Belarusian opposition activist, former deputy and the head of the group “Respublika” Syarhei Skrabets continues hunger strike in Brest remand prison for the 18th day. He protests against illegal arrest, told the lawyer of Skrabets to the Charter’97 press center Mikhail Skrabets. As said by the lawyer, Syarhei Skrabets’ state of health is satisfactory, and he is not going to stop the hunger strike.
Chairman of national strike committee of entrepreneurs and member of Council of civil initiatives “Free Belarus” Valery Levaneuski declared hunger-strike.
Alyaksandr Kazulin, leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People` Hramada), has announced his intention to seek democratic forces` nomination for next year`s presidential election.
Piotr Mironau, the chief of the publishing house in Grodna, never replied to the question of the editorial staff of the UPB newspaper Glos znad Niemna, why, despite all previous arrangements, the polish-language edition is not published.
Permanent Democratic Assembly (PDA) have decided to initiate short-listing for the European Union the participants of the mock trial of Mikola Statkevitch and Paval Seviarynets. Vice-chairman of the Minsk Central Court Leanid Yasianovitch and public prosecutor Vadzim Pazniak will be included into the list of those authorities that are banned from leaving the country. The members of the PDA hope unanimously that “this is an adequate measure regarding the people who would have been much in demand in the 30s years of the past century”.
Today morning in Grodna in the Union of Poles gathered more than 30 people, mainly pensioners, but young people as well, to protect the building. The day before ex-chairman of the UPB Tadeusz Kruczkouski declared he would come with his upholders to seize the Union chairman’s office. The UPB activists apprehended Kuczkouski’s return with the help of the police. Nevertheless, nothing happened before noon, according to Radio Liberty.
The citizen of Grodna Frants Audzey was officially warned by the public prosecutor’s office of Grodna region in connection with his activity on behalf of the civil movement “People’s Will”. Activists from other regions of Belarus were warned as well.
June 1 near the Belarusian Embassy in Brussels an action of protest was held by the Belarusian-European Union (BEU) against the repressive Belarusian regime and against the illegal sentence brought towards leader of the Belarusian Social-Democratic party “Narodnaya Gramada” Mikola Statkevitch and leader of the Belarusian youth Paval Seviarynets. The participants of the action made attempts to pass the appeal of the Belarusians of Belgium, France and Czech, which comprised the warning for the Belarusian government of the criminal responsibility for persecution the opposition leaders, to the Ambassador.
Adam Rotfeld, the Foreign Minister of Poland, came to the USA with a two-day visit. According to Polonia Radio, the most essential pat of the visit will be the Minister’s meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The politicians will discuss regional problems, including relationship with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.
Action of solidarity with hunger strikers in Belarus was held in Kyiv in front of Belarusian Embassy by activists of the Ukrainian youth organization “National Alliance” and Belarusian “Young Front”. The protest was called “Let them study!” Its participants demanded the Belarusian authorities to stop the practice of expelling members of opposition movements and organizations from educational institutions for political reasons.
On May 30 about 7 p.m. in Minsk 5 Roman Catholics were detained. They demanded the authorities to return the church and monastery of Bernardines to the Catholic Church. The arrest took place during a prayer on the steps of the former church. The detainees were taken to police department. The reports for unsanctioned picket were drawn up against them. In two hours they were released, human rights center Viasna informs.
German lawyers are finishing collection of materials concerning disappearances of Belarusian politicians, told to the BelaPAN agency the human rights activist Aleh Vouchak (Oleg Volchek), representative of the family of former Interior Minister Yury Zakharanka, disappeared under unclear circumstances in 1999.
Orange revolution is only a beginning of a difficult way which Ukraine is to pass along, believes the internationally known financier, the head of the “Vidorzhennia” foundation George Soros. As the correspondent of “Glavred” informs, it was said by him at the opening ceremony of the European debate Forum in Kyiv. According to Soros, the Ukrainian experience is extremely important for the post-Soviet countries, as it concretizes the direction in which they are to move. “They are either to follow the path of Ukraine and Georgia, or to deny the desire of freedom and accept repressions of the authorities, like in Belarus and Uzbekistan,” Soros told. “It’s not and easy way, but it is necessary to make it. Only in this way one could achieve the goals set by revolution,” Soros said.
The head of the Vitsebsk branch of the Young Front, Yanis Chuchman, is to go on trial for a poster “Freedom to political prisoners” on the basis of a newspaper article. This poster, or a big banner from cloth, was placed on a bridge over the Dzvina River on May 5 and showed solidarity with Minsk associates detained during the protest march “Charnobylski Shliakh”.
German Christian Democrats (Christian Democratic Union / Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) protest against the verdict to Mikola Statkevich and Paval Sevyarynets and express their solidarity and sympathy to them as to another victims of the regime.
On June 1, on the Day of Children’s Protection, a group of the Young Front and Belarusian Popular Front activists held a protest near Education Ministry of Belarus. The participants handed a petition to Education Minister Alyaksandr Radzkou with a demand to reinstate in schools, technical schools, colleges and universities young people who have gone on hunger strike in Zhodzina, Barysau, Baranavichy and Minsk.
"The court chose to prosecute the defendants under the criminal code, whereas the charge may be considered as an administrative offence," OSCE`s Ambassador to Belarus Eberhard Heyken said. He expressed concern at the criminal sentences given yesterday by the Minsk District Court to two prominent Belarus opposition figures. "I monitored the demonstration myself and can confirm that the demonstration was neither violent nor threatening. A three-year sentence handed down for the expression of personal political opinions is disproportionate and cannot be justified," Heyken continued.
The West clearly demands that Belarus should be freed of what it calls the last dictatorship in Europe. I am afraid that Russia-West confrontation in this area could end in a head-on clash.
Reporters Without Borders today condemned a decree issued by President Alexander Lukashenko yesterday banning all privately-owned news media from using the words "national" or "Belarus" in their names. The decree, which does not apply to the state media, gives offending newspapers three months to comply by registering under a new name.
President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has banned the public display of the terms "Belarusian" and "national" without authorisation, the government said today.
A creeping crackdown is underway in Russia as the Kremlin has accused nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) of spying, moved to restrict political parties, and is considering measures that would weaken its print media. Earlier this month Nikolai Patrushev, head of the state`s FSB security service, charged that NGOs - including the US Peace Corps, the British Merlin medical relief foundation, and the Arab Red Crescent Society - were vehicles for "conducting intelligence operations under the guise of charity" activities. All the named groups issued angry denials.
Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), made the following statement today concerning yesterday`s sentence handed down yesterday by the Minsk Central District Court against Mikola Statkevich, Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and Paval Severinets, leader of the youth wing of the Belarusian Popular Front. The two men were condemned to serve three years of correctional labour for organising protest rallies last autumn against the irregular conduct of the October 2004 parliamentary election and referendum on the extension of the presidential term.
Polish steel processing companies and distributors fear the competition from Belorusian steelworks BMZ Zhlobin, which intends to open a new modern seamless tube plant for $150 mln (121.8 mln euro) in July 2007, the Polish association of steel distributors PUDS said.
In Belarus in 2005 consumer prices still grow faster than the income. This is the finding BelaPAN got after comparing the official data of the salary dynamic and consumer prices index in January-April.
As of June 1, the public association “Frantsishak Skaryna Belarusian language Society” (BLS) has collected about four thousands of signatures of Minsk residents against renaming of Skaryna and Masherau Avenues. The collection of signatures continues. Later they are to be submitted to the Minsk executive committee and presidential Administration.
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