The political council of democratic forces of Belarus has supported the initiative for establishing a Public Tribunal for investigation of abductions and deaths of prominent oppositionists. As Rosbalt informs, this idea has been initiated by Liudmila Karpenka, the widow of the former Vice Speaker of the Belarusian Parliament Henadz Karpenka, who departed this life six and a half years ago in mysterious circumstances, as opposition and family allege.

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Anatol Lyabedzka takes charge of the National Committee, and Syarhei Kalyakin – electoral headquarters of the single democratic candidate in the presidential race in 2006. Thus, the two key figures in the team of Alyaksandr Milinkevich are named. What would their work look like?

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The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Sub-Committee on Human Rights, meeting in Geneva today, invited its Chairman, Christos Pourgourides (Cyprus, EPP/CD) to express its full support for the peaceful “Day of Solidarity” with the families and friends of four missing opposition activists and journalists: Yuri Zakharenko, Victor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovski and Dmitri Zavadski. Grassroots initiatives such as “We Remember”, “We Want to Know the Truth”, “Free Belarus”, and “Zubr” are calling on citizens in Belarus to show their solidarity by switching off their lights on Sunday 16 October at 8 pm and to place a candle in their window.

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Representatives of the Polish ethnic minority have commented on the return of the Polish ambassador to Belarus, Tadeusz Pawlak, to Minsk. The Polish Foreign Ministry recalled the diplomat to Warsaw for consultations on 28 July amid a Polish-Belarusian diplomatic conflict caused by the situation round the Union of Poles in Belarus [UPB]. Pawlak returned to Minsk and took office on 11 October.

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A panel of judges of the Grodno Regional Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal filed by an activist of the Union of Belarusian Poles (UBP) against a foreign travel ban. A judge of Grodno`s Leninsky District Court on July 27 barred Andrzej Poczobut, an ally of unrecognized UBP leader Anzelika Borys, from travelling abroad, accusing the activist of dodging a fine slapped on him for participation in an unauthorized demonstration.

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In the beginning of October the only Belarusian independent daily Narodnaya Volya did an impossible thing. Its subscribers got fresh newspaper copies in time, despite a preceding series of such severe blows that it would seem that the paper would not be able to survive.

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The Belarusian KGB (State Security Committee) is preparing an educational and semi-popular publication on history of the state security at the territory of the country.

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On October 12 the head of the Hrodna branch of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Paval Mazhejka has been served subpoena to appear as a witness in Shchuchyn police department.Mr. Mazhejka was sent a paper by post, and it is not indicated there in which case he is to be interrogated. But it is indicated that he can be taken to police department by force, or fined in case he would “maliciously evade” from testifying, Radio Svaboda informs.

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Family members have not seen Syarhei Skrabets for two months already, though officially meetings are allowed once a month. Former deputy and leader of the parliamentary group “Respublika” was arrested on May 15 this year.

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Police of the Tsentralny district of Minsk refused to initiate a criminal case against riot policemen, who beaten up Mikita Sasim, Zubr activist, on September 16. Mikita Sasim was detained during the street action on the anniversary of Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski, and beaten up on the way to police department.

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The world is witnessing "the swiftest advance of democratic institutions in history," President Bush declared recently. That prospect is troubling the Kremlin`s Karl Rove, who is hard at work on a plan to outflank the march of Western politics into Russia`s historical empire.

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The Belarussian opposition pinpointed key figures who are to unite, according to its plans, all political opponents of Alexander Lukashenko at the 2006 presidential elections.

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Polish-Belarus relations have not gained any momentum, and the Polish minority in Belarus is still under the watchful eye of the countr`y authorities while Poland is seen a country acting for the detriment of Belarus on US orders. But the Polish foreign ministry has nevertheless decided that the Polish ambassador to Minsk must return to his post.

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The head of subcommittee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Human rights, a MP from Cyprus Christos Pourgourides on behalf of the committee “go all out in support” of the idea of Belarusian civil society representatives to declare a Day of Solidarity with the repressed citizens and their families, the press-service of the Council of Europe informs.

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