Vice-speaker of European Parliament one of founders of legendary Polish “Solidarity”, Polish Minister of defense in the firs years of independence Yanush Onyshkevicz visited action that took place in Minsk on the 10th of December, in international Human rights day.
The stirring committee of the civil initiative Charter’97 informs about awarding its annual National Human Rights Prize for achievements in the sphere of human rights protection in 2003-2004. The Human Rights Award was established by the Charter`97 civil initiative in 1998. The prize has been awarded to the prominent public and cultural figures, politicians, and journalists. Its laureates in the category “For personal courage in human rights protection” are former Minister of Foreign Economic Ties, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus, MP of the 12th Supreme Soviet, political prisoner Mikhail Marynich; leader of the National Strike Committee of Enterpreneurs, member of the Stirring committee of the European coalition “Free Belarus”, political prisoner Valery Levaneuski; deputy chairman of the National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs, member of the Stirring committee of the European coalition “Free Belarus”, political prisoner Alyaksandr Vasilyew; leader of the deputy group “Respublika” General Valery Fralou; Zubr coordinator Mikita Sasim; deputy chairman of the Young Front Artur Finkevich. In the category “Journalist’s Best Coverage of Human Rights Theme” the following reporters are awarded: editor assistant of the “Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta” and the “Novaya Gazeta” reporter Iryna Khalip.
Several Belarusian politicians hailed a bill passed by Ukraine’s Supreme Rada which transfers many of the president’s powers to the legislature, a move that appears to have ended the bitter standoff sparked by November’s controversial presidential runoff.
Yesterday former political prisoner, deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet Andrei Klimov (Andrey Klimaw) held another reception for Belarusian politicians and journalists. In front of the camera of the Belarusian TV channel, Klimov announced launching a so-called revolution with the aim of overthrowing the regime in Belarus. The beginning of the “revolution” was appointed for March 25, 2005. For some reason, except for the movement of Andrei Klimov proper, Klimov appointed the civil initiative Charter’97, Zubr movement and the Young Front the executors of this idea, responsible for its realization. We asked the coordinator of the civil initiative Charter’97 Zmitser Bandarenka to comment on the new escapade of Klimov.
A group of Belarusian activists have delivered a petition to the newly appointed prosecutor general, Pyotr Miklashevich, to draw his attention to what they call the serious deterioration of the human rights situation in the country. In particular, the human rights advocates raise concerns about the non-existence of an independent judicial system in Belarus, the alleged abductions of prominent political and public figures, as well as the jailing of several oppositionists, including Mikhail Marinich, Valery Levonevsky, Aleksandr Vasilyev and Yury Bandazhevsky, activist Tatyana Revyako told BelaPAN.
The Council of Ministers of Belarus has extended by three years the license of the Minsk bureau of Russia’s Channel One television network. “Since the validity of our old registration certificate expired, we applied for an extension and the application has now been granted,” Dmitry Novozhilov, head of the bureau, told BelaPAN.
On December 10 mother of journalist Dzmitry Zavadsky who disappeared in July, 2000, directed an appeal to the office of Prosecutor General, Pyotr Miklashevich, against the refusal of the Republican Prosecutor’s Office to renew the investigation of the case o her son’s disappearance in connection with new circumstances and interrogate A. Lukashenka as a witness.
Human rights experts call them "prisoners of conscience." Hundreds of them around the world are forced to live in deplorable conditions in jail cells and prison camps. Many are anonymous and largely forgotten. But others remain in the public eye because rights groups refuse to look away. RFE/RL took the case of a well-known "prisoner of conscience" ahead of the United Nations` International Human Rights Day.
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) express their grave concern over the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders in Belarus.
A parliamentary group named, “For a Democratic Belarus” has been set up in the Lithuanian Seimas. The group, the establishment of which was initiated by Conservative MP Rasa Jukneviciene, currently unites some 20 lawmakers, Arvydas Zilinskas, spokesman for the Seimas chairman, told BelaPAN.
The Belarusian mass media should respond to information attacks from abroad more rapidly, President Alexander Lukashenko told members of his administration on Thursday. "There are illustrative examples on television, the radio and printed editions, but there is no system," said Lukashenko, urging better counter-propaganda.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered his new administration chief-of-staff to draft a clear ideological propaganda program for 2005-2006 and to transmit it to neighboring countries. “So far there is no ideological work in the country which we would like to see. Certain elements do exist, but there is no clear system”, Lukashenko said on Thursday while presenting his new chief-of-staff Viktor Sheiman.
"Today Ukraine, tomorrow Belarus!" read a banner strung up this week in a tent camp for opposition protesters. Belarus, Ukraine`s northern neighbor, is one of Europe`s most repressive societies. During his 10 years in power, President Alexander Lukashenko has reintroduced Soviet symbols, disbanded parliament, seized control of media and isolated his country with authoritarian rule.
On December 10, on the Day of the Universal Human Rights Declaration Adoption, the whole world celebrates the International Human Rights Day. In Belarus, where the human rights are breached far and wide, today on October Square in Minsk a rally in support of the right of the Belarusian people for dignified life and free choice is to take place. The Zubr resistance movement calls upon everybody to come to the October Square in Minsk at 6 p.m. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has proclaimed a right for decent living and civil freedoms respect. In today’s Belarus the Declaration is trampled on irreverently and on a daily basis. Lukashenka’s regime is trying to deprive us of the freedom of speech and gatherings, the rights for fair elections and decent life,” the statement of the movement reads. On this day representatives of many democratic parties and movements are going to come to the October Square in Minsk.
Residents of rural Lithuania appear to have found an ingenious way to get round sharply rising alcohol prices. Border guards have unearthed a 3km pipeline used for smuggling liquor from neighbouring Belarus where it can be purchased much more cheaply. A guards` spokesman said it was the fourth such pipeline to be found but this one was of record length.
The holder of the third GSM license in Belarus, the Belarusian Network of Telecommunications (“BeST”), expects to receive preferences from the government.
Two people were killed in a car crash in Minsk in the early hours of Friday as a Ford with a 35-year-old woman behind the wheel jumped the curb and headed straight into a light pole on Clara Zetkin Street.
Alena Popchanka of Belarus, the women`s 200m freestyle champion in 2003, announced that she is transferring her allegiance to France with an eye on competing at the 2008 Olympic Games.
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