 in the Kazarmenny Lane, where the hunger strike of the MPs “Respublika” group and activists of the UCP, who joined them is continued. A man in the uniform of a worker was raised on a platform and tore a streamer with the words “No to the third term! For fair elections! Free Marynich!” from the balcony of the apartment of the leader of “Respublika” group.
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