Deputy head of the Administration of the president of Belarus Natalya Pyatkevich (Petkevich) calls information about allegedly prepared early voting in presidential elections “speculations”. “As for early elections of a president, it is not discussed, as the constitutional term of presidentialelections is to come. (Note: The elections of Belarusian president planned in 2006). That is why all guesses on this issue are just a matter for writing something,” Pyatkevich told at a press conference in Minsk on Monday.

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In Damachova (Brest region) law-enforcers detained 11 participants of the meeting for electing candidates for National Congress of Democratic Forces. According to the press service of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, on July 9 a “meeting of political activists of Brest rural area” took place there.

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The leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Anatol Lyaukovich recived a letter from political prisoner Syarhei Skrabets, Radio Svaboda infroms. Oppositional politician, who remains in remand prison in Brest, informs in his letter that after 40 days of hunger strike he refuses to eat from time to time. Syarhei Skrabets refuses to eat meat at all, and is not going to eat until released. The final words of S.Skrabets’ letter are: “I hope that freedom and democracy are to win in our counctry soon, it’s a quastion of time. Only those deservce freedom, who are ready to fight for it. I am ready for that, and you should hold on too”.

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In the evening in the town of Pinsk in Palessye region (or in the country near the town, to be exact) a meeting of dwellers for nominating delegates for the Democratic Forces’ Congress. However, all forces of law and order were mobiziled to prevent it. The head of Brest regional branch of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Yuras Hubarevich was detained by the head of traffic police of Pinsk region. All cars which were to transport the participants of the meeting, were detained for search and passegers’ idenification, including the car of Alyaksandr Milinkevich. Informsational materials were confiscated from the cars.

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The International League for Human Rights, a New York-based non-governmental organization with special consultative status at United Nations, condemns the brutal actions of the Minsk riot police against disappeared journalist Dmitry Zavadsky’s wife, Svetlana Zavaskaya, during a peaceful rally held in his memory.

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Efforts by Russian and Belarusian parliamentarians to convince attendants of a session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Washington, D.C. to change the rules of election observation missions failed, Lithuanian delegates said.

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The events in the Ukraine, Georgia and other former Soviet republics have not brought to an end the quasi-dictatorial regimes in Europe. There is still one country where the situation is far from satisfactory and where the cracks are already beginning to show, namely Belarus.

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For more than two years 15-year-old Maks has been studying "underground" after his high school in Minsk was outlawed and closed by Belarusian authorities. In the next two months, Maks will get to enjoy a taste of normality in proper classrooms in a school building. Together with about 100 other students aged 13 to 17, he plans to spend his summer holiday in neighbouring Poland hitting the books.

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Leaders of five political parties – V.Matusevich, V.Viacherka, S.Shushkevich, S.Kaliakin and A.Lebedko submitted an application to the 21 executive committees of state administration asking for a permission for the conference hall to hold the National Congress. The application lists 50 places all over Belarus which can fit 750-800 forum delegates. Applicants did not set any specific date for the Congress, thus the administration has certain time-lag and a possibility of choice.

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The Belarusian government is planning to sign a 2006 gas supply contract with Russian gas company Gazprom in September, Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said, cited by official information sources, BelaPAN news agency reported.

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Children affected by the Chernobyl disaster are set to meet staff at one of Scotland`s fire stations. The 15 teenagers from Belarus will visit the headquarters of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue in Hamilton as part of their holiday, and see firefighters in action.

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