Aleksandr Milinkevich, the Belarusian opposition`s common presidential candidate elected at a congress early this month, said he will not copy methods of the incumbent in his election campaign. "Sincerity and honesty is what our people need now. They are tired of lies," Mr. Milinkevich said in an interview published in the October 20 issue of the Russian newspaper Novyye Izvestiya.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez Araque is expected to be on a visit to Belarus on October 21 and 22 at the invitation of his Belarusian counterpart, Sergei Martynov. This will be the first visit of a Venezuelan foreign minister to Belarus since the two countries established diplomatic relations in February 1997, said the press office of the Belarusian foreign ministry.
The Prosecutor’s Office has not launch a probe into the death of a string correspondent of the “Narodnaya Volya” newspaper Vasil Hrodnikau. The Radio Svaboda correspondent was told about that by an investigator of Minsk regional prosecutor’s office Dzmitry Kirylchyk. “Testimony of witnesses and first results of examinations do not give reasons for bringing up a criminal action. I will ask for extending the time of examination for two-three weeks, and then we’ll decide,” Dzmitry Kirylchyk said.
Today Lukashenka stated that he won’t withdraw his application at the presidential elections, unless the people ask him to do so. “I won’t withdraw my candidature myself. You must say: Lukashenka, it’s enough!” the head of the state told, addressing the dwellers of Loeu, during his working visit to Homel region.
The participants of the Youth Forum, detained at the Minsk-Hrodna highway today, were released after identity check. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that by the head of Valozhyn police department, police Lieutenant Colonel Sinyavski.
On October 16 Belarusians of Belgium joined to Day of solidarity with those who fight for freedom of Belarus. A candle was lit in Belarusian church in Antwerpten during mess. The candle symbolized hearts burning with love to Belarus and aspiration to freedom it reminded about duty of every Belarusian to fight for freedom of motherland. The believers prayed for victims of repressions of Belarusian regime.
In the evening on October 20 in Hrodna a journalist and activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus Anrzej Poczobutt was detained by police. At about 9.30 p.m. he was served a written undertaking not to leave the place. A.Poczobutt informed about that to the “Belarusian Association of Journalists” on October 21 in the morning.
Representatives of youth non-governmental organizations, who were driving from Minsk to Hrodna to take part in the Youth Forum, were detained by officers of the Road patrol service of the State car inspection of Minsk regional executive committee under a pretext of vehicle inspection. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that in the police department of Valozhyn, where the detained are kept at the moment. We continue following the situation.
At present about 30 representatives of youth non-governmental organizations of Belarus are detained by policemen in the town of Valozhyn. About an hour ago 3 minibuses with young people were detained at the road Minsk-Hrodna. Representatives of the civil society were heading for Hrodna for holding the first democratic Youth Forum. At this stage it is known that policemen of Valozhyn are carrying out verification of the identity of the young people, and are searching minibuses. As said by the representatives of police, “explosives can be found in the minibuses”.
The Justice Ministry of Belarus has finished inspection of the activities of the Belarusian Trade union of Aviation workers, the Free Trade Union of Metalworkers, the Free Trade Union of Belarus, the Trade Union of Power, Fuel Industry and Electrical engineering’s workers, the Independent Trade Union of Miners, Chemists, Refiners, Power Engineers, Builders and other workers, the Democratic Trade Union of transport workers.
New York, October 20, 2005-Vasily Grodnikov, a freelancer who wrote for the Minsk opposition newspaper Narodnaya Volya, was found dead with a head wound in his apartment outside Minsk on Monday, local and international news agencies reported. CPJ is seeking to determine whether Grodnikov, 66, was murdered in retaliation for his journalistic work.
A Belarusian opposition journalist has been found dead in suspicious circumstances, prompting EU efforts to find out if the incident represents Minsk`s latest attempt to gag independent media in the country.
Since 2003 the independent periodical "BDG. Delovaia gazeta" has operated in still worse conditions than the Narodnaia volia, claims Radio Liberty. The BDG can not only be printed in Belarus and or distributed through newspaper kiosks. They also lost the right to subscription through the Belposhta system.
"Belarusian opposition against Lukashenka", that was the title of the last page of dozens of the local papers that came out in Poland last week. This action devoted to the situation in Belarus was staged by the Polish Association of the Local Press.
KGB officials intend to establish an observation over the private house of single candidate Alexander Milinkevich in Bershty village of Shchuchyn region. According to press-service of single candidate, they received the information from one of the representatives of local authorities, who asked not to reveal his name.
A Russian-Belarussian commission will by mid-November complete drafting the constitution of the Russia-Belarus Union, a document that would pave the way for creating the union`s executive and legislative bodies, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said Thursday.
Russia-Belarus Union State will not to hold a constitution referendum in 2005, head of the Central Elections Commission Alexander Veshnyakov reported today in Moscow, commenting on the results of a meeting of joint commission in charge of the draft Constitution Act. Co-chairmen of the commission, State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov, and the deputy speaker of the Belarusian parliament`s lower chamber, Vladimir Konoplev, should submit the draft for the Supreme State Council`s consideration no later than mid-November 2005, Veshnyakov stated. After that, the document may be sent for revision or the referendum will be held. Veshnyakov did not give specific dates for the referendum.
The referendum on the Constitutional Act of the Belarus-Russia Union State will be held at the end of 2006, State Secretary of the Union State Pavel Borodin stated after the Moscow meeting of the joint Belarusian-Russian commission for drafting the Union State’s Constitution.
A delegation of the Belarusian parliament took part in a conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held in Geneva. As BelTA was informed in the press service of the foreign ministry of Belarus, at a plenary meeting head of the delegation deputy chair of the Chamber of Representatives Sergei Zabolotets gave a report “Migration and Development” to inform its participants about efforts made by Belarus to fight illegal migration, the republic’s position concerning influence of migration processes upon socio-economic development of countries.
The journey of the prisoner of Ivatsevichy colony, leader of the Strike Committee of Vendors Valery Levaneuski from Ivatsevichy to Minks prison hospital has lasted for three days. After a several hunger strikes of protest Valery Levaneuski felt a pain in heart and in back, and administration of Ivatsevichy colony agreed that he needs hospitalization. However, there was no indulgence in the transportation regime for the sick Levaneuski. “He left from Ivatsevichy to Minsk on October 15, and he wrote a letter on October 18 that he arrived. So the trip from Ivatsevichy to Minsk has taken three days,” told his son Uladzimir Levaneuski.
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