A trial in the case of political prisoner Mikalay Autukhovich was to continue today in Vaukavysk. However, he was not taken to the court. Mikalay Autukhovich, who refuses to take food for two months, was on a dry hunger strike recent weeks. Today his blood pressure went down, and a dropper was given to him. Autukhovich stay in the medical unit of Vaukavysk remand prison. The session of the court is scheduled for tomorrow, but it is not clear whether Autukhovich would be able to come to the court.
Today “Malady Front” leader Artur Finkevich has visited the penalty executions committee of the Minsk Zavadski district interior department to find out that he must arrive at a Belarusian reformatory of the open type before June 25. The place where Artur Finkevich will serve the sentence hasn’t yet been defined.
Youth movements’ activists of the town of Barysau reminded chairperson of the Barysau executive committee Vasil Burgun about the traditional Solidarity Day that is to be held on June 16. Stickers with the number “16” and ribbons of jeans cloth, which has become the symbol of freedom for Belarus, appeared in the house of the Mayor.
The "Viciebski Courier-M" non-governmental newspaper celebrated its 16th anniversary on June 9, 2006. However, being deprived of possibilities to get distributed by subscription and through the news stalls, the media outlet has found itself on the verge of bankruptcy.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka thinks it’s possible to establish constructive cooperation with the EU on condition that Europe would abandon the “policy of dictate” in relations with the official Belarusian authorities. He said about that, receiving credential letters of the head of the European Commission’s delegation in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus Ian Boag. During the meeting the Belarusian dictator was speaking in the name of the nation all the time and use alleged interests of the nation as a smoke screen. “I offer to go forward, we should stop confrontation and we should clearly understand that proud and freedom-loving people live in Belarus, they would never tolerate dictate, no matter from which side it comes,” A. Lukashenka said.
The family of Syarhei Skrabets - his mother Nina, wife Aliaksanda and daughter Natallia - made the first visit to the correction settlement where the political prisoner serves his 2.5-year sentence. They were allowed to spend 4 days in the small 5-room hostel of the reformatory “Vitsba-3”.
All the four mines of the Saligorsk company “Belaruskaliy” are at a standstill. Mine #4 is out of question now, although the management of the company expects the work of mine administrations # 1, 2 and 3 will recommence. “The current situation on “Belaruskaliy” is horrible, for the production process, as well as for the employees,” - legal expert of Independent Trade Union of miners Aliaksandr Karaliou told the “Salidarnasts”. - During all the time that the company operates (even in 1992, during the 44-day strike of the miners) the production hasn’t experienced such losses.”
Price discords hinder export contracts of the Belarusian Potassium Company Ltd. with its major buyer, China, in particular. The BPC managers insist on higher prices - up to $240-245 per ton of mineral fertilizers, which is $40 higher than the price of the year 2005. China is haggling. “Belaruskaliy” is at a standstill.
More than 30 thousand Belarusians signed the demand to exonerate ex-candidate for the Presidential post Aliaksandar Kazulin. “The address to the Belarusian public prosecutor’s office with the demand to exonerate A.Kazulin was signed by more than 30 thousand people, more than 218 personal bails were gathered, - A.Kazulin’s press service reported to the “Belorusskiy Partizan”. - Several well-known people, including cultural workers of Belarus, gave personal bails.”
As the press center of the Charter’97 was informed, today the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces Alyaksandr Milinkevich is to visit participants of the hunger strike in the Private apartment in Minsk where they stay. The hunger strike is aimed against crackdown on the Young Front activists and for release of political prisoners. It started on May 29. Now 20 persons are taking part in the protest.
The state of health of the Young Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich has seriously aggravated. He continues a hunger strike of protest for the 15th day. As the Charter’97 press center was informed, yesterday the activist was visited by a doctor from the “Association of Belarusian Doctors” Andrei Vitushka. A cold was diagnosed. Zmitser Dashkevich has had a fever for several days.
On June 13 activists of the movement “Otpor” held a protest in Nyamiha Street in Minsk. At 4 p.m. young activists hang a streamer “Belarusian TV lies to us” and a national white-red-white flag on a bridge over the road. A streamer and a flag were hanging for more than two hours. At the same time activists of the Otpor were standing on the bridge with posters “BT lies to us”, “Lukashenka, BT, ONT, STV Channels Lie to Us”.
A performance was held yesterday by Young Front activists near the check passage of the industrial association Belaruskalij. Young people brought 10 kilograms of salt with them. They put up a streamer “Buy salt – save Belaruskalij” near the entrance of the factory.
A 18-year-old Sviatlana Stsehantsava entered the department of oboe of Akhremchyk Republican College of Art. She won the first prize at the Republican Wind and Percussion Instruments Contest in 2004. In 2005 she received an award from the President’s Special Fund for Talented Youth Support. Since 2005 she has been a member of the BPF party. During the presidential election campaign of 2006 Sviatlana organized a number of concerts for the democratic youth. She also distributed newspapers and leaflets, and agitated for protest actions. She was in the tent camp since the first day. The girl faced serious problems during the summer session after the administration of the college received information about Sviatlana’s active participation in the democratic movement.
According to the international human rights organization Freedom House, the situation with democracy in the Eastern European countries neighboring on EU member states is constantly deteriorating.
Activists of the Young Front Ivan Shyla and Yauhen Myadzvedzeu have been deateined by the building of the Salihorsk district court. The activists had come to the court to support a Young Front member Alyaksei Valabueu, who had been detained yesterday at the gatehouse of the enterprise Belaruskalij for carrying out a performance. Activists were holding a streamer with the words: “Freedom to Valabueu!”
On June 16, on the Day of Belarusian Solidarity, a performance in front of Belarusian Embassy. The performance is to be called “The most humane court in the world”. According to the organizers, participants of the theatricalized performance are to be interrogated and imprisoned by Alyaksandr Lukashenka personally. Thus, Ukrainians are going to show that political prisoners and repressions on political grounds exist in Belarus.
According to a correspondent of the REGNUM information agency, the press service of the Moldavian Home Ministry reports on the arrest of ex-Ambassador of Belarus to the Republic of Moldova, former CIS chief political advisor Valery Poya. He was arrested May 31, by the Moldavian police on suspicion of hooliganism and illegal storing of ammunition.
Another flash-mob action in support of the hunger strikers, activists of youth democratic movements, was held in Minsk, June 14. At 8 p.m. more than 30 people sat down on the staircase of the Trade Center “Na Niemigie” («Íà Íåìèãå»), keeping plastic plates signed “Hunger Strike”.The action lasted for 10 minutes. At present no detained are reported. The passers-by asked the participants questions on the purpose of the action.
Dozens of signs against the Russian military bases in Belarus have appeared in Minsk recently. On June 12, the Day of Russia, passers-by could observe a transparency “Russian Troops, Get Out Of Belarus!” placed in the city center, over the bridge in Dziarzhynski Avenue. The transparency was removed only in an hour. These actions are timed for the joint Russian-Belarusian manoeuvres scheduled for June 17-25, that are planned to be assisted by approximately 2 000 Russian soldiers. Moreover, these actions urge to call off military bases of another country from the territory of neutral Belarus.
A joint Russian-Belarusian center for servicing air defense equipment will be established in eastern Belarus in the near future, a senior executive with a Russian defense group said Thursday.
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