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US President George Bush Signed "Belarus Democracy Act"
19:13, 20/10/2004
The US President George Bush has just signed "Belarus Democracy Act", as the Charter`97 press center was informed from the White House. So, the bill, passed by the two houses of the US Congress and signed by President, has become a law. It is expected that within several hours the statement of American President on this occasion is to follow. 
18:20, 20/10/2004
Russian Foreign Ministry`s Information and Press Department issueâ a comment saying that Moscow is expecting investigation of the incident with employees of the Russian TV companies NTV and RenTV in Minsk, and wants to receive of exhaustive information about it.
17:58, 20/10/2004
Bogdan Klich, head of the observation mission of the European Parliament on Belarusian elections and referendum, told at a press conference in Brussels that Belarusian elections fell significantly short of European standards. "We observed the process of voting in different regions, and this lack of correspondence was obvious everywhere". The new parliament cannot be considered legitimate, as well as the referendum, he said.
17:32, 20/10/2004
As press center of the Charter`97 has found out, the Belarusian young people continue protest rallies at October Square in Minsk. It will be held at traditional time, since 6 p.m.
17:13, 20/10/2004
On 19 October, Belarusian riot police carried out violent attacks on a number of leading Belarusian opposition figures and journalists following a political demonstration in Minsk.
17:06, 20/10/2004
In Minsk coordinator of the resistance movement Zubr Yawhen Afnagel was arrested. A car, in which he was driving, was stopped by the Chyrvonaya Street by several cars with tinted glasses and police number plates. Four men in mufti put Afnagel into a car "Volga" and disappeared in unknown direction.
16:43, 20/10/2004
Abpout 30 participants of the yesterday`s protest, mainly activists of Zubr and other youth movements, were sentenced to arrest from 3 to 15 days. Coordinator of the European coalition "Free Belarus", chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Narodnaya Hramada" Mikola Statkevich is to spend 10 days in prison, leader of the Young Front Paval Sevyarynets - 15 days, coordinator of the Zubr movement Pavel Yukhnevich - 10 days. Beside witnesses-policemen, at the trials in the courtroom deputy head of Lenin district police department, representatives of the Internal Affairs Department of Minsk executive committee and riot police. The leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka is placed to the emergency hospital with broken ribs, kidney and brain injury. In this way the Belarusian regime responded to the protest of the Belarusians against rigged voting results of parliamentary elections and referendum. The list of convicted for yesterday`s rally on charges relating Administrative Code is the following:
15:52, 20/10/2004
Political prisoner Alyaksandr Vasilyew, who is in Hrodna prison now, is serving a sentence in inhuman conditions, told his wife Natallya Vasilyeva to the Pahonya newspaper. On Monday October 18 she visited her husband in Hrodna prison for the first time.
15:25, 20/10/2004
Yury Svirko, a reporter with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has urged Belarusian Prosecutor General Viktor Sheiman to open criminal proceedings in connection with police beatings. Mr. Svirko claims that several reporters were beaten up in clashes with police during a demonstration in downtown Minsk on Tuesday night.
15:21, 20/10/2004
Sergei Grits, the photographer for Associated Press arrested in clashes with police during a demonstration on Tuesday night, was released shortly after his arrest. "I was grabbed near the Kupala Theater with other demonstrators when they tried to get to the Presidential Administration," the journalist told BelaPAN.
15:19, 20/10/2004
The Foreign Ministry of Latvia considers that voting in Belarus took place with divergence from democratic standards. On Wednesday Latvian FM published an official statement, and maintained with regret that the elections in Belarus fell short of OSCE commitments and democratic standards. In the statement it is reminded that on October 8 the Council of Europe made a conclusion that referendum in Belarus distances it from other Europe and aggravates lack of democracy in this country. Latvian FM proposes the Belarusian authorities to accept the OSCE recommendations and follow the democratic rights and freedoms.
15:18, 20/10/2004
The Belarusian government overly dominated the campaign that led up to the weekend parliamentary elections and referendum, said the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). A preliminary report by the OSCE observation mission that monitored the vote said that the government failed to ensure the independence of the election administration, which led to the role of election commissions at all levels and that of the state being closely interwoven.
14:21, 20/10/2004
On Friday, October 22, Russian State Duma is to hear the information of parliamentary commission on observation of the course of voting at the referendum in Belarus. Member of the Communist Party of Russian Fededration Tiulkin has proposed to hear the report of the commission. He explained that information on referendum is very contradictory. "If we look at the official results, the picture is very positive. But watching the news of our TV channels, especially half-state ones, one wants to voice a protest," told Tiulkin.
13:10, 20/10/2004
Activist of the Zubr movement Alyaksandr Kolyata was sentenced to 10 days of arrest by the Lenin district court of Minsk. Zubr activist Syarhei Ryl’kow an dparticipant of the protest Mikalay Hancharow were sentenced to three days of arrest. Protesters Mikola Artsiukhow and Ihar Khatkowski were fined 40 basic units.
13:05, 20/10/2004
A pyrotechnical group of special unit of the Interior Affairs of Belarus “Almaz” is looking for a explosive device in the building of the Lenin district court of Minsk, where the administrative cases of oppositionists detained on Tuesday are judged. Officers of the special unit are searching the rooms with a dog. At the same time, the court continues its work as usual, and people are not evacuated from the building, Interfax informs.
12:13, 20/10/2004
In the court of Lenin district of Minsk new sentences to yesterday protest participants. Young Front activist Artur Finkevich was sentenced to 15 days of arrest. Zubr activists Darya Maldavanava, Mikhail Kandrashow and Ruslan Kharkevich are sent to prison for 10 days. Zubr activists Tastyana Yalavaya, Marya Hamsetskaya, Pavel Sivuk, Dzyanis Artsiushkevich were sentenced to 5 days of arrest. Participants of the rally Dzmitry Paznyak, Dzmitry Zakharka, Kanstantsin Ekel fined 50 basic units (1 unit is about 10 USD), activist of the “Society of Belarusian Language” Syarhei Krasouski — to 20 basic units. Zubr activist Andrey Baranaw was fined 50 basic units.
11:55, 20/10/2004
According to received information, a circular order was sent to all polling stations of Belarus from the executive authorities with the figures of necessary results at the elections and referendum, told Academician Alyaksandr Vajtovich to journalists on October 19 in Moscow at a press conference for Russian journalists, held in the Institute of Independent Press Development.
11:38, 20/10/2004
Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz considers that the elections and referendum in Belarus will complicate the relations between the two countries. He believes that the parliamentary elections and referendum that ended on Sunday in Belarus fell short of democratic standards, RIA Novosti informed with reference to Polish radio.
11:19, 20/10/2004
Russian TV reporter Pavel Sheremet, who was battered in Minsk, was suddenly discharged from a hospital, which is a surprise for him as well. As radiostation “Ekho Moskvy” informed, about a noon on October 19 doctors unexpectedly came to him and told that his documents are being prepared for discharge. As the doctors said, he needs treatment in a hospital, but according to the agreement between Belarus and Russia, doctor of one country can administer only emergency aid for citizens of the other country.
11:08, 20/10/2004
Leader of the Young Front Paval Sevyarynets was sentenced to 15 days if arrest by the court if Lenin district of Minsk. Zubr activist Pavel Yukhnevich was sentenced to 10 days of arrest. Both were charged with violation of Article 176 Part 2 of Administrative Code.
11:07, 20/10/2004
Leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party “Narodnaya Hramada”, coordinator of the European coalition “Free Belarus” Mikola Statkevich was sentenced to 10 days of arrest for participation in the protest actions in Minsk on October 18 and 19 by judge of the court of Lenin district of Minsk Tserashkova. He was charged with violating Article 167 Part1 of the Administrative Code – participation in unsanctioned protest action. This is the first sentence of the authorities` court `conveyor line`.
10:54, 20/10/2004
Press Secretary of the EU Foreign Minister Xavier Solana on behalf of the EU condemned the battery and detention of demonstrators in Minsk, as well as violent actions against journalist, who covered that protest, Radio Svaboda informed. Christina Gallach also informed that today evening in Brussels Ambassadors of all countries of the EU have discussed the situation in Belarus.
10:45, 20/10/2004
As the press center of the Charter’97 has just, the US President George Bush is to sign the “Belarus Democracy Act”. On October 4 and 6 this document was passed by the two Houses of the Congress. “The Belarus Democracy Act” foresees sanctions against Belarus in case the Belarusian authorities would not stop persecution of opposition and independent mass media, to investigate politically motivated disappearances. After this document’s approval a number of Belarusian top officials are to be banned entry to the US territory, strategically export to Belarus and state investment would be banned, and the steps taken in order to cut international financial aid to Belarus. “The Belarus Democracy Act” also foresees revealing of Belarus’ arms export to countries sponsoring terrorism, and publication of information on personal assets and wealth of Lukashenka and other senior Belarusian government officials. The Act is also to authorize support to Belarusian democratic forces and independent press.
10:44, 20/10/2004, BBC
Hundreds of opponents of the Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko have held a second night of demonstrations in the capital, Minsk. Three opposition leaders were said to be among at least 30 people arrested in clashes with police. One of the opposition leaders is said to be in hospital after being beaten.
10:42, 20/10/2004, Reuters
Police broke up an opposition rally in Minsk on Tuesday protesting against the results of a referendum, which allowed President Alexander Lukashenko to extend his rule after more than a decade in power. About 500 protesters chanting "Shame on Lukashenko!" and "Long live Belarus!" marched from Minsk`s main square down the capital`s central street carrying a banner "Down with tyranny!".
10:41, 20/10/2004, Reporters Without Borders
Russian TV journalist Pavel Sheremet, the co-author of a critical biography of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, was attacked by two men in civilian dress outside the Minsk district government building on 17 October and then detained by police for a «minor disturbance of the peace,» Reporters Without Borders and the Belarus Association of Journalists (BAJ) said today.
10:40, 20/10/2004, Interfax
The Belarusian opposition thinks that Russia`s support for the policies of President Alexander Lukashenko may provoke anti-Russian sentiments in Belarus. "If Russia supports the Lukashenko dictatorship - and what we have in our country is dictatorship, whatever description of dictatorship you like - it will result in an anti-Russian factor accumulating in Belarus," Alexander Voitovich, leader of the Fair Elections initiative and former speaker of the upper house of the Belarusian parliament, told a Tuesday news conference in Moscow.
10:38, 20/10/2004, The Associated Press, photo by AFP, NTV, bymedia.net
Police clashed with students and seriously beat the leader of Belarus` main opposition party Tuesday, witnesses said, in protests against a referendum that gave the authoritarian leader the right to run for president again but was widely denounced as fraudulent. Belarus` top police officials said 46 people were detained during the protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled this former Soviet republic with an iron fist for 10 years.
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