A radio station Deutsche Welle has got involved in a discussion concerning leaflets appeared in Minsk in the run-up to Freedom Day, March 25. In the beginning the United Civil party representatives expressed their indignation over the contents of agitation stickers. The stickers called upon coming to October Square “For Freedom!” and “For Belarus!” The UCP found it scandalous that the Freedom day was called “Day of Belarusian Unity”, and the official green-red flag of the country was placed near a white-red-white national flag. A head of the steering committee of Freedom Day celebration, a deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front party Viktar Ivashkevich told in an interview to Deutsche Welle that “the UCP should better take a more active part in the Freedom Day preparation”.
On 19 March a sitting of the attestation commission of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus took place. The commission found that a candidate of historical sciences Iauhen Anishchanka doesn’t suit the position of a senior research worker of the Institute of History. The following day Mr. Anishchanka wrote application for resign from the position on his own free will.
The “Free Theatre” has presented a co-project with student of the European Humanities University. The play “Between Between” had been prepared for two month by EHU students headed by playwright Mikalay Khalezin (Nikolai Khalezin) and a stage director Uladzimer Shcherban. Its topic is a life of Belarusian students between Minsk and Vilnius, between modern Belarus and Europe. The presentation had a form of a “kvartirnik”, an underground concern in a private apartment in Minsk.
Belarus has got the possibility of signing the International Convention on protection of all persons from forced disappearances later when the country considers it necessary, the spokesman for the MIA of Belarus Andrey Papou declared at the briefing 1 March.
“If previously information access was maximally restricted now it is going to be completely banned”, chairman of the Belarusian association of Journalists (BAJ) Zhanna Litvina thus commented the letter of the government to state- governing bodies and state organizations.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rene van der Linden once again called for simplification of visa granting procedure to promote the students’ exchange between Belarus and other European countries. According the press-service of the Council of Europe, the head of PACE appeared with this call at the conference on creation of visa code of the European Union in Brussels 28 February .The conference was held by the European Parliament committee on civil freedoms, justice and internal affairs.
A well-known musical producer Vital Supranovich has answered the question “Why will go to Kalinouski (Kastrychnitskaya) Square on March 25?” to the Belarusian Popular Front party press-center: “Every year on March 25 I take part in celebrations of Belarus’ Independence Day. This year is not an exception. I am convinced that March 25 is the most important holiday. At least, it should be so, and it’s bound to be so. Like most Belarusian musicians, I will come to Kalinouski Square on March 25,” Vital Supranovich said.
Gazprom is concerned over the plans of the Belarusian regime to abolish $18 extra charge per 1,000 cubic metres of gas reselled by Belarusian gas transportation enterprise “Beltrasngaz” to “Beloptgaz” for further selling to local consumers.
Since 1 March 2007 new Administrative Code is to come into force in Belarus, which stipulates the reinforcement of liability measures of on-road rules violations and juvenile punishment since 14 years. The Procedural-Executive Code regulating functions of punishment executors is also to come into force since 1 March.
Prime Minister of Belarus Syargei Sidorsky ordered the government to arrange constructive cooperation with the press (state and non-state) dwelling on the economic situation in the republic as well as on work of the government. In case of non-objective and incorrect covering of economic processes it is ordered to apply disciplinary measures up to dismissal.
“I am sure that March 25 is to become a red-letter day of a calendar in Belarus. It is an extremely important date in our history. It’s when independence of Belarus was proclaimed. We are to show gratitude to our ancestors who had signed statutory documents which laid a foundation to Belarus’ sovereignty. The Belarusians are to come to Kalinouski Square in Minsk on March 25, 12.00. Independence is our most important value, without which democracy won’t exist, and we, Belarusians, won’t exist as a nation. Today a dialogue of the regime and opposition is necessary to preserve sovereignty. Therefore I fully support Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s initiative,” told the leader of the Party of Freedom and progress Uladzimir Navasyad to the Charter’97 press-center.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka is to give an interview to Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite TV channel. BELTA has been informed about that by a press-service if the leader of the state.
A visit of Belarusian opposition delegation to the U.S. capital continues. Yesterday the leader of the Belarusian Popular Front party Vintsuk Vyachorka, the chairman of the United Democratic party Anatol Lyabedzka, First Secretary of the Party of Communists of Belarus Syarhei Kalyakin, a wife of the political prisoner Iryna Kazulina and a chairman of a working group of the Non-governmental Organizations Assembly Syarhei Matskevich held meetings in the Congress and the U.S. National Security Council.
A rally with a demand to release a young activist Dzyanis Dzyanisau took place in front of the KGB head office yesterday. Five activists of a youth initiative “Bunt” placed a streamer “Bunt is for Dzyanisau Freedom” there.
On February 28 overnight policemen and KGB officers confiscated 200,000 leaflets at a depot in private premises in Minsk. The leaflets contained an appeal to come to October Square on March 25.
The European Union is to prolong existing sanctions against Belarus and Uzbekistan. This decision has been reached at a session of standing official representatives of the EU member countries accredited in Brussels. As informed by ITAR-TASS, such a decree is to be discussed at a session of foreign ministers of the EU countries on March 5.
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