Minsk executive committee sanctioned the meeting before the parliamentary elections and referendum initiated by Syarhei Skrabets, MP of the deputy group “Respublika”. The rally is to take place on October 10 at 3 p.m. in the park of Nations’ Friendship by the Bangalor Square.
Yesterday in the European Parliament held a rating vote to define the three major contenders for the 2004 Sakharov Prize for Freedom on Thought. Two Belarusian organizations were among the 11 candidates officially nominated by the European Parliament deputies: the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the youth movement “Zubr”. The “Zubr” movement decided to support the Belarusian Association of Journalists as a more real candidate for receiving the prize. That is why Lithuanian deputy of the European Parliament Rolandas Pavilionis, who initiated nomination of “Zubr”, called the deputies who voted for “Zubr”, to vote for the BAJ. EU lawmakers sitting on the assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee placed the Belarussian Association of Journalists, Russian rights activist Sergey Kovalev and Chechen human rights activist Natalya Estemirova (on a single ticket), and kidnapped Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt on the prize shortlist.
The Charter’97 press center congratulates the Belarusian Association of Journalists and hopes that the prize would go to the representative of Belarus.
The World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum protested to Aleksandr Lukashenko against a ban on several independent publications in the run-up to the parliamentary poll later this month.
The adoption of the Belarus Democracy Act by the U.S. House of Representatives is an instance of political pressure ahead of elections and a referendum to be held in Belarus, press secretary of the Belarussian Foreign Ministry Andrei Savinykh said responding to a question from Interfax on Wednesday.
The deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 12th calling Syarhei Antonchyk is to spend 15 days in prison for organizing a meeting of the initial group. A judicial precedent has been created. For the first time a person was convicted as a public disturber for carrying out a meeting in the office of his organization. On October 2 in the office of the Free Trade Union about 30 people gathered to discuss the problems of the planned congress of a new public association “Ajchyna”.
Aleksandr Dobrovolsky, deputy chairman of the United Civic Party who is on the parliamentary ballot in a Minsk district, received an official warning from the district election commission.
The Belarusian Party of Communists (BPC) claims its parliamentary candidates have been facing difficulty obtaining rooms to meet with their constituents.
A delegation of the Sudanese interior ministry, led by Minister Abd-al Rahim Mohammed Hussein, is expected to arrive in Minsk on Tuesday night on a five-day visit. While in Belarus, the Sudanese minister is scheduled to meet with his Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Naumov, to discuss ways to establish mutually beneficial cooperation in combating international terrorism, transborder organized crime, illegal migration, the trafficking in humans and drugs, as well as in ensuring road safety, the Belarusian interior ministry’s press office told BelaPAN.
BPF press service announced about it. State publishing house «Tytul» in Rechyca spoilt 10000 circulation of the leaflets with the phrase «Say «No» to Lukashenka at the referendum on October 17» which was ordered by BPF candidate from Svietlahorsk – Viktar Ramanishka. Another BPF candidate from Rechyca, Valer Pucicki, is refused in printing leaflets «Say «NO» to Lukashenka».
Belarusian civil rights groups urged the country’s justice minister to apply the law governing non-governmental organizations in a democratic way. The groups, represented by the informal Assembly of Pro-Democracy NGOs, are critical of presidential decrees and other bylaws, which they insist have substantially limited their freedoms.
Belarus would need at least 1000 international observers to carry out proper observation during the upcoming parliamentary poll, said Ulrich Brandenburg, deputy political director with the German foreign office.
BPF press group announced about it. On October 4 full Shklou district commission gathered and confirmed the warning made to Ryhor Kastusiou, the BPF candidate, before. He is accused of distribution of leaflets which disgrace the competitor – a current member of Parliament Uladzimir Kanapliou. Kastusiou is accused of doing that through empowered people. On September 27 the police made a search at Ryhor Kuksau’s (candidate’s assistant) country house in a village Fashchauka and confiscated several «Zubr» newspapers and leaflets about Belarusian policemen. Kanapliou is also on the list.
The Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU) has complained to the International Labor Organization about what it called the unlawful dismissal of a unionist. The management of Belaeronavigatsiya, the state-run air traffic control organization, refused to offer a contract extension to Oleg Dolbik, vice president of the Belarusian Union of Air Traffic Controllers dissolved by the Supreme Court’s ruling last August.
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko thinks that Belarus will receive enough natural gas from Russia. «There will always be gas. This is not just hope, this is certitude. Russia is looking for new gas markets, but we must be ready for growth of gas prices in Russia and Belarus,» Lukashenko said at a Tuesday ceremony, which marked the beginning of gas delivery to the town of Glubokoye, Belarus’ Vitebsk region.
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