Today is the Day of Belarusian Solidarity :: Charter'97 :: News

On the 16th day of every month hundreds thousands of Belarusians and friends of our country all over the world light candles of Freeodm in their windows, stage street actions of solidarity, attach jeans and white-red-white ribbons to their clothes, take part in flash-mobs and internet-actions. Church services are held all over the world for those who stay in prisons on Belarus, for the families of the disappeared oppositionists, for all those who fight for freedom and democracy in Belarus. Not only common citizens, but heads of parliaments and governments, presidents of many courtiers show their solidarity with Belarus.

Solidarity actions will be held in Washington, New York, Warsaw, Kyiv, Brussels, Stockholm and other cities and countries.

The initiative to mark Days of Solidarity started after policemen disbanded a protest rally dedicated to the memory of the abducted on September 16, 2005. On September 16, 2005 a memory of abduction of vice speaker of the Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation Viktar Hanchar and a businessman and public leader Anatol Krasouski was marked. Protesters were also holding portraits of ex-Minister of Interior Affairs Yury Zakharanka and a journalist Dzmitry Zavadski. Policemen seized portraits of disappeared politicians and national flags from the participants. At that moment one of the Zubr leaders Mikita Sasim raised his jeans shirt as a symbol of resistance to dictatorship.

Since that time actions of solidarity are held in Belarus and worldwide on the 16th day of every month.

Today there are 15 political prisoners in Belarus:

Autuhovich, Mikalay, a leader of entrepreneur movement
Astreyka, Mikalay, a member of civil initiative on election monitoring
Dashkevich, Zmitser, the Young Front leader
Dranchuk, Tsimafey, a member of civil initiative on election monitoring
Zubro, Zmitser, a youth activist
Kazakou, Aliaksandr, a youth activist
Klimau, Andrey, an ex-MP of the Supreme Soviet of 13th convocation
Kazulin, Aliaksandr, an ex-candidate on presidency
Kruk, Ivan, an activist of the United Civil Party
Lyavonau, Yury, an activist of entrepreneurs’ movement
Razumau, Mikalay, an activist of trade-union movement
Seviarynets, Pavel, a youth leader
Skrabets, Siarhei, an ex-MP
Statkevich, Mikalay, the leader of Belarusian social-democratic party "Narodnaya Hramada"
Finkevich, Arthur, a youth leader
Shalayka, Aliaksandr, a member of civil initiative on election monitoring