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Picket in Chicago: For Freedom and Democracy In Belarus
21:10, 17/03/2006
On March 16 a picket was held in Chicago under a slogan “For freedom and democracy in Belarus”. It was organized by a group of American supporters of democratic changes in Belarus, and was headed by James Mellinson, a theatre manager, art historian, an activist of the movement for human rights. The protest was held on March 16 in the afternoon in front of the building of Chicago office of Illinois Governor. Representatives of the Belarusian community and association “Zemlyaki” and other emigrant organizations have taken part in the protest. 
20:01, 17/03/2006
A protest demonstration was held on March 16, on the Day of Belarusian Solidarity, in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Washington. Representatives of Belarusian Diaspora and American public organizations have gathered under Belarusian national flags. Picketers have unfurled a giant jeans flag as a sign of solidarity with Belarus, where jeans has become a symbol of freedom and changes.
19:45, 17/03/2006
“Undoubtedly, no one has a right to prohibit holding demonstrations for the opposition. It is the basic human right, which should be observed in Belarus as well,” told Belarusian Ambassador to Poland Pavel Latushka in an interview to the Polish radio station TOK FM.
19:39, 17/03/2006
OSCE Chairman, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, is increasingly concerned about the situation in the run-up to Sunday`s Presidential election in Belarus. He condemns the harassment and arrests of opposition candidates and their supporters as well as other forms of intimidation by the Belarus authorities.
19:05, 17/03/2006
From Edinburgh to Skopje, Barcelona to Gothenburg, Members of Young European Federalists (JEF) have this morning successfully prevented statues from speaking freely in order to show their support to the citizens in Belarus whose voice is been silenced by Belarus` dictatorship. Young people from all over Europe made a statement in support of democracy in Belarus, and showed that the situation in Belarus is of concern for all.
19:01, 17/03/2006
The two opposition candidates in Belarus` presidential election have issued a joint statement urging the law enforcement officers to refrain from carrying out illegal orders that may provoke violence, arrests and bloodshed.
19:00, 17/03/2006
Belarusian students expelled for political reasons will be able to continue their studies at universities in foreign countries, said opposition presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich, according to his press office.
18:59, 17/03/2006
The Belarusian authorities on Wednesday denied visas to six Lithuanian MPs who planned to monitor the country`s presidential poll on Sunday. A total of 16 members of Lithuania`s Seimas had applied for Belarusian visas to observe the vote as part of the observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Lithuanian MP Vaclov Stankevic told BelaPAN.
18:58, 17/03/2006
Six opposition activists were apprehended as a result of a police raid on an apartment on Krasnaya Street in Minsk on March 17, prominent opposition leader Vyacheslav Sivchik told BelaPAN.
18:55, 17/03/2006
“Together with Alyaksandr Milinkevich we have stated that the electoral campaign in Belarus is carried out with gross violations of the law. Today the head of the CEC Lidziya Yarmoshyna is acting exclusively in favour of the one candidate, Lukashenka. The CEC, prosecutor’s offices and courts do not react to our numerous complaints about law violations. How can we trust Yarmoshyna, who besides had been appointed by Lukashenka? Yarmoshyna is out of place in the CEC,” told the presidential candidate, former rector of the Belarusian State University Alyaksandr Kazulin in an interview to the Chartyer’97 press center, commenting on the joint statement on non-confidence to the CEC, signed by him together with the democratic candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich.
18:43, 17/03/2006
Today the head of the Central Electoral Committee Lidziya Yarmoshyna has demonstrated journalists some “false” documents with her signature, concerning results of the presidential elections on March 19. Names of the four candidates for presidency and a number of votes in their support have been entered to the document demonstrated y Yarmoshyna. In particular, Milinkevich granted 51% of votes, Lukashenka 37%, A. Kazulin – 7.8%, S. Hajdukevich – 1.2%, the CEC informs.
18:29, 17/03/2006
On March 17 presidential candidates, the leader of the united democratic forces Alyaksandr Milinkevich and a former rector of the Belarusian State University Alyaksandr Kazulin signed two joint documents. The candidates signed an open address to force structures and the leadership of ministries and judicial system of the Republic of Belarus on inadmissibility non-admission of use of force on March 19, and demands of immediate release of all political prisoners and detained activists of the campaign. Besides, joint statement has been signed on distrust and dissolution of the Central Election Committee on Elections and Referenda.
18:25, 17/03/2006
Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), expressed his indignation and surprise at the warning of Belarusian Foreign Minister Martynov. He recalled that full responsibility for upholding the fundamental rights and guaranteeing the safety of the Belarusian population lies with the authorities of Belarus.
17:51, 17/03/2006, Zmitser Bandarenka, Charter’97 coordinator
The chairman of the KGB Sukharenka has demonstrated his unprofessionalism for two times. The both times, announcing that he has uncovered conspiracy of opposition, he didn’t bother to make it coherent. According to Sukharenka, opposition’s plot is based on results of exit-polls allegedly made up earlier. According to those exit-polls information, Milinkevich would have 53% of votes, and Lukashenka 41%.
16:51, 17/03/2006
Actions of solidarity with Belarus were held on March 16 in two dozens of cities of Poland. In Warsaw a great number of Poles and Belarusians gathered in the alley named after the legendary Polish trade union “Solidarity”. According to the participants of the protest, it symbolizes connection of Belarusian fight with dictatorship with Polish fight against communism.
15:10, 17/03/2006, Mikheil Saakashvili, «International Herald Tribune»
When Belarus holds its presidential election this Sunday, it will not only represent the most important vote in Europe this year, but will also be the most critical test to date of Europe`s tolerance towards dictatorship on its own continent.
14:43, 17/03/2006
More than 70 opposition activists were arrested and sentenced to short jail sentences in the last few days.
14:42, 17/03/2006
Judge Aksana Mikhnyuk at Belarus` Supreme Economic Court on March 17 ordered the closure of the Minsk-based independent newspaper Zhoda over alleged two violations of Article 5 of the media law. The same court suspended the newspaper on March 7 at the request of the information ministry.
14:41, 17/03/2006
The Belarusian authorities` move to deny nine Georgian lawmakers entry is lawful, Andrei Popov, spokesman for the Belarusian foreign ministry, told BelaPAN.
14:18, 17/03/2006
The campaign headquarters of the democratic candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich has received an email signed by officers of the law-enforcing agencies. “Dear presidential candidate” Most of the representatives of the law-enforcing agencies are for you, as everybody is tired of living for one day, tolerating rudeness and humiliation by persons over us who live like “lords”, when others are like rightless serfs,” the letter reads.
14:08, 17/03/2006
According to the numerous messages received by the UCP hot line, electoral legislature violations grew systematic in the Minsk universities. It was reported from several departments of the Belarusian National Technologic University (BNTU) that one half of the students had voted ahead of schedule; those who hadn’t were put on “black lists” that was then passed to professors, who urged students to leave lectures and vote instead.
13:17, 17/03/2006
Dozens of activists of the campaign headquarters Alyaksandr Milinkevich and Alyaksandr Kazulin are now behind bars of special detention canters and remand prisons. For the most part the arrests were made last week. Despite of the complex of preventive measures aimed at making less people come to October Square on March 19, the number of people who volunteer to help in candidate’s campaign is rapidly growing, the Radio Svaboda informs.
12:36, 17/03/2006
On Thursday in the hall of Minsk cinema “Druzhba” having 600 seats, a meeting with voters was held by the presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin. The meeting was peaceful. Kazulin said that he is not an adherent of revolution and violence, but an advocate of a revolution of consciousness of people, which is taking place already. As said by Kazulin, on March 20 the country would become different. He believes that Lukashenka faces a choice. “He can stay in history a positive figure, the first president of the independent state, Belarus. But after March 19 he enters the last dictator of Europe category. And we all know what future awaits all dictators,” Kazulin said.
12:31, 17/03/2006
Several days ago a letter arrived at Charter’97 press-center. The letter signed by “Officer of Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus” concerned the plans of the Special Forces for March 19. A great deal of such letters has been received lately. Usually they do not get edited on the web site. After the recent statements of Sukharenka, Navumau and Miklashevich, however, we regard the information of the letter worth consideration.
12:21, 17/03/2006, By Ethan S. Burger
As noted by Transparency International, accurately accounting for the composition and volume of the world trade in weapons is a difficult task. 1 This is due to a variety of reasons, including the secrecy surrounding the size of defense budgets, the large amount of money involved, the prevalence of middlemen in transactions, the difficulty in comparing the sale price of weapon systems (which must cover servicing and spare parts), and other factors.
11:55, 17/03/2006
The EU external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, told RFE/RL in an interview today that the EU sees "quite a lot" of flaws and difficulties in the run-up to the presidential election in Belarus on March 19. However, she said the EU will announce its final verdict only after the polls have closed.
11:53, 17/03/2006
In Barysau meeting of Alyaksandr Milinkevich with voters were held outside. The city executive committee refused to afford an assembly hall of the cinema “Kastrychnik” to the local headquarters of the united opposition candidate. However, about 500 voters came to the building of the cinema, including the deputy chairman of the town executive committee Syarhei Trusau, the head of the town electoral committee Vasil Barannik, the leadership of the local police. The meeting was held on the stairs of the cinema.
11:46, 17/03/2006
Eight members of the Georgian parliament who flew in from Vienna on March 16 to observe Belarus` presidential election were detained at the national airport in Minsk, a source at Georgia`s Rustavi 2 television channel told BelaPAN.
11:45, 17/03/2006
Terry Davis, secretary general of the Council of Europe, said that the presidential election in Belarus "cannot be qualified as democratic in any meaning of the word."
11:44, 17/03/2006
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the latest government crackdown against independent journalists in the days before Sunday¢s presidential election. Police arrested at least four journalists this week, and local courts handed them sentences of five to 10 days in jail on charges of hooliganism.
11:42, 17/03/2006
The Belarusian Committee for State Security (KGB) has opened a criminal case in connection with what it says is a plot to topple Aleksandr Lukashenko.
11:41, 17/03/2006
The head of the Committee for State Security (KGB) said that presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich would not be arrested until after the election.
11:41, 17/03/2006
Opposition presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich flatly rejected KGB chief Stepan Sukhorenko’s accusation of preparations for terrorist acts.
11:40, 17/03/2006
Belarusian Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov said that he could not guarantee safety to journalists during the protest that opposition forces plan to stage in Minsk on March 19. He told reporters on Thursday that he could guarantee it only if the reporters did not move outside an area that police officers would designate specially for them. “But if you are going to climb on fences, run around, provoke something… then think about your safety yourself,” General Naumov said to the laughter of some reporters present.
11:40, 17/03/2006
Anatoly Lebedko, a key member of opposition presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich`s campaign team, was released after a brief detention on March 15. Police searched through his garage but found nothing that could implicate him in any crime.
11:39, 17/03/2006
Anatoly Lebedko, a senior aide to presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich, flatly denied his involvement in any terrorist conspiracy. “The allegations that I am plotting a terrorist act are absurd. I would advise the persons who make them to undergo a medical examination,” he told BelaPAN on Thursday.
11:38, 17/03/2006
United democratic forces candidate for the President’s post Alyaxandr Milinkevich and candidate for the President’s post, former rector of the Belarusian State University Aliaksandr Kazulin are to hold a united meeting with voters of Minsk today. Minsk dwellers can meet with the candidates today at 6 p.m. by the “Elektron” cinema house (Kazintsa Street, 117).
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