The court of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk ruled to fine the editorial office of “BDG. Delovaya Gazeta” Br 50 mln (more than USD 23,000) and journalist Syarhei Satsuk Br 5 mln in behalf of a common citizen. Judge Basko has delivered this verdict on September 30, partially sustaining the claim of Syarhei Byadrytski, a former riot policeman.
“Belarusian authorities’ attitude toward the Belarusian opposition could not be more indulgent than now,” the speaker of the so-called “chamber of representatives” Uladzimir Kanaplyou said. “We like the Belarusian opposition so much that it is impossible to like it more,” he said in his interview to the “Obozrevatel” newspaper on Friday.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe`s media rights wing today urged Belarus to not close down the daily "Narodnaya volya" newspaper.
The editorial office of the independent newspaper the “Narodnaya Volya” has received a letter from the republican unitary enterprise “Minoblsajuzdruck”. The letter informs that this state enterprise refuses to distribute the newspaper. The reason for denial is strange. “For the last three months your periodical “Narodnaya Volya” was in low demand among the customers. In view of a great variety of newspapers and magazines at the market, and limited shopping space of our enterprise, further distribution of your periodical is considered economically inadvisable”, the document reads.
On September 16 Belarusians commemorated the sixth anniversary of the disappearance of prominent politician Victor Gonchar and businessman Anatoliy Krasovskiy and also remembered former Minister of Internal affairs Yuriy Zakharenko and journalist Dmitriy Zavadskiy who also disappeared. Unfortunately, Belarusian security personnel used intimidation and force against Belarusian citizens taking part in a peaceful demonstration held in the center of Minsk to commemorate this anniversary. At least one peaceful demonstrator was beaten seriously enough to require hospitalization.
The military forces of the country must be able to repulse any potential act of aggression, no matter what its origin is. That is why, not ceding its national interests, Belarus seeks partnership relations with each and all countries, international organizations and alliances. The leadership of the country views the work of the CIS Collective Security Treaty organization as a priority orientation, the president noted.
An influential European magazine the “European Voice” included the Belarusian political prisoner, former Minister and Ambassador Mikhail Marynich (Marinich) into the list of persons who had exerted a great influence on the European politics in the year 2005. Mikhail Marynich is nominated as a “Non-EU Citizen of the Year”, together with Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine, Leyla Zana, Turkey’s Kurdish activist, Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, John Garang, Vice-President of Sudan.
The National congress of democratic forces of Belarus is a logical outcome of a long process of Belarusian opposition’s consolidation that has been lasting for many years. It has become possible owing to responsibility of political leaders and a daily hard and thorough work of democratic activists across Belarus.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka thinks that it is necessary to increase the level of informational security of the country in connection with creation around the country a circle of disinformation by the West. “The urgency of this question is motivated by the fact that we should protect our people from foreign informational expansion, from sow discord and instability in the society by anti-Belarusian informational resources,” A. Lukashenka said on Friday, opening the Security Council meeting.
On September 29 the editorial office of the “Narodnaya Volya” has transferred 15 millions more to the account of the court of Lenin district, payable to the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, Syarhei Hajdukevich. This sum was contributed by the readers of the newspaper, who responded to the appeal of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Iosif Syaredzich. Thus, the newspaper has paid 85 millions of rubles out of 100 million fine, to which it has been sentenced by the court of Lenin district of Minsk. As we have informed, the account of the newspaper has been blocked and the printing house “Krasnaya Zvezda” cancelled the contract with the newspaper because of the huge fine to the leader of the LDPB.
Special services of Belarus would not allow destabilization of situation in Belarus resembling “colour revolutions” at the territory of the CIS countries, said deputy chairman of the KGB (State Security Committee) of Belarus Viktar Vyahera (Vegera) at a seminar for Belarusian and Russian journalists on international crime in Minsk, BELTA informs. The representative of the KGB specified that “secret service of the country are armed with information on all kinds of youth seminars, conferences and trainings with a specific bias, held by Western experts for the citizens of Belarus”.
International coordinator of the civil initiative “Charter’97”, former deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Andrei Sannikov called the last resolution of the European Parliament on Belarus predictable. To his mind, the main thing is how the provisions of this document will be implemented in practice: “It’s a rather predictable resolution. But it is not clear whether the EU leadership and individual states would resort to more effective measures, because now it is evident that the situation has come to a very dangerous line. The Belarusian authorities have adapted to those words said about them by the EU, by individual countries, by the USA, and do not react to those unfavourable accounts of them. That is why more effectual measures are needed, and a discussion concerning what could influence the situation in Belarus. These could be measures aimed against separate officials, the highest leadership of Belarus,” Sannikov said in his interview to Radio Svaboda.
The only non-governmental social and political Belarusian daily "Narodnaya vola" is under the threat of closure these days. The newspaper editorial received official notifications from the "Chyrvonaya zorka" State Printing House as well as the "Belsayuzdruk", "Minablsayuzdruk" and "Minharsayuzdruk" National Unitary Enterprises on September 28. The state-owned printing and selling enterprises informed the "Narodnaya vola" editorial about the unilateral pre-term repudiation of contracts with the newspaper since October 01, 2005. Consequently, the daily editorial`s activity can be paralyzed within the next few days.
The Belarusian state authorities delivered the severest attack on the independent press recently. The only Belarusian non-governmental daily "Narodnaya vola" is under the threat of closure these days. It appears most probable that dozens of thousands of its readers won`t be able to receive their favorite periodical starting from October 01, 2005.
The Belarusian State Security Committee`s deputy chairman said Thursday that the committee would prevent any attempt at destabilization or a revolution in the country.
Cuba, Syria and Belarus joined the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board yesterday, bolstering the ranks of countries expected to oppose any decision to refer Iran to the UN Security Council in November.
The European Union strongly condemned the Belarus government`s conduct on Thursday, in particular its attempts to crush all opponents to the hardline regime of Alexander Lukashenko. In a resolution, the deputies denounced the regime`s maltreatment of prisoners and what it said was the increasing number of arbitrary arrests being carried out by security forces.
The government was also blamed for a series of incidents in which opponents were persecuted or disappeared.
Pastor Ernst Sabilo – who spent 13 years in Soviet labour camps for his faith – has pledged that the Belarusian Evangelical Church he leads in the capital Minsk will continue to meet for worship despite the liquidation of its legal status by the city court on 20 September. Belarus` restrictive 2002 religion law bans unregistered religious activity. "They could fine us for gathering – but we have no other option," Sabilo told Forum 18 News Service. The liquidation came a month after the same court liquidated a Calvinist church. A whole range of other religious communities which failed to gain re-registration by the deadline remain in legal limbo, Forum 18 has found. The pastor of a Protestant church in Minsk region denied re-registration and ordered to "liquidate itself" told Forum 18 he is optimistic a new registration application will be successful.
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