“Council of Ministers, Hands off Privileged Pensions!”- this slogan is to gather workers of the “Belaruskali” Enterprise who are members of the “Belkhimprofsoyuz” trade-union federation at their meeting, www.praca-by.info reports. Presidium of the trade-union committee made a decision on holding the protest meeting claiming elimination of the article stipulating the impossibility for the worker to get the early pension if he continues his working under harmful conditions from the law ”On professional pension insurance”.
10,000 Belarusians have taken to the streets in Minsk on Freedom Day. Policemen were trying to foil the demonstration, but Belarusians have celebrated Freedom Day decently. Under national white-red-white flags of EU flags a few several thousand strong rallies have taken place in Minsk. Despite of preventive arrests of opposition activists in Minsk and in the regions, for the first time in many years the action on Freedom day hadn’t been brutally disbanded. Moreover, for the first time the authorities marked this holiday too, having organized several concerts in Minsk. And the most important thing observed by all who was in Minsk streets on March 25, is that Belarusians are becoming free of fear. Participants of the rally express their opinion on the event. Opinions have been taken from popular Belarusian Internet-forums.
MFA of the Slovak Republic is deeply concerned about the ongoing pressure and intimidation by the authorities of Belarus toward NGO activists and political forces, as well as about obstructions against a planned peaceful demonstration in Minsk on March 25. At present, as well as a year ago, these and similar steps are in deep contrast with a declared wish of Belarusian Government to intensify and develop relations with the EU, and do not allow to Belarusian citizens to participate in the European Neighbourhood Policy.
On March 25 a picket in support of Belarusian opposition dedicated to Freedom Day was held at the town square in the Danish city Randers. The picket had been organised by Danish social democratic Youth. The picketers made a small scale tent camp to get the attention of the Danish public and media. Regional television, local newspapers and interested people visited the camp and heard about the situation in Belarus.
17 days have passed already since Alyaksandr Lukashenka has disappeared from TV screens, official reports. He has cancelled all foreign visits and meetings at the highest level. The press-service of the Belarusian leader had to state that he “works with documents”. Where is Lukashenka in reality? The Charter’97 press-center received an answer of a well-known Belarusian filmmaker, who created films “An Ordinary President” and “The Square” Yury Khaschavatski.
Public activist Kristina Shatikava was released from the Magilyou psycho-hospital yesterday. As Shatikava informed the BelaPAN, no diagnoses were made to her by the doctors. “All the questions which I was asked at my interview with the psychiatrists were not on a medical subject. They asked about my social contacts, about those who came to see me, who phoned me. Thus it is not a medical but a political matter. They told my mother that I am not a psycho but an eccentric personality”, Shatikava said.
Hugo Chavez is to grant Belarus oil fields in his country. The fields are expected to yield up to 2-million tons of oil a year (40000 barrels a day), the government said, according to Belta news service. It has been stated by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez during negotiations with the State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Viktar Shejman.
“The attitude of Europe to Belarus must become similar to the former relations between Europe and Poland during the “Salidarnast” times. That dialogue resulted in gradual relaxation of the communist regime in Poland and its further decline. Alyaxander Milinkevich’s letter to Lukashenka manifested readiness of the opposition to the dialogue. I was not surprised with the absence of your leader’s response. But finally he will be obliged to answer. Currently, Europe should support, first of all, the independent public and political structures in Belarus”, declared Vice-President of the European Parliament Janusz Onyszkiewicz in his interview with the Nasha Niva. 25 March the Vice-President of the European Parliament came to Belarus for the Day of Freedom celebration.
A session of representatives of left parties on preparation and realization of mass rallies on May 1, (Day of the International Solidarity of Workers) has taken place on March 26 in Minsk.
Customs service of the airport “Minsk-2” has given back money to Charter’97 coordinator Andrei Sannikov. The money has been seized in March 2006. It happened the very same day the year before.
Today in Minsk and in other cities trials over detained opposition activists continue. Yesterday 10 persons were sentenced to arrest: Alyaksandr Atroschankau, Andrei Ihnatovich, Alyaksandr Ruban, Uladzimir Holavan, Alyaksandr Kurbatski, Alyaksandr Stsepanenka, Anton Pieu, Vital Tsikhanovich, Yauhen Tarasevich, a citizen of Ukraine Anastasia Zhivkova. Except for a few persons which are to be tried today, other detained before and during the rally on Freedom Day have been released. The Charter’97 press-center has been informed about that by a human rights activist Uladzimir Labkovich. Hiowever, detentions and trials over oppositionists continue in the regions.
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