A businessman from Vaukavysk Mikalay Autukhovich is still kept in pre-trial detention center. He continues his hunger-strike of protest. Meanwhile, different rumours are in the air in Vaukavysk about his wife, Elena. Shortly before these events, she had gone to relatives, and has not returned yet. Underage daughter of the Autukhovichs lives by her grandmother and grandfather.
On November 7 in Babrujsk more than 10 monuments and busts of Lenin were covered by orange paint. Housing and municipal services’ workers had to clean out the paint hastily, as on the same day local Communists were holding a wide celebration of the 88th anniversary of October revolution.
White-red-white flag was hanged over on one of the balconies on Pritytsky street in Minsk. At that time Lukashenka’s convoy was there. In several minutes policemen tried to break the door to flat of “Zubr” activist Zmitser Holubeu. The flag was hanged on his balcony. Policemen did not succeed and tried to take the flag down from another balcony but neighbors refused to let them in as well. But the policemen did not give up until Lukashenka left. Then they just left too.
The situation in Belarus is expected to be under discussion at a meeting between the Russian government and the European Union`s Troika scheduled to take place in Moscow on November 9.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Artis Pabriks believes that establishing joint policy on Belarus on the part of the European Union (EU) is a positive move, as it places additional responsibility on each individual member in forming bilateral relations.
Mehdi Safari, Iran`s deputy foreign minister and special envoy for the Caspian Sea affairs, will be on a visit to Minsk on November 7 and 8 to meet with senior officials of the foreign and industry ministries.
Latvia is concerned that the human rights situation in Belarus is not improving, which Latvia will state at a meeting of the European Union`s General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on November 7.
Vladimir Konoplyov, chairman of the «House of Representatives» of the Belarusian «National Assembly», on November 4 received the newly appointed Chinese ambassador to Belarus, U Hunbin. Mr. Konoplyov expressed a high opinion of the current level of political and economic relations between the two countries, and thanked China for "all-round" support in the international arena.
Zubr coordinator Mikita Sasim has received a decision of the court of Maskouski district of Minsk. According to the court decision, the initiation of a civil case was denied to him. As we have informed, Mikita Sasim addressed a complaint against the actions of Minsk riot police unit on September 16. On that day Mikita Sasim was brutally beaten by riot policemen during disbanding of a protest rally timed to the day when Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski were abducted. Sasim was beaten up by riot policemen. Sasim was diagnosed a traumatic brain injury and brain concussion. “Actions of the court demonstrate reluctance of the authorities to take measures to investigate such incidents, incidents of tortures. It has become a tendency long ago,” the lawyer of the human rights center “Viasna”, Valyantsin Stefanovich believes.
The KGB (State Security Committee) exerts pressure on participants of the Day of Solidarity on November 16. A Zubr activist, a 5th-year student of Frantsysk Skaryna University of Homel, Aleh Petukh, was summoned to the dean’s office by a deputy dean on ideology work S.Khanenya. The conversation was taking place in presence of a “person in plainclothes” who had not introduced himself.
Two representatives of the Belarusian community in Antwerp announced their plan to begin a hunger strike in order to show their solidarity with the people of Belarus who struggle for democracy and freedom. The Charter’97 press-center was informed by the office of the Vice-President of the European Parliament Dr Janusz Onyszkiewicz. The Belarusians planned to start their action at 9 am on Tuesday, November 8th, on Place Shuman in Brussels.
Svyatlana Zavadskaya served with summons of the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk. On November 11 she is to be there as an applicant party of a complaint on denial to initiate criminal action”.
On Monday Extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador of Poland to Belarus Tadeusz Pawlak submit resignation, the press service of the Polish Foreign Ministry confirmed to RIA Novosti.
Belarusian human rights activists are going to propose Brussels a list of persons against whom visa sanctions are imposed. For that matter, human rights activists are preparing an address to the Ambassadors of the European countries in Minsk. Yesterday in Brussels EU Foreign Ministers approved a statement where they warn Belarus about a possibility of the sanctions, if the next elections would not be free and fair.
EU foreign ministers will hold an unprecedented hour-long discussion on Belarus to examine ways of putting pressure on the country to democratize. While no immediate sanctions will be announced, a draft declaration seen by RFE/RL says an existing visa ban affecting some top officials could be extended if the 2006 presidential elections are not free and fair. The EU also holds out the threat of an asset freeze.
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the Human Rights House Foundation, Human Rights Center “Viasna” and Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan deeply regret to note that Azerbaijani elections once again appear to have been grossly manipulated.
A Nazi war criminal serving two life sentences in Britain for involvement in the Belarus massacre of Jews in 1942 has died in prison at the age of 84, Reuters reported. Anthony Sawoniuk was the only person to be found guilty in Britain of Nazi war crimes. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1999 after being convicted of murdering 18 Jews in his home town of Domachevo in Belarus.
The European Union Monday said it was ready to punish responsible Minsk officials if they rig the 2006 presidential election in Belarus. EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels expressed their "deep concern at the deteriorating situation of human rights and political freedoms in Belarus." European Commission foreign policy chief Benito Ferrero Waldner told reporters the government of President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed "Europe`s last dictator," risked "further isolating itself from the international community" if it continued to deny its citizens basic human rights.
On November 11, First Deputy Prime Minister Stanislav Stashevskyi will visit Homel, Belarus, to negotiate mutual trade development with Belarus government. Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov made the statement, while opening a Saturday meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.
A delegation of Tajikistan`s trade union federation, led by the federation`s chairman, Murodali Salikhov, is staying in Belarus. During that November 3-7 visit paid at the invitation of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB), the delegation had a meeting with the FTUB leadership, which resulted in an agreement to share experience and cooperate in recuperating children and working people on the territory of the two countries, FTUB Press Secretary Irina Kaganets told BelaPAN.
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