Candidate at the imminent parliamentary elections, member of the Coordination Committee “Free Belarus” Dzmitry Barodka was deprived of possibility to go abroad. As Liudmila Haladok, deputy head of Barysau town Passport Office told to Dzmitry Barodka today, she has received instruction of the KGB (Committee of State Security) “to suspend” positive decision on making a stamp to the passport that gives the possibility to go abroad, which was to obtain by Barodka in the beginning of August. The order not to put a stamp, as said by Haladok, was made by the KGB chief for Minsk and Minsk region Nikalay Novik.

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The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions that came to Belarus for a fortnight working visit, at the final press conference has expressed concern over the facts found by the members of the group during the visit, including the use of preventive and administrative detentions against the opponents of the Belarusian regime. The group has visited a number of institutions where the imprisoned are kept, and had meetings with officials, Belarusian human rights activists and prisoners. During the visit the group was denied a visit with Mikhail Marynich, ex-minister and ex-Ambassador, who has spent four months under arrest.

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Mikhail Marinich’s lawyer said she has “incontestable” evidence that will clear the opposition politician of the theft charge brought by Committee for State Security (KGB) investigators on August 26.

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According to www.belngo.info, on 24 August the office of Homel regional public association “Civil Initiatives” (deprived of official registration a year ago) was examined by workers of Homel regional tax service and Homel regional board of financial investigations of the Committee of State Control.

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Aliaksandr Papkow and Aliaksandr Budahowski, members of the initiative group of the member of the BPF Party from the city of Barysaw Siarhey Salash are pressurized. In the evening they receive telephone calls from unknown persons with the demands to leave the initiative group and stop collecting signatures for nomination of Siarhey Salash as candidate to the Chamber of Representatives of the Parliament.

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The hearing of the criminal case on charges relating article 368-2, public insult of president Lukashenka, has started. There are two defendants in the case, Valery Levaneuski, head of the strike committee, and his deputy Alyaksandar Vasilyeu. They are charged with distribution of leaflets with a poem, allegedly defaming the president. Vasilyeu is also accused of organizing an unsanctioned meeting of businessmen on May 1. Valery Levaneuski was taken to court from the pre-trial detention center under police escort. He has spent almost 4 months in prison, Radio Svaboda informs.

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A judge of Belarus` Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the United Civic Party (UCP)’s appeal against the justice ministry`s warning. The ministry issued official warnings to the UCP together with three other parties affiliated with the Five Plus coalition this July after the newspaper Narodnaya Volya published their appeal calling on the public to attend an unauthorized demonstration.

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In a speech on August 16, 2004, President Bush announced a comprehensive restructuring of U.S. military forces overseas in order to better meet 21st century security challenges. The review of the global U.S. military posture is not about, or aimed at any particular country. The United States and the NATO alliance, which includes three of Belarus’ neighbors, do not view Belarus as a strategic threat and it is has not been a focus of the U.S. posture review.

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Mr.Nikovich, head of the inquiry department of the KGB for Minsk and Minsk region, has informed today about extension of the term of imprisonment for Mikhail Marynich for one month. According to his lawyer Vera Stramkouskaya, a new criminal action has been brought up for stealing equipment from organization “Business Initiative”, headed by Marynich (Article 210 Part 4 of the Criminal Code of Belarus “Theft by abuse of position, committed by an organized group, or on a large scale”). The penalty for this crime is imprisonment for a term from 8 to 15 years and seizure of property. According to the lawyer, by bringing up an action on charges related to this article it is possible not to return Marynich’s possessions confiscated after his arrest. The term of imprisonment for Marynich has been extended by virtue of bringing up the criminal action.

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Several NGOs will hold a joint picket For Free Belarus in front of the Belarus embassy in Riga later on Friday aimed at drawing public attention in Latvia and abroad on the anti-democratic and illegitimate situation in Belarus. The picket participants will be standing handcuffed behind barbed wire fence, dressed in prisoners robes, to show solidarity with Belarus freedom fighters who at the same time will hold protests in Belarus capital Minsk.

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Reporters Without Borders has protested after the information minister ordered a three-month closure of the independent weekly Novaya Gazeta Smorgoni in Smorgon, western Belarus. Moreover in the run-up to legislative elections several large stores in Minsk have been refusing to sell the independent press since the beginning of the week.

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Itera is ready to supply more gas to Belarus. According to the statement released by the press department of the company, Itera President Igor Makarov made a corresponding announcement after a meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko and Makarov discussed new bilateral projects in the gas and energy sector, construction projects, civil aviation, drug production and other issues.

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The bands that played at the meeting of 21 July are purposefully pressed out of the ether of state radio stations and pages of state newspapers. Concert agencies receive recommendations to stop cooperation with them.

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