The Charter’97 press-center has found out the reasons for detention of the leader of Belarusian democratic forces Alyaksandr Milinkevich in Minsk airport. As it turned out, when A. Milinkevich went to Riga for the NATO summit a few days ago, by mistake he gave border guards a passport of his son, whose name is Alyaksandr Milinkevich too, but who was born in 1974. The son’s passport was left in A. Milinkevich coat accidentally, and was kept in the same pocket with his own passport. Because of negligence, border guards haven’t paid attention to the fact that the owner of the passport is 25 years older than the age indicated in the document, and that the Latvian visa is absent there. And border guards stamped the wrong passport. Alyaksandr Milinkevich noticed that his son’s passport was stamped only in Riga.

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Today morning a police report has been drawn up against a public activist Anatol Paplauny at the plant of starting engines in Homel. He was accused of violating an Article 172 of Administrative Code (dissemination of printed materials aimed at undermining state and public order).

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Today the wife of the former candidate for presidency, a political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin, Iryna Kazulina, and a deputy chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Alyaksei Karol have visited Embassies of France and Germany. Heads of diplomatic missions of these countries were informed about Alyaksandr Kazulin’s state of health, and about a short meeting with him on November 25. Iryna Kazulina has passed diplomats an appeal of the political prisoner to bring up an issue of human rights situation in Belarus at the session of the UN Security Council.

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130 workers of the joint-stock company “Dobrush paper factory Heroj Truda” have written statements that they want to leave the official trade union of workers of forest industry. All of them are dissatisfied with low salaries and difficult labour conditions. They believe that the trade union is doing nothing to change the situation, www.praca-by.info reports. “It is an unprecedented case for us,” emphasized the chairman of the Belarusian Trade Union of Forest Industry Workers Ivan Hurski.

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The former deputy of the “chamber of representatives” of the “national assembly”, a former CEO of “Belarusian See Shipping Company” Henadz Dyleuski has been sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment for incitement to a bribe of $75,000, Prosecutor General of Belarus Pyotr Miklashevich told at a press-conference.

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Alyaksandr Stranchuk and Dzyanis Sarokin, active participants of the election campaign, have been evicted from agro-ecology faculty of Horki academy. Alyaksandr Stranchuk runs in the election to Horki city executive committee, while Dzyanis Sarokin is a member of his initiative group.

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The lawyer of the former candidate for presidency, a political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin Ihar Rynkevich has received an answer from the penal colony No.3 to the lawyer’s inquiry. In the document signed by an acting director of the colony No.3 major R. Pryjmak it was stated: “On October 20, 2006 prisoner A. Kazulin announced a hunger strike. He is under a constant care of a doctor. For today, November 22, he has lost 17.5 kilograms. His blood pressure is 105/90. The considerable weight loss and his state of health make his accompanying at the territory of the colony necessary. Required presence of a doctor makes confidential meetings impossible.

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According to the information of the leadership of the democratic forces of Belarus, 480 members of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, the party of Communists of Belarus, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) and the United Civil Party are continuing to collect signatures to be nominated candidates for deputy of local councils. According to reports, authorities continue crack down on oppositionists who participate in elections campaign.

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Belarusian journalists haven’t been allowed to go to the briefing of Russian president Vladimir Putin in the National airport of Minsk before his departure. The press-service of Russian president stopped journalists of the three Belarusian state-run TV channels from attending Putin’s briefing.

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We offer to you pictures of the “Kommersant” press photographer Dmitry Azarov. Yesterday Lukashenka’s administration denied him a permission to cover the CIS summit. It is interesting which of Lukashenka’s portraits has offended him.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin informs that Moscow and Minsk have agreed on creation of a joint venture of Gazprom and Beltransgaz on a parity basis. It is most likely to be created until the end of the year. Gazprom together with Beltransgaz are to form a joint venture 50 to 50,” Putin explained to journalists. “I hope that to be done in the near future, and certainly before the New Year,” he added.

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Yesterday riot policemen haven’t allowed Minsk dwellers to gather in Kastrychnitskaya Square of Minsk with portraits of Belarusian political prisoners. The square was cordoned of by riot policemen and policemen in mufti. When activists tried to gather near McDonalds restaurant nearby, they were brutally pushed away from that place.

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Yesterday Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhei Sidorski visited Moscow on a working visit. He had been planning to meet with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. However, as Kommersant informs, he wasn’t invited to the White house. He was said that such a meeting is not envisaged by the government plans. As said by the government representatives unofficially, there is no sense in talks with the Belarusian prime Minister in the moment when political contradictions at the level of the presidents are sharpening.

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