Chairman of Russian State Duma, a country presiding in the G8, Boris Gryzlov, states that Russian leadership is convinced of “victory” of Belarusian dictator at the presidential elections in Belarus. “If I am from Moscow, and I am sure, I can say “yes”, Boris Gryzlov noted, answering the question about Russian leadership’s certitude about Lukashenka’s “victory” in the presidential race. “It is pleasant that we are always forming a united front, united force, asserting our common interests,” the head of the State Duma of the Russian federation said. Gryzlov had not expressed any concern over today’s repressions against presidential candidates and members of their teams.
10,000 Belarusians have gathered today to meet with the single democratic candidate of democratic forces, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, on Svaboda (Freedom) Square in Minsk. Thousands of interior troops, SWAT, riots police officers, have been drawn to the city. The square was blocked off by people in mufti and policemen. Despite of that Alyaksandr Milinkevich and members of his team delivered speeches at the stairs of the sports center “Labour Reserves”. Alyaksandr Milinkevich called upon people not to have fear, as actions of law-enforcing agencies are illegal. They are violating both Criminal and Electoral Code by preventing people to meet with the candidate for presidency. Milinkevich urged to come to Kastrychnitskaya (October) Square in Minsk on March 19, at 8 p.m., to sum up the results of the presidential elections. The single candidate took off a blue scarf and said: “Like the Zubr leader Mikita Sasim, when he was beaten up during a peaceful action on September 16, put up a jeans shirt instead of a flag, I want to put up my blue scarf and say: blue is our colour!”
He is standing on the porch of the house of Physical culture. Thousands of people have gathered around him. They are chanting: “Milinkevich!”, “Ling live Belarus!”. The avenue is cordoned off by officers of internal troops, SWAT and riot policemen. They are trying to intimidate people, taking threatening attitude, rattling by truncheons on their shields. People are sneering and are not going to go away. They are chanting: “Freedom!”. Alyaksandr Milinkevich is going to deliver a speech.
The head of Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s campaign headquarters Syarhei Kalyakin called upon people to go along the streets to a Sports Palace in Masherau (Victor’s) Avenue. People are moving slowly to the Palace of Sports. The single candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich is to arrive there and hold a meeting.
Presidential hopeful Alyaksandr Kazulin was released from the police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk. According to some information, he is going to come to Svaboda square as well.
People are chanting “Milinkevich!”, “Freedom! Truth! Justice!”, “Long live Belarus!”. People are holding streamers, slogans and his portraits, national white-red-white flags. Cars passing by are giving a honk as a sing of support. The head of Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s campaign headquarters Syarhei Kalyakin has arrived to the square. Alyaksandr Milinkevich is on his way to the square now.
Svaboda Square (Freedom Square), where a meeting of the single democratic candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich was to take place today, is cordoned off by hundreds of law-enforcers in plainclothes. SWAT commander Dzmitry Paulichenka, suspected of Belarusian journalist and oppositionists’ abductions and murders by international community, is present at the square. He has beaten up a candidate for presidency, former BSU rector Alyaksandr Kazulin, today. In spite of the cordons, thousands of people are approaching the square. OSCE observation mission are present there.
Directorate General of Minsk City Executive Committee Interior Affairs Department unofficially confirmed the fact of shooting by a policeman near the police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk, in Fabrytsyus Street. However, the police Directorate General stated that the prosecutor’s office is to give legal assessment of using a gun by a policeman.
Aleh Ulevich was making pictures of people’s arrests by the police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk, where Alyaksandr Kazulin is kept now.
The prosecutor’s office of Belarus has made a statement about today’s beating of presidential candidate, ex-rector of the BSU Alyaksandr Kazulin’s battery by law-enforcers in mufti. First deputy prosecutor in Minsk, Mikalay Staravojtau, cynically charged the candidate with causing an affray and told that allegedly he destroyed Lukashenka’s portrait in a police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk.
Alyaksandr Kazulin was given a possibility to give a ring, no longer than 2 seconds. He told that his state of health is tolerable. He really had been hit on kidney, in order not to leave traces, the press service of the candidate for presidency informed.
Law enforcement officers have started shooting at a car with activists of the headquarters of presidential hopeful Alyaksandr Kazulin. As the BelaPAN was told by one of the witnesses, who asked not to disclose him, an incident has taken place at about 11.45 a.m. not far from Kastrychnitski police department (Fabritsius Street) in Minsk. Injured candidate for presidency Alyaksandr Kazulin had been taken there earlier. A car with three young men approached the police department. One more member of Kazulin’s team mounted the car. He had a photo camera with pictures made during arrest of 20 activists of the headquarters by the building of the police department. Policemen tried to penetrate the car after him, but the young men closed the doors and tried to escape. Then one of the law-enforcers took a gun and sent a bullet in a windscreen and a tyre of the car. The young men turned round the corner of the building, dismounted from the car and left the place of occurrence.
Despite oft the arrests, dozens of people stay in front of Kastrychnitski police department. They demand release of presidential hopeful, former rector of the Belarusian State University Alyaksandr Kazulin. Today, as we have informed, about 20 people, Kazulin’s supporters and journalists, have been already arrested there. Many of them are seriously injured. Unknown people in mufti, supposedly law-enforcement agencies’ officers, fired at the car, where a man with a video camera filmed illegal detentions of people. The Charter’97 press center was told about that by A.Kazulin’s wife Iryna and a member of his campaign headquarters Aleh Vouchak.
An ambulance arrived to a police department of Kastrychnitski district. Doctors and policemen refused to inform about the problem with his health, but confirmed that it had been called in for him. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that by Kazulin’s press secretary Nina Shydlouskaya. As said by witnesses, Kazulin had been beaten up by SWAT commander Dzmitry Paulichenka, one of the suspects in abductions and murders of Belarusian opposition’s leaders and a journalist. Except Kazulin, members of his team Myachyslau Hryb, Valery Fralou, Aleh Vouchak and journalists being there were beaten.
As the Radio Svaboda informs, during the arrest by the police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk, two activists of Kazulin’s team were beaten up by police harshly. Ivan Labkovich’s ribs are fractured, Uladzimir Sevyaryn’s ribs are fractured and head injured. A reporter of the daily “Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus” Aleh Ulevich and Kazulin’s press service representative Andrei Maksimau have been beaten up and detained. A cameraman of Reuter’s agency Dmitry Madorski, injured during an incident by the Palace of railway Workers, is placed to the 10th hospital of Minsk. His eyeball is injured.
The Charter’97 web-site has been attacked after the news about battery of presidential hopeful Alyaksandr Kazulin. As said by the administrator of the server, the site is being blocked by one of the DOS-attacks’ types. The difficulty is that the attackers simulate attacks that resemble usual viewers’ requests. It makes blocking of such requests difficult. Technologically it many look like a work of a Trojan virus, which comes to the site and acts like a client. The attack is carried out from 2,628 unique IDs. As a result, the server cannot manage to process excess of queries, and blocks the access to the site. Simultaneously attempts to crack the site.
Near the police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk, where the detained candidate for presidency Alyaksandr Kazulin in placed, a car was attacked by fire. The car was going by the police department building and filmed detentions of Kazulin’s supporters. This information is confirmed by the wife of the candidate, Iryna Kazulina, and a representative of Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s team Aleh Vouchak.
About 60 persons are arrested in Minsk today. 20 people were seized in front of the building of police department of Kastrychnitski police department. About 40 people were detained in the Svaboda Square in Minsk. People were waiting for Kazulin there, to come to the Palace of Republic, where a so-called “All-Belarusian people’s assembly”. The Kastrychnitskaya (October) Square is cordoned off by law-enforcers, who do not allow anybody to enter the square. The planned “popular approval” of Lukashenka at the so-called “all-Belarusian assembly” has failed. The authorities are stricken with fear and panic.
Delegation of the Russian State Duma, a country, presiding in the G8, headed by the speaker of the lower chamber of Russian parliament, Barys Gryzlou, is to take part in the session of the so-called “All-Belarusian people’s assembly” which opens today in Minsk. It is interesting how the speaker of the state, which makes a claim for being a part of the G8, would react to beating up a presidential hopeful, ex-rector of the Belarusian State University Alyaksandr Kazulin, by law-enforcers? Or would he close the eyes to that, as to other abundant violations of rights and freedoms in Belarus?
Unknown people in mufti have seized people standing by the building of Kastrychnitski police department of Minsk, where the presidential hopeful Alyaksandr Kazulin remains at the moment. It is known that people were seized by unknown people in plainclothes and packed in buses with tinted windows. A wife and children of Kazulin were let go. His brother and a lawyer Ihar Runkevich were detained. Among the detainees is a press photographer of the “Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus”.
A TV cameraman of Reuters agency, beaten up in the Palace of Railway Workers today, had to address to a hospital. It is known that when a cameraman filmed a battery and arrest of the candidate for presidency, former BSU rector Alyaksandr Kazulin, was hit several times by unknown people in mufti.
A presidential hopeful, former BSU rector Alyaksandr Kazulin is in the building of Kastrychnitski district police department of Minsk at the moment. His wife and children, members of his team and journalists are not allowed to go to him. Only a lawyer Dzmitry Harachka was allowed to enter the building of the police department.
Today candidate for presidency in Belarus, Alyaksandr Kazulin has been brutally beaten up by people in mufti, allegedly officers of the Interior Troops brigade SWAT (SOBR). He was beaten during the attempt to register in the Palace of Railway Workers as a participant in the so-called “all-Belarusian assembly”. Witnesses say that Kazulin was beaten up personally by SWAT commander Dzmitry Paulichenka, suspected of Belarusian journalist and oppositionists’ abductions and murders by international community. Paulichenka, by the way, is one of the candidates of the “all-Belarusian assembly”. Members of Kazulin’s team Myachyslau Hryb, Valery Fralou, Aleh Vouchak and some journalists were beaten as well. It is known that TV cameraman of the Reuters has been seriously injured.
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