“I would like to express my gratitude and admiration to the civil act of the Belarusian community representatives in Belgium, who declared a hunger strike in sympathy with the people of Belarus. These people are far away from Belarus now. However, they are not indifferent to the things that are taking place here. So they are trying to attract attention of the international community to the Belarusian question, making fair requests,” Svyatlana Zavadskaya, the wife of the disappeared journalist said to the Charter’97 press center, commenting on the hunger strike of the two representatives of the Belarusian community, which started in Brussels yesterday.

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In Barysau a journalist of an independent newspaper “Barysauskiya Naviny”, a human rights activist Ales Abramovich has been beaten up. His colleagues and like-minded people link this incident to his professional and civil activities.

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“Let God make elections in this countries as democratic as in Belarus,” - commented statement on Belarus made by EU Council on November 7 secretary of Central election commission of Belarus Mikalay Lazovik.

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The “Belposhta” (“Belpochta”) has not included the newspaper “Zgoda” into the subscription catalogue for the first half of the year-2006. The editorial office found out about that on November 8 from the letter of the acting director general of the enterprise Iryna Samsonava. As in the case with “Salidarnasts” and “Narodnaya Volya”, the “Belposhta” refers to an “economic inexpediency” of the further cooperation with the “ Zgoda”, the Belarusian Association of Journalists informs.

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A well-known Belarusian writer and public figure, Volha Ipatava, expressed her support to the Day of Solidarity. “I wpuld light a candle because I sympathize all those who struggle against the totalitarian system. I would light a candle to show my grief for the disappeared. And not only for them. Awful things are taking place with other people. Fro instance, a criminal case concerning the murder of Vasil Hrodnikau is closed; many facts relating this crime are hushed. Ideological opponents do not allow me to hold meetings with schoolchildren even in my native town, Beshankovichy. My heart aches because of that. Who could I fail to join those who struggle?” Volha Ipatava said.

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The Latvian ambassador to Belarus, Maira Mora, said in an interview with BelaPAN that she doubted Belarus` 2006 presidential election would be democratic. The country`s electoral regulations do not meet international standards, which the OSCE has repeatedly noted, said the ambassador. In addition, she said, the authorities have a suspicious attitude toward foreign observers.

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The independent newspapers “Narodnaya Volya” and “Salidarnasts” were not entered into the subscription catalogue for the first half of the year-2006. Since January 1, 2006 the republican unitary enterprise “Belposhta”, which distributes newspapers and magazines by subscription, stops cooperation with these newspapers. The BelaPAN was told about that by the editor-in-chief of the newspapers “Salidarnasts” Alyaksandr Starykevich and an editorial director of the newspaper “Narodnaya Volya” Svyatlana Kalinkina.

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Preparation to Day of solidarity that will be held on November 16 is taking place in Niasvizh. Leaflets and stickers with the information about it are distributed daily.

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On November 8 Tadeusz Gawin, the first chairman of the Union of Poles in Belarus (in 1990-2000) was summoned to a police department. An investigator asked him to recall how the money of the Union of Poles where distributed when he was the head of the organization. As said by Mr. Gawin, the investigator was mostly interested by the aid from abroad, assigned to children of Hrodna region. The interrogation was related to the investigation of the case related to the activities of Andzhelika Borys in the position of the Union of Poles’ chairman.

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The European Union is ready to impose sanctions against Belarus if the country`s 2006 elections fail to meet international norms, an EU commissioner said Wednesday. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU Commissioner for External Relations and the European Neighborhood Policy, told a Moscow news conference that the EU could expand the range of measures against Belarus to include freezing its foreign bank accounts.

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Belarusian authorities are doing their best to prevent dissemination of information about the Day of Solidarity. Yesterday nine activists of different oppositional organizations were detained for distribution of leaflets, stickers and newspapers. 10 activists were detained a day before. The reports have been drawn up against them for violation of the article 172 (violation of legislation on mass media) and 173 (unsanitary conditions creation) of the Administrative Code. Despite of the detentions, the preparation for the Day of Solidarity continues.

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The U.S. Department of State released the seventh Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, which examines the status of religious freedom around the world.

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Belarus backs the tendency on constructive cooperation with Iran, first deputy foreign minister Vasiliy Pugachev stated in the course of today’s meeting with special representative of the president of Iran, deputy head of the foreign political department Mehdi Safari. The Iranian guest is paying a working visit to Minsk.

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Mikalay Charhinets, the chairman of the Standing Committee on International Affairs and National Security of the upper chamber of illegitimate Belarusian “parliament”, was denied entry visa to the USA for participation in the UN General Assembly session in New York.

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