Action in support of imprisoned leader of Belarusian opposition were carried out in Minsk, Barysau and Mahiliou lass weekend. Hundreds of leaflets with slogan “Freedom to Marinich!” were thrown down from roofs of high buildings in the most animated places of Minsk – Skaryna avenue, Masherau avenue, Nemiga street, Kirau street, Privokzalnaya square. One of participants of the action Pavel Beletsky was detained and taken to police station. After drawing protocol under article 143 of Administrative code (insanitariness). In two hours he was released.

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The leader of the Francisak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society (BLS) predicted that the year 2005 may hold drastic political changes in store for Belarus. As BLS Chairman Oleg Trusov said in an interview with BelaPAN, Belarus may face dramatic political developments, including a possible presidential election this year.

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The Foreign Relations Committee of the Parliament of Georgia has come out in support of Belarusian political prisoner Mikhail Marynich. One of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus Mikhail Marynich was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment on December 30. “The Foreign Relations Committee of the Parliament of Georgia calls on the Belarusian authorities to respect fundamental human rights, freedom of opinion and expression. We join our voice with International democratic society against the infringement of Ambassador Marynich’s legal and human rights calls upon for his release,” the statement reads.

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Former minister and ambassador Mikhail Marynich sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment do not agree with the verdict and is preparing an appeal to Minsk regional court. On the eve of Orthodox Christmas his son Igor Marynich and the attorney Vera Stramkouskaya visited Mikhail Marynich in the isolation cell of the KGB (Committee of State Security). As said by Vera Stramkouskaya, Mikhail Marynich is working at the appeal. “Former minister plans to finish the appeal before January 10, to direct it to Minsk regional court immediately,” Vera Stramkouskaya told to Radio Svaboda.

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The civil initiative “We Remember” resolutely condemns unfair and ungrounded sentence to one of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, a well-known public figure, Mihkail Marynich, a former ambassador, a person who have done a lot for his country. The civil initiative “We Remember” calls upon the Belarusian authorities to review the case immediately and to stop political prosecution of Mikhail Marynich.

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Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has insisted there will be no people`s revolutions, whether "rose, orange or banana", in his country. Mr Lukashenko, often described as Europe`s last dictator, told a congregation at an orthodox Christmas mass in Minsk that Belarus would not witness the kind of popular protests in Georgia and Ukraine which saw the opposition rise to power.

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The victory of democratic forces in Ukraine may prove worrisome for Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. He was elected president in a relatively clean election in 1994, but then moved to dismantle the democratic system to which he owed his victory. President Lukashenko illegally disbanded the elected parliament, extended his own term, and governed Belarus like a Soviet republic. As a result, the political opposition in Belarus has been ruthlessly suppressed.

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Yury Azaryonok, spokesman for the Belarusian Prosecutor General`s Office also known as the author of notorious films about opposition groups and their leaders, was among those honored on January 7 with special annual presidential prizes that Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko traditionally hands out to prominent workers of culture and art on Orthodox Christmas Day.

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Belarus will never experience a political revolution like the one that brought opposition leader Vitkor Yushchenko to power in neighbouring Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov said on Thursday. Attention has turned to Belarus since massive public rallies in Ukraine over a rigged presidential election last November brought about a rerun. Yushchenko won the new vote on Dec. 26.

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In a show of support for journalists in Belarus, a Norwegian literary group is sending a delegation there to gather information, participate in a seminar, and look for other ways to help. Norwegian PEN, a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), plans to send a group of writers and publishers to Belarus from February 15 to 20, IFEX reported.

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Criminal case initiated against Zubr activist Mikita Sasim. Sasim was detained by police at 2.30 am. in the center of Minsk and taken to Leninsky district police department. Next day he was accused of making graffiti “Freedom to Marinich!” on Skaryna avenue. Criminal proceeding against Mikita Sasim initiated under article 218 part 1 of Criminal Code (deliberate destruction or spoiling of property). Since than he is kept in isolator of temporary arrest.

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The Charter’97 press center has received an email about a tragedy in Homel regional hospital. Though we cannot confirm this information yet, we are going to publish it, as we know that such emergencies, especially with participation of representatives of law-enforcing agencies, are usually hushed up by state-run mass media.

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