The right of presidential candidates for meetings with voters guaranteed by the Electoral Code of Belarus is violated. On March 12 in Minsk during the meeting with the presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich more than 10 citizens of Belarus and 6 citizens of Ukraine were detained. On March 13 they have stood trial on charges relating participation in unsanctioned mass assembly. “It is a total lawlessness that demonstrates the authorities’ dread of the unavoidable changes. I am together with these people, I deeply feel for them and support them with all my heart. I promise that I shall fight for their freedom and freedom of our people,” told the single democratic presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich, commenting on the today’s trials over his supporters to the Charter’97 press centre.
The campaign team of opposition presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich has applied to the Minsk city government for permission to stage a rock concert and a rally in Nations` Friendship Park near Bangalore Square in Minsk on March 18.
Andrei Klimov, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation, serving the sentence of corrective labour in the settlement of Barshchouka, Rechytsa district, Homel region, is sentenced to 7 days of arrest by the district court. The political prisoner had been presented false charge of insulting officers of the commandant office. He was taken to Rechytsa and hastily convicted. Te verdict was passed by judge Taisia Kulkova. “They are afraid of me even here, while I’m serving the sentence, so they decided to imprison me. The authorities show their great insecurity. It means we are bound to win,” Andrei Klimov said to the Charter’97 press center on the phone.
Administrative cases of detained participants of the meeting with presidential hopeful Alyaksandr Milinkevich are tried in the court of Frunzenski district of Minsk. Citizens of Ukraine were to stand trial first.
The Belarusian authorities refused to issue entrance visas to all 7 deputies of the Eurian parliament, who planned to come to Belarus to the presidential elections as observers, the Radio Svaboda informs.
The single democratic presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich has visited the special pre-trial detention centre of the Minsk city executive committee in Akrestsyn Street. The single candidate for presidency came to express support to the people who had been arrested during the meetings of Milinkevich with voters, and with Zubr activists arerested in the run-up to the elections.
An opposition activist in Vitebsk who has staged daily protests to call for a boycott of the coming presidential election was slapped with another fine on March 10, bringing to more than $2,700 the total amount of penalties imposed on him by a district court in two days.
In the run-up to presidential elections in Belarus concerts agitating for the last dictator of Europe were organized. Greater part Belarusian pop musicians and part of Russian ones have taken part in them. We offer the list of these “artists” who had forgotten honour and conscience, and took part in the performance in support of the dictator. Their names are be part of history The list:
Smolensk printing industrial complex cancelled a contract with Belarusian independent newspapers “Narodnaya Volya”, “Tovarisch” and “BDG. Delovaya Gazeta”. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that by the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Tovarisch” Syarhei Vaznyak. These newspapers with platforms of democratic candidates Alyaksandr Milinkevich and Alyaksandr Kazulin were distributed for free all over the country.
On March 12 the chairman of the National Committee and the election agent of the single democratic presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Anatol Lyabedzka, held meetings with voters in Ashmyany, Smarhon and Astravets. As the United Civil party press service informs, everywhere assembly halls were filled to capacity.
Please, consider the schedule of meetings of Alyaxandr Milinkevich, the united democratic forces candidate for the President’s post, with voters of the Minsk city.
The arrival of Polish producer, Oscar winner Andrzej Wajda encouraged the people who gathered on Sunday in Warsaw for the rock-concert, organized by Polish and Belarusian musicians to support the Belarusian opposition one week before the Presidential election in Belarus. “You do the right thing”, - 50-year old Wajda said to the 5-thousand audience of the concert, where Polish and Belarusian people were singing the songs of the Ukrainian Orange revolution and Polish trade union “Solidarność”.
More and more people all over Belarus support the jeans solidarity before near changes. Thus, a great number of jeans ribbons - symbol of aspiration to freedom - were tied along the central pedestrian street of Magilou. Ribbons appear in different places. For examples, jeans tissue is fixed to the white-red-white ribbon that fences a restoration place, which is rather symbolic. Jeans appears in other places of the city.
A community was created in the blog service livejournal.com to help to find lodgings for people arriving to Minsk on March 19. The participants can offer a place or ask for help for the period of presidential elections. Not only users of livejournal accounts, but anonymous users may take part in the community.
The candidate for presidency, a former rector of the Belarusian State University Alyaksandr Kazulin states that the upcoming presidential elections would be rigged, and urges the Belarusians to come to October Square in Minsk on March 19 at 8 p.m. “Today we urge the Belarusians to take to the streets of Minsk on March 19. Many people will do that, and not only in Minsk, but all over the country,” Kazulin said at a press-conference in Moscow. It would be a completely peaceful meeting, he said. “Today we are carrying our work to prevent provocations. Those who would take to the streets will have peaceful intentions,” Kazulin said.
The single democratic presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich promises not to repress Alyaksandr Lukashenka in case it would be established he had not committed crimes. “We have investigative authorities and court, and if Lukashenka had not committed crimes, he would not be repressed,” Milinkevich said, as Interfax informs. As said by the candidate of the united opposition forces, he is even ready to help Lukashenka to withdraw from his office.
Several thousands of people have taken part in the concert “Solidary with Belarus” on March 12 in Warsaw. Te concert has become a sign of support of the Belarusian opposition in the run-up to the presidential elections” and has become a beginning of the “Week of Solidarity with Belarus”.
Protest sentiments of young people in Belarus are growing. With every day activists of the youth resistance movemetn Zubr are distributing hundreds thousands of copies of informational materials. New graffiti, streamers and jeans ribbons are emerging with every day.
600 electioneers for the single democratic presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich have went out to the streets of Minks now. Milinkevich’s headquarters activists disseminate informational materials about the single candidate, his platform, and carry out a door-to-door campaign. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that by the head of Minsk city headquaretsr of the single candidate Valyantsina Palevikova. Besides, election agents of A. Milinkevich are to meet with voters in Minsk today.
On March 14 at 6 p.m. a mass meeting with voters of the single democratic presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich will be held in the center of Homel. City authorities have given permission for the meeting of the single democratic candidate on the Central Stadium of Homel, by Uprising Square. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that by the head of Homel regional headquarters of the single democratic candidate Uladzimir Katsora.
Anatoly Lebedko keeps a bouquet of miniature flags next to his office desk, including one that commemorates the Orange Revolution in neighboring Ukraine. For him, an opposition politician in Belarus, a country seemingly trapped in Soviet-style politics, the flag is a reminder that the impossible sometimes is possible.
“Our Ukraine” bloc states that the incident with detention of 5th Channel reporters in Belarus while they were covering election campaign, is indecorous not only with respect to the reporters, but to the world community as well, which has a right for receiving information from different parts of the planet.
The political prisoner, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 12th convocation Andrei Klimov addressed the Belarusian nation on the eve of the presidential elections. The politician urged the Belarusians to gather in Minsk on October Square on March 19 at 8 p.m. to defend the results of the vote. “I address all Minsk dwellers, who know me and share my views. On March 19 I ask you to come to the square to defend your votes, cast in polling stations against Lukashenka’s regime. If there would be more people gathered at the square than Shklou’s mercenaries, the regime is to fall on the night from March 19 to 20, and you would be able to release your city from kolkhoz bondage at last, and to return a status of a European capital to it. March 19 is to become a day of victory not only of the candidate for presidency only, but of the Belarusian nation in general. Long live Belarus, long live the hero city!” Andrei Klimov said.
A streamer with the words: “Where is Money, Sasha [Alyaksandr]?” was put up in Minsk over a busy crossing by the railway station in Minsk. The streamer was placed by activists of the youth resistance movement Zubr. Thousands of drivers and passengers of public transport, passers-by have become witnesses of this action. The young people are interested where is the money received by the Belarusian regime, for instance from arms trade with rogue countries, and what is the size of the so-called presidential fund. Only Lukashenka’s wealth has grown for the last 12 years. Even officially his salary has increased 12 times, while common people’s salaries have grown only 3 times, according to official data.
Todat at 3 p.m. the single democratic presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich plans to visit the special detention centre in Akrestsyn Street in Minsk. The leader of the Belarusian opposition plans to bring food packages to political prisoners, illegally arrested for participation in the meeting of the candidate with voters, and Zubr resistance movement activists subject to arbitrary arrests in the run-up to the presidential elections. “I want to support all illegally detained people. I Alyaksandr Milinkevich sure that all of them will be free soon. And our Belarus soon will be free. This lawlessness and arbitrary rule would never repeat in this country,” Alyaksandr Milinkevich said to the Charter’97 press center.
Several thousands of voters greeted Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s appearance in front of the Ice Palace in Minsk. The single democratic presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich told why it is almost impossible to find a place for meeting with voters in Minsk. “According to our information, no more than 12% of people are ready to support Alyaksandr Lukashenka ni the capital today,” Alyaksandr Milinkevich said.
Several thousands people have taken part in the concert “Solidarity With Belarus” on March 12 in Warsaw. Together with Polish groups, Belarusian groups having problems with organizing concerts in Belarus and which music is banned on Belarusian radio and TV: Lyavon Volski, Ihar Varashkevich, Alyaksandr Kulinkovich, Kasya Kamotskaya, Zmitser Vajtsiushkevich, and students of Yakub Kolas Lyceum, have taken part in the concert. According to the Polish TV, the concert has become a sign of support of the Belarusian opposition in the run-up to the presidential elections. The concert in the centre of Warsaw had started the “Week of Solidarity with Belarus”.
Poland’s Foreign Office press-secretary Pawel Dobrowolski reported that according to the information received by the Ministry, the Belausian powers will refuse to accredit Polish journalists.
Last summer, the Council of Europe issued a report urging Russia to cease treating "neighboring and other countries in the region as zones of special influence." The report urged Russia to "constructively contribute to resolution of open issues and cease with activities" that "undermine the countries` sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Ukrainian Embassy in Minsk still does not have exact information about whereabouts of the detained citizens of Ukraine. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that by Consul of the Ukrainian Embassy in Minsk Vasily Serdega. The Consul went to the court of Frunzenski district of Minsk, where the trials over the Ukrainians are to take place supposedly. The Ukrainian citizens, activists of public associations and journalists, were detained at the meeting of the presidential hopeful Alyaksandr Milinkevich with thousands of voters by the Ice Palace.
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