As the press center Charter’97 was informed by a source in the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, in a short time referendum on prolongation of the presidential power of Alyaksandar Lukashenka is to be announced. It is planned to carry out the referendum together with the parliamentary elections to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly on October 17, 2004.

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The Election of deputies of the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus was announced by Ordinance of the President of the Republic of Belarus # 332 of July 14, 2004. October 17, 2004 was determined the date of the election. The social and political situation before and after the announcement of the election, in 2003 and the first half of 2004 remained as complicated as in the previous years. The regime continued to pursue the policy of establishing full control over the society, allowing no reforms which could make the social and political life of the country more democratic.

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The Russian government is under fire from aid groups for its policy of continuing to sell advanced weapons to Sudan even as international condemnation of the mass murder of civilians in Darfur grows.

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Belarus has sent an invitation to the OSCE Office on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to take part in observation over the parliamentary vote in the country, which is to take place on October 17 this year, told head of information department of the Belarusian FM Andrej Savinykh at a Thursday briefing.

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“It is extremely regrettable that the Russian Orthodox Church awards Dzmitry Pauluchenka, who is known in the civilized world as a suspect in forceful disappearances and murders of people, with the second in importance order in Russia. Once great military leaders Gannibal and Suvorov were awarded with this order, and I think that the Russian Orthodox Church should be ashamed of the fact that the name of such a dishonorable person will be mentioned together with these people. As a believer I am enormously offended. The Orthodox Church in Russia and Belarus is so politicized, that for the time being it would be apparently better for me to turn to God without intermediaries,” told the leader of the civil initiative “We Remember” Svyatlana Zavadskaya, commenting to the Charter’97 press center on the fact of conferring the Order of St. Grand Prince Vladimir Equal-to-Apostles upon SOBR (riot police) commander Dz. Paulichenka (Dmitry Pavlichenko). Dz. Pauluchenka was allegedly involved in abductions (murders) of Belarusian opposition leaders, including the husband of Svyatlana Zavadskaya, the Russian TV channel ORT cameraman Dzmitry Zavadsky.

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The first phase of the ongoing parliamentary campaign suggests that the Belarusian authorities have met none of the internationally recognized election standards, Vladimir Labkovich, a lawyer with the Vyasna human rights group, said on August 11, while presenting the group`s report to journalists.

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District election commissions receive applications for registration from 310 nomination groups within three days, Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the central election commission, told BelaPAN.

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The Russian Orthodox Church has awarded a commander of internal security troops brigade of the Internal Ministry of Belarus Dzmitry Paulichenka (Dmitry Pavlichenko), who is mentioned in the report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as a person allegedly involved in disappearances of Lukashenka’s opponents, BBC informs. It is being know that Metropolitan Philaret, the head of the Belarusian Exarchate of Russian Orthodox Church, personally asked Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia, to confer upon Dz. Paulichenka the highest church award for laymen, the Order of St. Grand Prince Vladimir Equal-to-Apostles. The commander of internal security troops brigade of the Belarusian Internal Ministry has been awarded with the order for his contribution in construction of the church at the territory of his military unit deployment.

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