“We are on the threshold of huge changes” says a member of a legal advocacy organization who is analyzing development of the situation in the country. His opinion is easy to agree with, because spring months of 2005 were overly difficult for NGOs. There was no such large-scale attack on NGOs before. The regime is increasing its pressure and is toughening repressions, but such putting the screws on the sector resulted in certain breakdown. The system is crashing and the crash can be seen in many events of social and political life.

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Former Sports and Tourism Minister of Belarus, Yury Sivakou, is to work “according to his education” after dismissal, the press service of the head of state informed the BELTA. The official CV of the Minister reads that in 1996 he graduated from the Far Eastern higher commanding tank academy in Far East. In 1977 he graduated from the commanding faculty of Military Academy of armoured forces with a gold medal. In 1995 graduated from Administration Academy by the president of Belarus. General – Major Sivakou was a commander of internal troops, and interior minister before being appointed Sports and Tourism minister.

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On July 6 Alyaksandr Lukashenka appointed Alyaksandr Hryhorau (Alexander Grigorov) a Minister of Sports and Tourism. Previously Alyaksandr Hryhorau headed the Belarusian Box Federation. The BELTA was informed about it by the press service of the president. Once Alyaksandr Hryhorau worked as a deputy Sports and Tourism minister of Belarus, that is why he knows the kind of work well, the press service of Lukashenka said. Nothing is said by the press service about the future of former Minister Yury Sivakou, and nothing is said about his possible position.

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Activists of the resistance movement Zubr and the council of civil initiatives “Free Belarus” from different towns of the country make a foot pilgrimage to Belarusian relic –the Budslav God’s Mother icon. They do it to pray to Belarus, to the victory of good on evil during the few years on end.

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The meeting of Zubr’s activists from different cities of Belarus took place on Vilejskoje reservoir in the end of last month. Nearly fifty members of movement from Bobrujsk, Baranavichy, Vilejka, Maladziechna and Minsk discussed the situation in the country and the strategy of movement’s activity during the three days.

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Radio Svaboda was informed about it on Wednesday, July 6, by his wife, Alyaksandra. According to her words, she received a letter from prison. Her husband wrote that he had to abandon the services of a lawyer. First of all it is connected with material hardships of the family of former parliamentarian and deputy of the group “Respublika”.

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Today at about 10.45 a.m. in Lenin Square in Hrodna policemen detained journalists who protested against the actions of the authorities not allowing the newspaper of the Union of Poles in Belarus “Glos znad Niemna” to be issued by its editorial office. The journalists unfurled a slogan: “Give “Glos znad Niemna” back to Poles”.

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The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe faces a tough test in next month`s presidential polls in Kyrgyzstan: it is not just Kyrgyzstan that will be under scrutiny but also the OSCE.

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Minsk city court is to consider the suit of Minsk city executive committee to the community of Belarusian Evangelical church about liquidation of this religious organization. According to information received by the BelaPAN from the pastor of the community of the Belarusian Evangelical church Ernst Sabilo, the hearings are scheduled for July 18.

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Belarus does not intend to reduce its armed forces, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko was quoted as saying at the meeting with graduates from the Military Academy of Belarus and Russian military educational institutions. Lukashenko stressed that Belarus, on the contrary, was consistently and steadily increasing the national military capability wishing to establish a modern army characterized by high-tech equipment, mobility, strong morale, and the capability of opposing threats and challenges.

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On July 2, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenka was interviewed by Oleg Poptsov of the Russian TV Center, a company that covers nine Russian regions, in a program that lasted for three hours. The interview covered a variety of issues, but the key focus was on Belarusian-Russian relations and the need for the two states to unite against a common danger, that of a "color revolution" sponsored by outside forces.

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From now on such programs of the Russian TV channel “Kultura”, as “Orchestra Pit”, “Spheres”, “Cultural Revolution”, “Apocrypha”, are to be broadcasted by Belarusain TV channel “Lad” in the afternoon, in the time when most people work. Before these programs were demonstrated in Belarus in two-three months after being showed in Russia. And now most people would not be able to watch them.

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Belarusian Embassy in Moscow reacted to the open letter to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, sent by of the Council of the President of the Russian Federation on the development of the institutions for civil society and for human rights. In the statement Belarusian diplomatic mission accuses the Council headed by Ella Pamfilova, of interference into the interior affairs of the sovereign state. “We have our position, and by the way, people address complaints to us, we know that opposition is persecuted in Belarus. Though the diplomatic mission of Belarus has given us a piece of mind, we would not change our intention to be engaged in the affairs we think we should be engaged. We are to continue our work certainly. Our position can change after the situation with human rights in Belarus would improve,” said the representative of the Council, the head of Moscow Helsinki group Ludmila Alekseeva.

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