Sons of the Belarusian political prisoner cannot still meet with their father. As Pavel Marynich told to the BelaPAN, today during afternoon the lawyer is to visit Mikhail Marynich. Family members were not allowed to visit the politician. They have no information about his state of health. As we have informed, on March 15 Mr.Marynich was transferred from Vorsha colony number 8 in the Apanski Street, to the republican prison hospital in Minsk, in the Apanski Street. The doctors diagnosed an ischemic stroke.

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On 16 of March the Vice-President of the European Parliament Dr Janusz Onyszkiewicz has opened the first in the history of the European Parliament Belarusan Exhibition “The Civic Belarus”.

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The Belarusian government has denied Poland’s accusations of interference in a March 12-13 convention of the Belarusian Union of Poles (BUP) that resulted in the election of a new BUP leader. In a harsh response, the Belarusian foreign ministry described Poland’s criticism as “absolutely ungrounded” and “an attempt at pressure and interference in Belarus’ internal affairs.” Talking to reporters on Thursday, Ruslan Yesin, spokesman for the Belarusian foreign ministry, dismissed Poland’s accusations leveled earlier this month.

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The justice ministry has invalidated the party nomination of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF)’s Sergei Antusevich who runs for parliament in a repeat election in Grodno set for March 20. The party put forward the nominee at its extraordinary convention on January 15.

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The headquarters of Valery Fralou, an oppositional candidate to the “chamber of representatives”, leader of the parliament group “Respublika”, states that in case of vote rigging a mass protest action is to be held in Hrodna. According to the representatives of Fralou’s election headquarters, the train of events during the campaign makes oppositionists prepare for defending the results of the vote.

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A visit of the Belarusian opposition’s delegation to the USA continues. The delegation had meetings with representatives of the legislative and executive branches of power of the USA. The delegation was by the head of the Central, Eastern and Northern Europe in the National Security Council Damon Wilson, coordinator of the US State Department’s assistance to the Europe and Eurasia regions Thomas Adams, State Department Assistant Secretary Mr. Burns and other official personalities. Besides, oppositionists are to meet with American Senators and Congressmen, including John McCain and Gordon Smith. A number of important evens are planned for the next days.

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A seminar of the European Union on relations of the EU with Belarus, and to support of the democratization process and civil society building. As BNS was told in Foreign Ministry, in this seminar that is to be held on Thursday and Friday, diplomats of the EU countries, representatives of the non-governmental organizations working in Belarus, and the EU Commissioner on Foreign Affairs, former Austrian FM head Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis.

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On March 16 about 40 people, mainly Zubr activists, staged an unauthorized demonstration on October Square in Minsk in support of imprisoned opposition politician Mikhail Marynich, former Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus. The action lasted for half an hour. The demonstrators, who included the politician’s sons Igor and Pavel, leaders of the civil initiative “Freedom to Political Prisoners!”, were holding Mr. Marynich’s images. The oppositionists demanded immediate release of Mikhail Marynich, leaders of vendors Valery Levaneuski, Alyaksandr Vasilyeu, Anatol Shumchanka, the “Young Front” activists Zmitser Dashkevich and Artur Finkevich, Zubr activists Maxim Vinyarski and other political prisoners. The protest is to be held today on October Square in Minsk at 6 p.m. again. Youths are determined to stage demonstrations in support of Mr. Marynich every day until the end of the week.

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