Several minor activists of Borisov department of "Zubr" were fined for the participation in the support of political prisoners action. On the 31th of March seven activists of "Zubr" stood with Mikhail Marinich`s portraits in Smolevichy. The police detained them all.
On the 12th of April Borisov city executive committee administrative commission sentenced them to fines of 60 000 rubles (USD 30) to Aleksandr Molchanov, Mikhail Starovoytov and Vasily Gobrilenko. Remaining participants of the action received warnings.
Trade and economic relations between Belarus and Ukraine are developing in a stable way, noted Alyaksandr Lukashenka answering the question of the BELTA correspondent. At the same time, the head of state said that such statements as the statement of the Ukrainian side in Washington, should be taken tranquilly. “Signing of a corresponding agreement is in fact interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. In Ukraine, after receiving information about this fact, the question was brought up in the Rada immediately, and the actions of Viktor Yushchenko were condemned,” Alyaksandr Lukashenka underlined.
The questions of elaboration and adoption of the Constitutional Act of the “union state” and introduction of a single currency are to be solved as one package, told A. Lukashenka answering the questions of journalists today. “We have always insisted on that, because a question emerges: what’s next after the common currency of Russia and Belarus introduced? What was the aim of all this? The answers are to be within the range of the Constitutional Act, that is why we cannot avoid the package approach to these questions’ solving,” A. Lukashenka told.
France’s CRIIRAD, a commission for independent research and information on radioactivity, has appealed to the Belarusian authorities to set up a laboratory for imprisoned Belarusian researcher Yury Bandazhevsky, the Belarusian Service of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Thursday.
The city police in Minsk allowed the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU) to stage a demonstration close to busy Vaneyeva Street on April 13, not in the remote 50th October Anniversary Park designated by the city authorities earlier.
The director of an embattled independent sociological institute predicted that the Supreme Court would likely take sides with the authorities in a controversial case against the organization.
Some of my French friends are mad at me. They seem to think that the meeting I had with President Vladimir Putin along with other Russian writers at the reception held by President Jacques Chirac at the Elys?e Palace on the occasion of the Salon du Livre - the Paris Book Fair - was a mistake that will reflect badly on my reputation.
Numerous detentions taken place during distribution of new issue of independent newspaper “Vybar”. Minsk police arrested seven “Zubr” activists yesterday. Pavel Baranouski, Vasili Zhakov, Dmitry Papok, Aliaksey Shidlouski, Pavel Yuhnevich, Yahor Krasnik, and Yauhen (surname unknown) were detained in different parts of Minsk for distributing newspapers. “Zubr” activist Maksim Dvaretski was detained in Mahiliou. Protocols under article 172 p.3. of Administrative code were compiled against all the detained people. Everybody was released after that.
Pavel Karaniukhin, student of the Olympic Reserve College in Pleshchanitsy said to RFE/RL that the college director and vice-director often called him for talks. They insistently proposed to him to abstain from participation in oppositional actions. Pavel often distributed fly-sheets and took part in a number of actions, organized by Young Front.
On 29th day of hunger-strike Vaukavysk businessman Mikalai Autukhovich feels quite bad. The state of the health of some other hunger-strikers deteriorated as well. Yesterday one more person joined – Anatol Dzeshka, former worker of tax inspection. The hunger-strikers hope on General Procurator’s Office. They managed to find it prepared a protest note against the decision of the Supreme Economic Court to fine Nika-trans firm. However, none of the vice-procurators have signed it yet.
The reason is that the branch was registered in private flat of its chair Tatsiana Brel. She paid a visit to Mr. Kulakouski, main ideological worker of the district. He proposed to lend a building for juridical address on the common conditions, without any facilitation, though BSL is a non-profitable organization. Asipovichy BSL branch doesn’t have such financial means.
The United States has filed a new resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Commission criticizing record on abuses of Belarus, China and Cuba. Washington criticizes human rights violations in Belarus, as abductions of people and summary executions (execution without a fair trail or based on a quick and unsatisfactory administrative proceedings) of political opponents of the existing regime are taking place there. A serious concern over disappearances of Belarusian opposition members is expressed in the document as well. The USA presented their evaluation of the situation in Belarus in a separate resolution. It has been prepared in cooperation with the European Union.
Aleksei Miller, chief executive of Russia’s Gazprom, vowed that the company would not raise its gas price for Belarus next year, a promise that came weeks after the gas giant warned Belarusian consumers about a possible price hike in 2006.
In a rare public comment, Galina Zhuravkova, former head of the Presidential Administration`s property management department sentenced to four years in prison, said she was still staying at home recovering after complicated surgery and continued denying her guilt.
The World Tourism Organization (WTO) announced Thursday that the Parliament of the Republic of Belarus unanimously ratified the country`s WTO accession, increasing the number of the organization`s member states to 146.
A top official with the Belarusian State Food Industry Concern (Belgospishcheprom) noted that the use of Belarusian-grown malting barley has been pushing up the cost of brewing beer in the country.
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