On the evening of January 16 in many windows of Belarusian towns and cities the light will be switched off, and hundreds and thousands candles of our solidarity and freedom will be lit. “Dark cities, dark windows, where only burning candles are seen. This could become a mirror for us to see that we are really many,” a journalist Iryna Khalip said. In many countries and capitals of the world the solidarity with Belarus is to be expressed on this day. We call upon all, who would take part in the Day of Solidarity, to send photos of burning candles in dark windows made on December 16 evening, to the email address charter97@gmail.com. The pictures are to be published at our site. Let’s see that we are many!
The following accident happened to Tatsyana Kolyshava who lives in Minsk. On 13 January the postman of the local post office ¹13 brought Tatsyana’s ninety-one-year-old father Uladzimir Josefavich his pension. Before handing the money the postman asked him to sign in support of Lukashenka’s taking part in presidential elections.
In looks like forced collection of signatures in support of Alyaksandar Lukashenka is taking place in absolutely all state institutions. ‘Under the threat of losing their jobs employees of the preschool establishments for children of Moskovsky city district were compelled to give their signatures in support of Alyaksandar Lukashenka’, - informed us one of the readers of our site today.
The Secretary of the Central Electoral Commission Mikalai Lazavik informed "Deutsche Welle" that according to his sources the Belarusian government is planning to invite international observers. More specifically the missions of observers from OSCE and CIS. Alongside with this Mikalai Lazavik noted that he personally does not have any illusions as to the objectivity of the observers of BDIHR OSCE. "Frankly speaking after the BDIHR OSCE report on the conduct of the parliamentary elections and referendum (2004), I thought they should not be invited any more. They did not only allow bias but also inappropriate egregious attacks on our country. They called white "black", - clarified the CEC secretary.
The Supreme Court overruled the motion of the ex-deputy of the Belarusian Parliament Syarhei Skrebets about the challenge of the participants of the court proceeding. According to Interfax the court mentioned insufficient statement of motivation of Skrebets’ claims as the reason for the decision.
On December 16, on the Day of Belarusian Solidarity, in the building of the church “New Life” (Kavalyou Street, 72) at 7 p.m. a prayer service would take place. It would be devoted to all suffering for truth, an internet-site of the church informs.
Students of Maxim Tank Belarusian State Teachers-training University have written a letter to the Charter’97 press center. They tell about an incident which is absolutely unprecedented in its lawlessness. Not only heads of faculties, but even officers of law-enforcing agencies are compelling the students of the university to give signatures in support of Lukashenka’s nomination for presidential race. One of the students who had refused to sigh was even beaten by them. We offer you the full text of the letter:
On January 16 at 7 p.m. movement “My” is to carry out a protest by the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow (Marosejka, 17/6, metro station Kitaj-gorod). The action is dedicated to the Day of Solidarity. “On this day we pay a tribute to the victims of Lukashenka’s regime: oppositionists disappeared without traces, independently thinking citizens of Belarus. We shall gather by the Embassy with candles and portraits of the victims of totalitarian system. Analogous rallies are to be held in other countries of Trans-national democratic network,” the statement of the movement reads.
Today, at January 16, an action of solidarity with Belarusian democrats is to take place in Kyiv, “Maidan” internet source informs. It is expected that at 7 p.m. a march would start in Khreschatyk. Participants are to carry portraits of Belarusian oppositionists and national white-red-white flags of Belarus. Candles will be lit at Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square). Te organizers also say that “the rally will be accompanied by the songs of Belarusian rock-bands prohibited in Belarus).
By the end of January 15, 2006, as the press-service of Alyaksandr Milinkevich campaign headquarters informs, 140, 427 signatures have been collected in support of the candidate of democratic forces Alyaksandr Milinkevich.
Police in Minsk have arrested nine Russian and two Belarusian human-rights activists on charges of painting opposition graffiti on a wall. The 11 members of the "We" (Myi) organization were detained late on 14 January and are being held in the regional police station in the Belarusian capital. If found guilty, they could be imprisoned for up to five years.
The police brought a criminal case against the leader of Zhodzina branch of Malady Front, the activist of the initiative group of Aliaksandr Milinkevich Pavel Krasouski for alleged insult of duty officials. Before that the police searched his flat and took away all information carriers. The reason for the criminal case became the publication in Naziralnik – the newspaper that Mr. Krasouski issued. The last numbers of this newspaper, the circulation of which is 299 copies (maximally allowed circulation for unregistered editions) were devoted to the upcoming presidential election.
When Aleksandr Lukashenko, the authoritarian ruler of the former Soviet republic of Belarus, met Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin leader’s Black Sea residence shortly before Christmas, there was no disguising the Russian president’s influence over his erratic neighbour. While Putin appeared relaxed as they made small talk for the television cameras in an oak-panelled reception room, the man described as Europe’s last dictator was clearly impatient to be left alone with his host.
The print-run of the independent regional newspaper Volny Horad was transported to the Belarusian town of Krychau from the printing house, situated in Smolensk (Russia). The formal reason for the detention of the load was that the real number of the carried copies exceeded the number stated in the newspaper’s issue data. However, the editorial office states that the real reason was that the number contained materials about the upcoming presidential election.
In November 2005 the administration of the Belarusian State Economic University remanded Tatsiana Khoma after the student visited France and was elected to the council of the ESIB (the National Units of Students in Europe).
Alexander Lukashenko accused the United States and Europe of hindering his country`s efforts to join the World Trade Organization, the authoritarian leader`s latest criticism of the West.
On September 16, 1999 in Belarus a vice-speaker of the Supreme Soviet Viktar Hanchar and his friend businessman Anatoly Krasouski were abducted. The fates of the former Minister of Internal Affairs Yury Zakharanka and a cameraman of the ORT channel Dzmitry Zavadsky are unknown as well. After an independent international investigation high-ranking officials were suspected of involvement in these crimes. Representatives of the civil society of Belarus proposed holding Days of Solidarity in the country. They called upon the citizens SIMPLY TO SWITCH OFF THE LIGHT at 8 p.m. on the 16th day of every month, and to light candles of Freedom for 15 minutes, as a sign of solidarity with political prisoners, disappeared oppositionists, their families, and independent journalists, with all who fight for freedom and democracy in Belarus. “We are to hold such actions regularly. Free people would see that they are many, that they are a power,” said a wife of Anatol Krasouski, Iryna Krasouskaya, a leader of the civil initiative “We Remember”.
Dear Colleagues. Remember, please, you are expected to refer to the Charter`97 Press Center when using the site materials. News export , javascript-informer
, javascript-informer
