Today an activist of the Belarusian Popular Party Zmitser Kaspyarovich was released from the prison in Zhodzina. He has been granted an early release. “Repressions are simply strengthening our spirit; they make people stronger. What do three months mean compared with years spent in prison by Polish solidarity leaders?” told an activist of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Zmitser Kaspyarovich after being released from Zhodzina prison.
250-300 persons have met today at 6 p.m. on October Square in Minsk, simultaneously opened newspapers “Nasha Niva”, which is to be closed today by the Belarusian authorities. They marched to Victory Square reading the newspaper.
The head of Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov condemned the policy of Western countries towards Belarus. At the talks with NATO foreign Ministers in Sofia the minister called the attempts of the West to isolate Lukashenka’s regime “pointless” and emphasized that Moscow “cannot agree with such measures”. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer noted after the meeting with Lavrov that the positions of the NATO and Russia on Belarus differ greatly. The NATO called upon an immediate release of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition convicted for participation in unsanctioned demonstration in Minsk, the Radio Liberty Russian service has informed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a hope that after presidential elections in Belarus ended, “emotions would subside and a constructive work would start aimed at the development of the state”. “It is very pleasant to see you after election fights in Belarus finished,” Putin greeted Lukashenka during the meeting in St. Petersburg.
Today in St. Petersburg the meeting of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is to take place. The comment of the leader of the Russian party “Democraticheskiy Soyuz” (Democratic Union) Valeria Novodvorskaya was the following:
Future political flash-mobs are discussed on the web by Belarusian activists. An idea was proposed to enter bookshops of the city and ask for a book of Alyaksandr Lukashenka “Main Kampf”. This book is written by Hitler, as is generally known, but Belarusian dictator, according to internet users, is very similar to him. Moreover, Lukashenka once expressed admiration with the fuehrer.
The leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka has called upon Belarusians to take part in action of solidarity with political prisoners on May 1 at 11 am. By the Academy of Science in Minsk. Then the meeting sanctions by the authorities is to take place in the Park of Nations’ Friendship in Bangalore Square. “We cannot feel calm and comfortable when political prisoners are kept in prisons. Solidarity in the name of freedom is the topic that can unite us all,” the leader of the United Civil Party said after the meeting of the Political Committee of Democratic Forces.
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee strongly condemns the arrests of Belarusian oppositional leaders and demands their immediate release. Human rights activists call the convictions to Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Vintsuk Vyachorka, Alyaksandr Bukhvostau and Syarhei Kalyakin obviously politically motivated. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee fears for the security of the opposition leaders.
Eight youth activists have been arrested in Minsk today during a flash mob in support of the Union of Belarusian Writers. The case of its liquidation was considered in the Supreme Court. Several dozens of young people have come to the building of the Supreme Court as a sign of support to the writer’s organization. They started to read books of Belarusian writers. Eighth participants were seized by riot policemen in mufti. They were taken to the police department number 1 in Lenin Street. All the eight arrested participants of the flash-mob were released in some time. The information of the young activists was copied from their passports by policemen.
Today’s daily “Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi” writes about an episode during the protest rally on April 26, the Path of Chernobyl. A filming crew of the Belarusian State TV decided to demonstrate that little children do not understand why they had been taken to the meeting by their parents. A reporter addressed a 8-year-old boy and asked: “What are you doing here?” “My name is Kolya. I want a new president, and I want our country to join the EU,” the boy said.
Judge of Pershamajski district court of Minsk Alyaksandr Karpinchyk arrested the co-chairman of the “Young Front” Zmitser Dashkevich for 14 days. Policemen charged him with participation in unsanctioned meeting and demonstration on April 26, the Radio Svaboda informs.
Norway condemns the arrest of the Belarus opposition leader Aleksandr Milinkevitsj. He was arrested on Thursday together with several other dissidents, and sentenced to 15 days in jail, allegedly for participating in an illegal protest demonstration.
The U.S. State Department have condemned the detention of Belarus main opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich. Speaking at a briefing cited at the department’s website, the State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli called the detention of Milinkevich and other opposition leaders “outrageous and reprehensible.” He said “unfortunately, these are only the latest in an ongoing series of acts which —- against the citizens (of Belarus) who are only attempting to exercise their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
The Austrian Presidency of the European Union has demanded that the Belarusian authorities should immediately release all political prisoners including opposition leader Aleksandr Milinkevich, who was arrested and jailed on April 27, and another former presidential candidate, Aleksandr Kozulin, who has been held in jail since March 25, 2006.
EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, said Thursday that he was "deeply disturbed " by the arrest and imprisonment of the main opposition leader in Belarus, Aleksandr Milinkevich, as well as other opposition political personalities and leaders for taking part in a protest rally in Minsk on Wednesday.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner has expressed concern about the arrest and jailing of major opposition leaders who took part in a traditional demonstration, Charnobylski Shlyakh (Path of Chernobyl) staged in Minsk on April 26.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, has expressed deep concern about the imprisonment of Belarus`s main opposition leader, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, and other activists in Minsk today, and called for their immediate release.
Terry Davis, secretary general of the Council of Europe on April 27 condemned the arrest and jailing of Belarusian opposition leader Aleksandr Lukashenko and several other prominent opposition members following a sanctioned Chernobyl anniversary demonstration.
Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the actions of Belarusian authorities against the leaders of democratic forces of this country. One of the Belarusian opposition leaders, the Chairman of the National Committee and the United Civil Party Anatoly Lebedko had been detained for more than nine hours using threats and violence.
Yesterday the head of the Section Office of the Swedish Embassy in Belarus Mr. Stefan Eriksson was present at the trial over the leaders of the Belarusian opposition. He was impressed how after announcement of the sentence Alyaksandr Milinkevich was taken to the room where Alyaksandr Bukhvostau was kept. The oppositioner was to stay there until Syarhei Kalyakin arrived.
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), the Swedish Helsinki Committee (SHC) and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) are concerned about arrests of participants in the peaceful rally "Chernobyl Way" despite the fact that the latter was sanctioned by Minsk city authorities.
The international human rights organization, Amnesty International, has begun a campaign in support of arrested opposition youth leader Nikita Sasim. Mr. Sasim was arrested on 14 March, five days before the presidential election in Belarus. He was seized by security forces in the street in Minsk and taken to a police station where, as a result of ill health, an ambulance was called. That night, Mr. Sasim was operated on for appendicitis and later transferred, handcuffed, to a hospital in Baranovichi, where he was chained to a bed and guarded by a policeman. A week later Mr. Sasim was transferred to the pre-trial detention center, where he has been since.
On May 4, he will be tried on charges of draft evasion, for which he faces up to three years in prison.
Belarus`s authoritarian government jailed the country`s most prominent opposition leader and several aides Thursday after a protest rally that attracted thousands. The action drew international condemnation.
Today in St. Petersburg, Russia Russian president Vladimir Putin meets with Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka. At July summit of G-8 in St. Petersburg Vladimir Putin is to answer the questions of his Western colleagues about the situation with democracy in Russia and in neighbouring Belarus. Judging from the opinion of the prominent American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman, former United States Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, it would be a difficult discussion. “The matter concerns the summit of industrially developed countries, and the question of development of democratic institutes in Europe should be raised in all seriousness,” Brzezinski said to the “Vremya Novostei”.
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
