The president’s visit to the company was scheduled beforehand: Alexander Lukashenko informed about his intention to learn more about the life and problems of the main TV channel of the republic before, in the course of a ceremony of appointing Vladimir Matveichuk chair of the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company.
A group of Belarusian rock artists unofficially banned from airwaves following their appearance at a July anti-Lukashenka [antipresidential] rally have urged the authorities to either confirm or disavow the ban. Palats, Drum Ecstasy, Neuro Dzyubel, N.R.M., Zet, Pomidoroff [rock singer Alyaksandr Pamidoraw], and Dzmitryy Vaytsyushkevich insist their shows have been banned or cancelled at the last minute "under far-fetched pretexts" ever since they performed during the rally staged by opposition forces in Nations` Friendship Park near Bangalore Square in Minsk on 21 July.
Christos Pourgourides, Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the author of the report “Disappeared in Belarus”, , has sent a letter to the Patriarch Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. Christos Pourgourides expressed his indignation at the decision of Alexy II to award Mr Dmitry Pavlichenko, a brigade commander of the Belarusian Internal Ministry troops, the Order of St. Grand Prince Vladimir Equal-to-Apostles.
The Belarusian embassy in Russia has lashed out at "certain" Russian journalists for allegedly providing biased coverage of the situation in the country in the run-up to October`s parliamentary elections and referendum. "What causes surprise is that certain reporters are actively `rebroadcasting` the view of Belarusian oppositionists who enjoy no real popular support and do not reflect the country`s public sentiments," the diplomatic office says in its Thursday`s statement. "We consider it odd that people who do not conceal their anti-Russian sentiments appear on the pages of [Russian] newspapers and television criticizing the current Russian leadership`s policy regarding Belarus."
In Vitsebsk, while leaflets with the call not to take part in early voting at the parliamentary elections, and to say “no” to the third term of Aliaksandar Lukashenka at the referendum, have been handed out, a well-know human rights activist, member of the European coalition “Free Belarus” Valery Schukin, was detained. Now he stays in Pershamayski district police department of Vitsebsk. Policemen are drawing up a report of the administrative offence.
Mahilow members of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" got hold of a “Form for Personnel Accounting” which is obligatory for completion for all state employees. Human rights activists are especially concerned about items 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14.
On September 21 Piotr Huzayewski, editor-in-chief of Hantsavitski Chas independent newspaper was denied the right to receive information. In the morning he came to the open session of the district Council. The local councilors had Hantsavichy city and area land improvement on the agenda. However, during the opening Council speaker Barys Astrawtsow drew the councilors’ attention to the presence of the independent newspaper editor at the session. He also suggested the councilors should decide by vote if the reporter should stay in the room. Nobody voted in favor of allowing the reporter to stay in the room. Five people voted against that (there were about 100 councilors at the session). Head of Hantsavichy executive administration Uladzimir Stolar actively spoke against the presence of the reporter. Simultaneously, Hantsavichy police chief threatened Huzayewski with administrative responsibility. Nobody took into account the reporter’s claim that he was just executing his professional duties.
On September 20 Hrodna city authorities received an application for a picket. The purpose of the action is to inform citizens about growing pressure on the independent press in Belarus. The application was filed by Paval Mazheika on behalf of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.
State mass media has published results of the opinion poll made by a so-called “independent Belarusian analytical center “Ekoom”. This research has found such a figure: 66.5% of population of the country would vote for Lukashenka if presidential elections took place now. This figure considerably differs from the results of other services. As the Radio Svaboda was informed by former employee of the “Ekoom”, who wanted to stay anonymous, the leadership of this center made workers sign the results of the survey that had not been carried out by them.
The central election commission on Wednesday sustained one out of the 11 complaints lodged by parliamentary aspirants who had been denied official registration by the Vitebsk region`s district election commissions.
The central election commission on Wednesday considered 26 complaints about registration denials from parliamentary aspirants who sought to be on the ballot in the Mogilyov region, and rejected 6 of them.
The state news agency BelTA is publishing for easy access materials where foreign citizens are cited, why support Alyaksandar Lukashenka’s desire to change the constitution. On September 22 at the official site of the BelTA an interview of the observer from the CIS, a director of one of the departments of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Alexander Avesitsian has been published. According to the BelTA, this citizen of Armenia told about A. Lukashenka the following: “He has done a lot for his country, that is why he has good reason to pretend to the highest state position”. However, Alexander Avesitsian told to Radio Svaboda, that without his agreement he was used for propaganda by state media, and he authorship of the words that had not been said by him was attributed to him.
The list of the members of the district commissions on referendum formed by the Minsk city council and Executive Committee of the City Soviet of People`s Deputies has been published. All nine commissions are working in the buildings of district administrations of the city, and no members of oppositional political parties were included in them. In the Minsk commissions there are six members of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, 4 members of the Communist party of Belarus, and 4 members of the Liberal-Democratic Party. All these movements have actively supported the referendum and are propagandizing voting for Lukashenka. One of the members of the city council and one of the city executive committee members are to work in every commission. As Radio Svaboda informs, such organizations as educational and public health institutions, official trade unions, societies of veterans and the disabled are represented in the commissions.
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