Yesterday Belarusian State TV accused Polish diplomats of transferring a newspaper of the Union of Poles in Belarus “Glos znad Niemna” over the border. It could cause expulsion of Polish representatives from Belarus, the influential Polish newspaper “Gazeta Wyborcza” informed today.
“More and more often waves of repressions confirm strengthening of authoritarian tendencies in Belarus, and Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s determination to stay in power,” the report of the Center for Eastern Studies in Warsaw reads. As Radio Svaboda informs, the experts of the state Center for Eastern Studies believe that despite of the fact that a year is left for the next presidential elections in which A. Lukashenka is to run again, the authorities are getting ready for them more and more intensively.
A notable former Soviet anticommunist, dissident, Israeli politician and writer, one of the leaders of the ruling Likud party, a former Minister without portfolio, responsible for Jerusalem, social and Jewish diaspora affairs Until May 2005 Natan Sharansky presented his book “Fear No Evil”, which describes his experience of struggle with the totalitarian system in the USSR. One copy of the book has been sent to the imprisoned former minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus Mikhail Marynich. Books will also be sent to the leader of the Strike Committee of Vendors, member of the “Free Belarus” Valery Levaneuski, who is serving a two-year term in colony for alleged labelling Lukashenka, the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic party (Narodnaya Hramada) Mikola Statkevich, and the leader of the “Young Front” Paval Sevyarynets, who had been sentenced to two years of personal restraint and corrective labour for organizing protest rallies.
Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that the Belarus-Russia union state had become a geopolitical reality. "Today it is evident to anyone that our integration has taken place. The Belarus-Russia union has become a geopolitical reality," he said while opening the first Belarusian-Russian economic forum.
Activists of Zubr movement Aliaksey Lyavkovich, Aliaksandr Kurbitski and Natallia Ushko were released today from Minsk prison on Akrestsin street. Zubr activists were arrested for participation in action of Solidarity with activists of Georgian “Kmara” George Kandelaki and Luka Tsuladze. Belarusians spent 10 days behind the bars. Human right organization Amnesty International recognized Zubr activists as prisoners of conscience.
On September 2 the founder and the first chairman (1988-2000) of the Union of Poles in Belarus Tadeusz Gawin was released. On August 2 he together with others was sentenced to 15 days of arrest for organizing a peaceful protest near the UPB office in Hrodna. On August 12 he was sentenced to 15 days more for an alleged fight with a cell-mate. Many people were looking forward to the release of Gawin. One of the reasons was that they were interested in his evaluation of the congress of the UPB in Vaukavysk. It has been decided at the congress that Jozef Lucznik, a long-time close associate of Tadeusz Gawin, is to become the leader of the UPB. The “BDG” publishes the interview with the former chairman of the UPB Tadeusz Gawin.
The Secretary of State of the so-called “union state” of Russia and Belarus Pavel Borodin disproved the information that he would become ambassador in Belarus. As said by Borodin, “he is too important” for this position. “I am holding the third position in the “union state”, and there are 330 ambassadors. And who is an ambassador? And my height is 186 cm,” Borodin said. He noted that he can do a lot in his place, Ekho Moskvy informs.
“One should not confuse the date of election day and the date of president’s,” said Mikalay Lazovik, the Central Election Committee secretary in his interview to the BelaPAN, commenting on the reaction to the interview of the CEC head Lidziya Yarmoshyna to the “Zvyazda” newspaper on August 31.
A NEW generation of revolutionaries, inspired by the Polish Solidarity movement and guided by slick marketing experts, is plotting to spread change to Belarus, one of Europe’s last dictatorships.
As we got to know from UCP private sources, next week in Minsk region there will be manoeuvres for militia to teach them how to act in case of public disorders and violence. Currently, the stuff of the Ministry of Internal has been recalled back from their vacations. The range of such mobilization caused many questions among militia themselves, and it looks like preparation for the state of emergency.
Release and arrival of Kmara members, Luka Tsuladze and Giorgi Kandelaki from Minsk to Kyiv was a great event of Ukrainian political life. The press conference on this occasion was opened by advisor of President Viktor Yushchenko and the leader of the party “PORA” Vladislav Kaskiv. The head of the Defence and Security committee of Georgian parliament Givi Targamadze called the recent events in Minsk a “rescue operation”. Mister Targamadze said that this issue had been brought up during the recent CIS summit in Kazan.
Russia may allocate a loan worth $146m to Belarus this year, a source in the Russian cabinet has told RBC. He reiterated that Belarus had requested this loan "to compensate for the losses incurred by an increase in prices for Russian gas". The sides have already agreed upon the terms and conditions of the loan, the source added. At the same time, Belarus is now requesting an additional loan of RUR9bn (approx. USD319.15m) to ensure the stability of the Belarusian ruble. However, Russia deems this credit economically infeasible due to monetary integration, which the two states are discussing at present, the source underscored.
Russia-Belarus trade is expected to reach $20 billion by the end of this year, a senior official in the Russia-Belarus union state said ahead of the first bilateral economic forum.
Nearly two decades after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine spread radioactive fallout across much of Europe, a United Nations study has concluded the health effects have been far smaller than feared.
Russia’s largest brewer, Baltic Beverage Holding (BBH), plans to take on tough market conditions to expand operations in Belarus as Russia’s beer boom shows signs of slowing.
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