The Maskouski District Office of Public Prosecutor will not start a criminal case against the policemen who used force against journalists on March 2, 2006. The fact was explained by the idea that there was no corpus delicti in their actions", - it was written in the letter sent to BAJ by the prosecutor V. Zhynhel. The letter is a reply to the appeal of BAJ sent to the Attorney General Piotr Miklashevich and the Minister of Internal Affaires Uladzimir Navumau on March 7.
A second in history visit of Vladimir Putin to Belarus (first time Vladimir Putin visited Minsk in June 2001 at the CIS summit) is sure to be an unusual one. A possible visit of the Russian leader has been unexpectedly announced by Belarusian military men. The Chief of General Staff Sergei Gurulyov told to journalists details of the upcoming manoeuvres “Union’s Shield-2006”.
During the last meeting of Alyaksndr Kazulin with his lawyer Ihar Rynkevich the former candidate for presidency learnt about the hunger strike of protest by young activists, which takes place in Belarus now. From the pre-trial detention center he has passed along words of support to the young people. He reminded about importance of solidarity with them and noted that young Belarusians are capable of heroic deeds.
In an interview to “Nezavisimaya gazeta” the head of the Russia’s Chamber of Accounts (Russian federal audit agency) Sergei Stepashin, stated that during discussion of gas prices rise with Lukashenka he said: “If Russia and Belarus would be one state, the gas price would be different then”. However, the politician noted that “a very difficult process is underway now, and one should understand that Belarus is a different country as compared to its situation 5-6 years ago”.
An activist of democratic movement Vyachaslau Siuchyk in his absence has been sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. He is accused for violation of the Part 1 of the Article 167 of the Administrative Code (Participation in unsanctioned protest). The BelaPAN was informed about that by the wife of the politician Hanna Siuchyk.
According to the information received by the Belarusian Congress of democratic trade union (BCDTU) from their colleagues of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the debates on lifting trade preferences from Belarus within the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheduled in the EU Generalized Preferences Committee for May 31, were postponed, www.praca-by.info reports.
Strikingly different lessons from Russia’s neighbours provided both hope and a warning Sunday for the future of Russian press freedom, as journalists from the region came together in an international seminar to examine the main issues facing the Russian press.
Former political prisoner, entrepreneurs’ leader Valery Levaneuski addressed the State Control Committee with a request to investigate where the clothing for prisoners disappears.
According to the former political prisoner, he never met a person who would have received “at least anything” from the clothing due to him, within the two years that he spent in different correction settlements and investigation prisons.
On June 19 the First session of the UN Human Rights Council starts in Geneva. Families of the persons abducted on political grounds from different countries of the world, including Belarus, where opposition leaders Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski and a journalist Dzmitry Zavadski, have addressed an open letter to the members of the Human Rights Council. They expressed the hope that the members of the Council would urgently adopt a UN Convention on Deference of all people from forcible abductions. The letter has been signed by: Latin- American Federation of Abducted People’s Relatives (Venezuela), Asian Federation Against Forcible Abductions (Philippines), Indonesian Association of Families of Disappeared (Indonesia), the Commission on Disappeared and Violence Victims (Indonesia), Association of Families of Forcible Abductions’ Victors (Philippines), the Civil Initiative “We Remember” (Belarus) and many other organizations and persons all over the world.
June 2, OMON officers detained 9 participants of a flash-mob action on Yakub Kolas Square in Minsk. The action was held in solidarity with the youth organization activists who are holding a hunger strike. The detained spent more than 2 hours in the Interior department of the Minsk Central district. No report regarding the flash-mob participants was drawn up. The policemen claimed the arrest to be a “pre-emptive measure”.
A picket in support for former candidate for the President’s post, former rector of Belarusian State University Aliaxandr Kazulin took place June 4, in the Park Druzhby Narodov. The action was authorized by the Minsk City Executive Committee. The picket participants were keeping the transparency “Freedom to Aliaxandr Kazulin!”
Pickets of support for former candidate for the President’s post, former rector of Belarusian State University Aliaxandr Kazulin are to be held in Novapolatsk. The pickets are authorized by the city council. Every day, from 17.00 till 18.00, activists of the Belarusian Social-Democratic Party (Gramada) collect signatures in support of Aliaxandr Kazulin and distribute the newspaper “Narodnaya Volia” among people.
The hunger strike against criminal persecution of the activists of youth organization “Malady Front” (“Young Front”) and political arrests of oppositionists, is still held in Belarus. The protest action started on May 29, and for the moment the hunger strike is assisted by 38 people in the Minsk city and regions. Three participants of the hunger strike were detained in Saligorsk on June 2. The police detained “Malady Front” activists Ivan Shyla, Maksim Siamenchyk and Siargey Patskievich late at night when the young people were transferring a computer from the apartment where the hunger strike is held.
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
