U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Karen Stewart has commented the beginning of the trial over the leader of the “Young Front” Zmitser Dashkevich. “I joined my European colleagues in observing human rights situation in Belarus. It is important to us to be here and observe how the trial unfolds, and at the same time to demonstrate constant concern of the international community over the human rights in Belarus. A free and fair court is the basic right of all citizens in all countries. I would like to believe honestly that the trial to be open for the public. I see no reasons for it to be held behind the closed doors. The US and the international community would watch this trial’s continuation narrowly,” U.S. Ambassador to Belarus said.
Belarus and Ukraine have actually confirmed the possibility of establishing some gas partnership bypassing Russia. Belarus made clear it is looking for gas suppliers that would be alternative to Gazprom, while UkrgazEnergo said it will probably sell around 7 billion cu meters of gas to the third party in 2007.
German Ambassador to Belarus Martin Hecker compared the trial over Zmitser Dashkevich with processes in Germany in the 1930-ies. In an interview to Radio Svaboda, Martin Hecker said: “Today’s trial has a great political importance. Earlier closed trials in Germany were held. Millions of people were killed according to rulings of secret tribunals. We have drawn conclusions from history, and now we have open trials. We are trying to understand, why in Belarus it has happened in a different way? Why the lessons of Stalinism haven’t been studied?”
The head of the branch of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BITU) at the joint-stock company Ryhor Spasiuk has told to Radio Svaboda that BITU members had decided to suspend their hunger strike. The protest is to be continued only by Alena Zakhodzhaya. “Today is the 28th day of Alena’s fasting,” Ryhor Spasiuk specified.
The former candidate for presidency in Belarus, Alyaksandr Kazulin, and a former deputy, the leader of the group “Respublika” Syarhei Skrabets are continuing the political hunger strike in the penal colony Vitsba-3 for the 10th day. They protest against arbitrariness of Lukashenka’s regime and demand to study the situation in Belarus by the UN Security Council.
“It’s a simple provocation. They have been checking us at the border for a long time, and then “suddenly” they found three little wraps with some powder in the glass at the back of the car. The packets were wrapped in white clean gauze. But it has been raining all day long! If packets were there earlier, they should have become dirty. I am sure these packages had been planted to our car. We were held at the border for 10 hours! First a personal check, then we were taken to a psychiatric dispensary, we were taken drug blood tests. Then we were escorted to Hrodna. They were people in mufti who refused to present themselves. I was not allowed to phone, I was treated like a criminal! It’s an obvious provocation with the aim to intimidate activists of the Union of Poles in Belarus,” told the leader of the UPB Andzelika Borys, commenting on the incident at the border to the Charter’97 press center.
Today the trial over the “Young Front” leader Zmitser Dashkevich has started in the court of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk. The young activist is charged with violation of the Article 193 of the Criminal Code, “acting on behalf of an unregistered organization”. It is not the first “political trial” under this article of the Criminal Code of Belarus.
Activists of the public initiative of elections observation “Partnerstva” Tsimafei Dranchuk and Mikola Astrejka are already serving the sentence of one and two years respectively for participation in an unregistered organization. It is a new article of the Criminal Code which appeared during the presidential election campaign. Several hundreds of people have gathered to express protest against Zmitser Dashkevich’s persecution. In a spontaneous protest young activists were walking their hands on the nape like prisoners.
About a thousand of people have taken part in the march dedicated to the ancestors’ remembrance day, Dzyady. The Conservative Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front was the organizer of the action. Though the march had been sanctioned by the city authorities, 7 young activists were detained before the beginning of the rally. After documents’ examination the detainees were released, however their flags and streamers were seized. Besides, policemen blocked “Akademiya Navuk” metro station entries, where participants of the protest were to gather. Besides, policemen checked bags of citizens.
A deputy head of the organization of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BITU) at belshyna enterprise Alena Zakhodzhaya would not stop the hunger strike in case the administration of the enterprise would not fulfil demands of the BITU, she said to the BelaPAN. As we have informed, A. Zakhodzhaya continues her hunger strike on the working place since October 3. At the moment 8 persons are taking part in the hunger strike.
On October 29 in Hrodna policemen detained Andrei Kuselchuk, an aide of the leader of Belarusian united democratic forces Alyaksandr Milinkevich. Policemen said that printed materials were found in the car of A. Kuselchuk.
At the moment more than 70 young activists are walking with their hands behind their back and scanning “Freedom to political prisoners!”, “Freedom to Zmitser Dashkevich!” in front of the court of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk. At 11 a.m. a trial over the leader of the “Young Front” Zmitser Dashkevich started. He is charged with “activities of behalf of an unregistered organization”. The activist faces up to two years of imprisonment.
The leader of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andzelika Borys has been released today at night only after she was taken a specimen of blood for a blood drug test. The Charter’97 press center has been informed about that by an activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andrzej Poczobutt. As said by him, the UCP activists who were travelling with her, Teresa Selivonchyk and Andrzej Lisouski, were to pass blood drug test as well.
On Sunday evening at the border crossing Pryvalka in the north of Hrodna region a car Audi was detained. Andzelika Borys, a chairperson of the Union of Poles in Belarus was on her way back from Lithuania in it, Radio Svaboda informs. Customs officers started a check of the car. A car mirror was undone, and a little package with unknown power found.
The trial over the leader of the Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich starts today at 11.00 a.m. in the court of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk. The young activist is charged with violation of the article 193 of the Criminal Code – activities on behalf of an unregistered organization. Zmitser Dashkevich is kept in the remand prison of the Minsk city executive committee. According to the charges, he faces up to tow years on imprisonment.
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