On September 23 members and fellow-fighters of the “Young Front” leader Zmitser Dashkevich got his first letters from the remand prison in Valadarski street in Minsk, under date of September 19.

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Vol. 11, No. 15
September 14 – September 20, 2006
Edited by Maria Kabalina
International League for Human Rights

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Belarusian Ambassador to Latvia Alyaksandr Herasimenka has made a statement in response to the words of Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks on the situation with Latvian- Belarusian relations. As Delfi informs, Belarusian Ambassador in Riga Alyaksandr Herasimenka told that “unfortunately, Mr. Pabriks decided to turn to an arsenal of cold war rhetoric”.

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According to the web-site of the Labor Union Movement of Belarus, director general of “Hrodna Azot” Company Alexander Radzevich gathered a meeting of all company’s employees. He tried to persuade the workers to leave the independent trade union and join the state-controlled “Belarusian Union of Chemical Industry”. Workers refuse to change their affiliation, although the company administration made it clear that members of the independent trade union would lose their jobs. The company is struggling with the independent trade union since January 2006. According to Siarhei Antusevich, chairperson of a primary organization of the trade union, activists are either laid off or transferred to other workshops. The pressure from the company’s administration significantly reduced the number of the trade union’s members by half. The administration also delays signing of a collective agreement with the independent trade union.

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Reporters Without Borders voiced deep concern today about the information ministry¹s suspension of the monthly history magazine Arche yesterday on the grounds that the September issue violated the terms of its licence by including political articles. Arche is supposed to limit itself to historical content.

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A deputy chairman of Hrodna regional court Alyaksandr Korzun has discharge a court order of the court of Kastrychnitski district of Hrodna on termination of case against an activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus Meczyslaw Jaskewicz. He Charter’97 press center was informed about that by the lawyer of the UPB activist Uladzimir Kiselevich. As we have informed, Meczyslaw Jaskevicz had been charged with commitment of a “petty hooliganism” for allegedly hindering work of an operator if Hrodna regional TV who was shooting an event of the UPB on the Day of Polish Troops. In August the court ruled to terminate the case against Jaskewicz for absence of crime in the act.

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A representative of the Committee on a project of the TV Channel “TV Belarus” of Polish public TV Jaroslaw Kaminski told to Radio Svaboda that a satellite channel “TV Belarus” is to start its work in 2007, possibly in February or March-April.

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Yesterday pupils of Vaukavysk school with Polish language of education met Polish Senators Dariusz Hurecki and Ludwig Zalesski, who were on their visit to Hrodna. The Charter’97 press center was informed about that by the member of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andrzej Poczobutt. As said by Poczobutt, during the meeting Senators expressed concern over the pupils’ situation, and promised to inform the Polish Senate’s Commission on immigration and Ties with Poles Abroad about the occurrence in the school.

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“It is really so, children of 8-10 forms refused to study on Tuesday, September 19, because teachers from Poland are not allowed to work in the school. When administration of the school hadn’t reacted to that protest, pupils went out and were standing near the school until the end of the lessons. They called to a local newspaper “Nash Chas” and asked to look into the situation. However, journalists of the newspaper refused. Then children were deceived, they were told that Polish teachers will return to the school, and on Friday, during a parents’ meeting it was announced that Poles wouldn’t work there. Then parents stood up and went away as a sign of protest. Now the situation is unpredictable, children can stop attending classes any moment,” the Charter’97 press center was told by an activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andrzej Poczobutt who visited Vaukavysk to study the situation in a school with Polish language of instruction.

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On September 22 in Salihorsk a performance “Ski-track-2006” was held. Salihorsk dwellers showed their art of skiing along the central streets of the town. A person reminding Alyaksandr Lukashenka has taken part in the “Ski-track-2006”…

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Belarus gives ground in the trade war with Russia. Official Minsk cancelled norms discriminating Russian manufacturers at Belarusian market. Firstly, it’s a requirement to have 70% of Belarusian goods in stock, otherwise a market outlet cannot get a licence and even lose a possibility to work. Despite of union agreements on Common economic space and equal rights of Russian market participants, goods are considered imported ones. Secondly, Russian manufacturers have received an equal access to tender state budget buys, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

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In the Belarusian town of Vaukavysk pupils of 8-10 forms of a school with Polish language of education stopped attending classes last week. In this way they protest against the ban for work for several Polish teachers who had been working in the school.

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