A deputy head of the colony Vitsba-3 Klim Koval told to Radio Svaboda that the former candidate for presidency in Belarus, a political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin is most likely to work in a library. Previously another political prisoner, a former deputy of the group “Respublika” Syarhei Skrabets who was serving the sentence in the same colony worked there.
At the session of the Supreme state council of the “union state” which is scheduled for the end of October – beginning of November, important political decisions could be passed, told a state secretary of the so-called “union state” Pavel Borodin today at a press conference in Moscow.
Human rights activist Katsyaryna Sadouskaya is charged with insult of honour and dignity of Belarusian president, and judges of Kirau district court in Mahilyou district. Radio Svaboda has found out that she was transferred from the Republican clinic psychiatric hospital Navinki to the remand prison in Valadarski St. in Minsk a month ago. The criminal case of Katsyaryna Sadouskaya was forwarded to the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk.
On September 20 in Brest activists of democratic movement have carried out a protest “For Belarus without Lukashenka!” In the busy spots of the city hundreds of leaflets and stickers with this slogan were pasted.
Visiting Belarussian Deputy Foreign Minister Victor Guysounok discussed issues of mutual interest with Iran`s Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi here Wednesday.
Belarusian Human Rights Center "Vyasna" has presented the report "President of Belarus Elections Campaign Repressions, 2006" in which shows the number of people, who were arrested days before elections, during mass protest actions against falsifications of the results of the elections and after elections.
New information has appeared recently regarding the disappearance of Anton Taras, an interpreter and a BAJ member. The Ukrainian frontier guards informed his parents that Anton crossed the Belarusian-Ukrainian border by train in Udrytsk on July 22, 2006. The data is stored in the boundary services’ computer data-base as well as in a migration card that is obligatory filled in by foreigners on entering the Ukrainian territory.
The International Religious Freedom Report 2006 was released on September 15. In the chapter about Belarus it is pointed out that “respect for religious freedom continued to be uneven during the period covered by this report, although some improvements occurred”. The report says that the Belarusian “government continued to restrict religious freedom in accordance with the provisions of a 2002 law on religion and a 2003 concordat with the Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC), a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the only officially recognized Orthodox denomination. Although there is no state religion, the concordat grants the BOC privileged status”. The report says that the authorities “harassed and fined members of certain religious groups”. At the same time At the same time, it is emphasized that no measures are taken in order to stop the sale and distribution of anti-Semitic literature through state press distributors, government agencies, and stores affiliated with the BOC.
On September 19 Chyhunachny court judge Valiantsina Kavaliova found Barys Hamaida guilty of selling the independent press at an inappropriate place. Hamaida received a fine of about 7 US dollars. Barys Hamaida stood on his usual place down town selling latest issues of the Vitebski Kuryer, Nasha Niva, and Arche magazine. Usually policeman would only check if he had a license to sell newspapers. However, that time police officers told him he did not have the right to stand at that location. The conversation continued at the police station, where they took Mr. Hamaida. Right after the talk in the office of the police chief, Barys Hamaida was taken directly to court. After the trial Mr. Hamaida took the newspapers and returned to the same location, although the policemen warned him they would continue to detain him. They explained to the activist that they would stop detaining him only if he leaves the popular location.
Tomorrow at 10 a.m. proceedings are to start in the suit brought by a stage-director of “Free Theatre” Uladzimir Scherban against the administration of the Yanka Kupala National Academic theatre.
Today the editorial office of the magazine ARCHE has received a letter from Information Ministry dated by September 19, 2006. The letter contains second warning and notification about suspension of issuing the magazine for three months. The warning has been made in contravention of Article 11 of the “Law on Press and Mass Media”. The reason is change of the topic (specialization) of the magazine ARCHE and printing articles on socio-political issues. As a result, Information ministry referring to Art. 16 of the “Law on Press and other Mass Media” has suspended issuing of the ARCHE for three months.
On September 20 young activists from Salihorsk held a rally in support of the political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich. The leader of the Young Front was arrested on September 15 and placed to a remand prison in Valadarski St. He is charged with activities on behalf of an unregistered organization. Zmitser faces up to two years of imprisonment.
An activist of the civil initiative of elections of elections observation “Partnerstva”, a political prisoner Tsimafei Dranchuk has been placed into an overcrowded cell of a remand prison in Valadarski St. “There are many prisoners in the cell, it’s hard to breathe, the light is dim. Tsimafei writes that his sight has failed of late,” the Charter’97 press center was informed by the father of the political prisoner Valery Dranchuk.
On September 8-9 in Chisinau a seminar “Moldova and Europe’s East: Reforms, Conflicts Resolutions and Regional Cooperation”. Politicians, scientists and public activists from different parts of the world have taken part in the seminar.
The committee on foreign relations of the Lithuanian Seimas has approved a former foreign minister Ananas Valionis as an Ambassador to Belarus. According to the BelaPAN, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry is to send an agrement to Belarusian Foreign Ministry. After the Belarusian side would confirm the agrement, Lithuanian president would sign a decree on appointing A. Valionis as the head of the diplomatic mission in Minsk.
None of the projects for the year 2006 about joint implementation of which the OSCE office and Belarusian government had agreed, have been realized for today. Radio Svaboda informs that a head of the OSCE Office in Minsk Oke Peterson told about that at the session of the OSCE Standing Committee in Vienna.
On September 19 a young activist of democratic movement Syarzhuk Lisichonak was summoned to the republican prosecutor’s office for interrogation. He is a suspect in a case of unregistered organization the Young Front.
Issues of cooperation of Belarus and China on counteraction to money laundering and terrorism financing are to be discussed in Minsk on September 21-22, Interfax was told by the State Control Committee of Belarus.
The former candidate for presidency in Belarus, a political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin is ready to go on an indefinite hunger strike protesting against “lawlessness by illegitimate president A. Lukashenka” since October 20. Today at night the politician was transferred to a minimum security colony Vitsba -3. As said by Kazulin’s lawyer Ihar Rynkevich, the journey to the colony situated in Vitsebsk region could take several days.
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