On April 18 Vitsebsk regional court suspended activities of a public association “Private Initiatives”. According to the information of the press service of the NGO Assembly, the public association has been liquidated by a suit of the legal department of regional executive committee. The method of the liquidation of NGOs is developed: first they are deprived of premises, which causes legal address loss, which is viewed by officials as “systematic violation of the statute”.

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On April 10 the European Parliament at is regular session discussed a situation after elections in Belarus. By majority vote it has been decided to impose sanctions against those citizens who took part in rigging results of the elections or were engaged in propaganda, actively took part in campaigning for Lukashenka before and during the vote, or took part in the crackdown on democratic activists. These persons would be banned entry to all countries of the European Union. Besides, their accounts in European banks would be frozen, the press service of the United Civil party informs.

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On April 20 in the Internal Affairs Department of Svetlahorski district (Homel region) Telman Maslyukou, a local civil activist, was returned his things seized in December last year.

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Departure of the plane of the Belarusian official governmental delegation headed by the Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhei Sidorski to Cuba was postponed for an hour as the authorities of Canada refused to allow the Belarusian plane refuel at its territory. The plane of the Prime Minister of Belarus is to land in the USA. The blacklisted Belarusian officials are staying in Minsk.

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The governments of Austria, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia and France joined Poland in its offer to admit to studies students expelled from Belarusian universities for their political activism. The authorities of these countries are ready to provide conditions for Belarusian students to go on with their studies.

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The heads of European Union countries’ diplomatic missions in Minsk on April 19 met with the wife of jailed former presidential candidate Aleksandr Kozulin, Irina Kozulin. According to the Latvian embassy, Mrs. Kozulin told the HOMs in detail about the condition of her husband, noting his “good spirits, firm determination to champion his views, and confidence in a democratic future for the nation.”

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The Belarusian state flag was ripped down from its post outside the Belarusian consulate general in the Estonian capital city of Tallinn on the night between April 14 and 15, Consul General Aleksandr Ostrovsky told BelaPAN on Wednesday.

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The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned an attempt by authorities in the Belarusian capital Minsk to close the weekly Nasha Niva, one of the country’s last independent newspapers. Local and international media reported that city officials informed Editor-in-chief Andrei Dynko that they did not want his paper based in Minsk because he had spent 10 days in prison for assisting demonstrators protesting against President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

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On April 20 the leader of the democratic forces of Belarus Alyaksandr Milinkevich starts his two-day working visit to Oslo. The Belarusian politician is to hold meetings with the leadership of the country and to address a conference organized by Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

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On April 15 at the session of the administrative commission of Chyhunachny district of Homel a case of Andrei Aksyonau, an activist of the regional headquarters of Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s campaign, was tried. He was charged with illegal dissemination of campaign materials. The commission decided to warn him officially.

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A Hrodna journalist from "Glos znad Niemna na uchodzstwie" Ines Todryk is accused of violating art. 172 of the Administrative Code ("Violation of terms of usage, purchasing and selling of office equipment. Illegal distribution of printed editions"). The journalist was informed about it on April 18. People working at the Leninski District Department of the Interior (Hrodna) came to her office and gave her a protocol about an administrative infraction. A notice of appointment will be sent to her soon.

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"From the legal point of view the decision is absurd", - commented the BAJ deputy chairperson Andrej Bastunets on the decision of Minsk State Executive Committee to refuse "Nasha Niva" have an office in Minsk. "The newspaper cannot have an office in Minsk because its editor-in-chief (natural person) has been a subject to administrative prosecution. I think the way the law is used in practice contradicts the Constitution and violates the freedom of speech and the rights of mass media", - claimed A.Bastunets.

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Departure of the plane of the Belarusian official governmental delegation headed by the Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhei Sidorski to Cuba was postponed for an hour as the authorities of Canada refused to allow the Belarusian plane refuel at its territory. As the Interfax has learnt from governmental sources, two refuelling stops, in Iceland and Canada, were planned on the flight Minsk-Havana.

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At the summit of the leaders of G-8 countries on July 15-17 in St. Petersburg, Russia the US is going to initiate discussion over situation in Belarus, Georgia and Moldova. The attitude of Moscow and Washington to these countries’ politics differs fundamentally. “On the agenda offered by us today issues concerning conflicts near the borders of Russia, are mentioned,” told the deputy spokesperson of the White House Nicolas Berns.

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