The head of the Department for Registration and Control on Law on Press Implementation of the Information Ministry, Viktar Huretsky, confirmed the information that issuing of the newspapers “Vremya” and “Predprinimatelskaya Gazeta”, and several other independent media has been suspended for three months. These mass sanctions are explained by the ministry as a desire to “establish order” in the sphere of printed mass media.

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We would like to congratulate you on launching of the first congress of the Belarusian political emigration. It is an exceptionally important even in the life of the Belarusians of the world. Yet we cannot but mention that this event demonstrates the state of affairs in our Motherland. Unfortunately, in the 21st century political assassinations, mass arrests, violent dispersing of peaceful demonstrations, ban of the mother tongue, and absence of the freedom of speech are the bitter reality of today’s Belarus.

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Two Baptists are set to have personal property confiscated - in one case a car - while a third is having his pay docked after the three visited a hospital at Easter to sing hymns and hand out New Testaments, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Local regional religious affairs official Vladimir Klevtsov told Forum 18 that the Baptists had broken the law because - amongst other violations - they did not get the hospital authorities` permission to hold "a mass event with music and give out literature". Their other offences included the fact that two of the Baptists are from Brest, which is outside the region where the hospital is located, and that they do not belong to a registered church. Asked by Forum 18 what the legal position is for individual Belarusian believers wishing to visit or give religious literature to hospital patients, Klevtsov said that he knew of no such precedent, as "we normally get requests only from registered religious organisations."

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Reporters Without Borders today strongly condemned the Belarus government`s suspension of the satirical newspaper Navinki, the latest of several in the run-up to next month`s parliamentary elections.

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On Saturday, September 4, in Antwerp (Belgium), the Congress of Belarusian political emigration of recent years is to commence. This event plays an important role in the life of Belarusians of Europe, because it is a landmark and turning point for uniting all our emigration for the benefit of national interests. The congress is an indicator of the hard way towards each other, which has been made by the Belarusian emigration.

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