Riot policemen have started to beat up and seize people near Bangalore Square near McDonald’s restaurant. Protesters returned from Charnobylski Shliakh and unfurled national flags. An armoured truck MAZ arrived. People are brutally seized. Young people are kicked unmercifully during detention.
People arrive to Chernobyl chapel in Karastayanava Street. A meeting is to take place there. A resolution of Charnobylski Shliakh-2007 is to be adopted there. Participants are to light candles and hold a minute of silence in remembrance of people died from Chernobyl nuclear power station catastrophe.
Traffic policemen and policemen continue hindering movement along traffic area on Karastayanava Street. Several cars with drivers are parked on the first traffic lane. To the question why traffic policemen do not react to them, they said they are “staff” cars.
People are marching along Bangalore Square sidewalks towards Chernobyl chapel. Riot policemen march by the side of the traffic area. Strange orders are heard from their walkie-talkies: “Keep calm! Smile nicely!”
A coordinator of the Charter’97 Zmitser Bandarenka believes that the prosecutor’s office is to bring up a criminal action against Minsk city executive committee, the leadership of the Interior Affairs head department, and riot police special regiment for a failure to ensure public order and security of participants of Charnobylski Shliakh. People were purposefully forced out from Surhanau Street to sidewalks were construction works are carried out. Walking on sidewalks among pits and construction materials was very dangerous.
Number of participants has increased by 15,000. People are peacefully moving along sidewalks of Surhanau Street. Traffic policemen and riot policemen hinder the demonstration which has occupied one traffic lane.
The head of the column is moving along two traffic lanes of Surhanau Street. Riot policemen started to beat up participants of the peaceful rally brutally and push them away from a traffic area. People are beaten up, streamers are seized, and flag poles are broken by policemen. Via megaphone protesters are warned that special weapons could be used.
Participants of the rally are trying to step out to the traffic area, as they cannot be placed on the sidewalk. As a response to attempts of riot policemen to force protesters out form the traffic area people start chanting: “Fascists!”
The crossing of Surhanau and Yakub Kolas streets is cordoned off by riot policemen. Several traffic police cars are standing on the traffic area. People are forced out to sidewalks. There are no repair works there, but there are so many protesters that they cannot be placed to sidewalks. There is a large probability of stampede.
Traffic policemen interfering with marching along traffic area of Surhanau Street. Several dozens of traffic police cars and a great number of traffic policemen have arrived. They push protesters to the sidewalks. However, it is dangerous to walk along sidewalks. Building materials are amassed there. There are pits and trenches, heaps of sand and broken stone there. Now organizers of the rally persuade traffic policemen infringe safety rules, and they are responsible for health and lives of demonstrators.
Participants of the rally had to step onto traffic area, as sidewalk in front of Surhanau Street and Yakub Kolas Street crossing is being repaired. Traffic policemen tried to prevent these actions.
Participants of the rally unfurl streamers “When building new nuclear power station, remember old mistakes!”, “Belarus without nuclear power plants!”, “Hands off Chernobyl allowances!”, “There cannot be atom for peace”, “Only dead fear not radiation”, “For alternative sources of energy”.
More and more people arrive to the spot in front of the Academy of Science. More than 5,000 people have come there. Demonstrators look multicoloured. Young people are wearing blue sweaters with the words “For Freedom!” Many are carrying Belarusian and European flags, blue flags with Minsk emblem, Our Lady of Minsk. They are carrying streamers: “For Freedom!”, “Stop living on illusions”, “Free political prisoners”, “Free Kazulin!”, “Give medicines to people disabled by Chernobyl”. Independent newspaper “Vybor” is handed out there.
Demonstrators arrive to the Academy of Science. Several thousands people have been standing there already. Thus the number of the protest rally participants is about 5,000. They are standing near the Academy of Science. Belarusian opposition leaders Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Vintsuk Vyachorka, Anatol Lyabedzka, Viktar Ivashkevich, well-known writers, scientists, human rights activists, public leaders.
Demonstrators march along Independence Square holding streamers: “Charnobylski Shliakh”, “For Freedom!”, Belarusian and European flags. People chant “Freedom to political prisoners”, “Long live Belarus!” Most of them put on emergency respirators with a radiation danger sign.
Several thousands of people on the both sides of Independence Avenue are marching to the Academy of Science. People are carrying Belarusian and EU flags, streamers. They chant “Long live Belarus!” Riot policemen are marching along the column of demonstrators from the side of traffic area.
Applicants for the rally Charnobylski Shliakh Alyaksei Yanukovich, Yury Zankovich, Valyantsina Palevikova are on Independence avenue near the Central Department Store. Politicians are going to lead the demonstrators to the sanctioned place of gathering, the Academy of Science.
Several thousands people are near Yakub Kolas Square at the moment. The number of people is constantly growing. People are holding white-red-white national flags, flags of the European Union. Many people have children with them. It is impossible to reach the square. It is cordoned off by riot policemen in uniform and in mufti. Railing is put at all passages to the square. Cars are forbidden to stop. The metro station Yakub Kolas Square is closed. Metro trains are not stopping at the station. All restaurants, bistro and pharmacies on the square are closed. However, people are gathering near “Lido” restaurant and a shop “Shoes centre”.
A new stage of Chernobyl problems settlement has started in Belarus: transfer from rehabilitation of the affected territories to their development. That was announced by A.Lukashenka at the meeting-requiem in Bykhau, dedicated to the 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.
24-25 April the Festival of the Belarusian culture took place in Krakov. A considerable number of the Belarusian informal culture fans gathered there. White-red-white flags, posters, storm of applause and emotions- this way the Krakov people welcomed the Belarusian performers at the Polish stage. “Come to us more often, the hall of the Yagellon University shouted. There are so many new and interesting things!”.
Court hasn’t granted an appeal of applicants for holding Charnobylski Shliakh. Applicants filed a complaint against officials of Minsk city executive committee who changed the way and format of the rally. A judge of Maskouski district of Minsk Volha Huskova explained that she found no evidence of infringement in actions of officials. Applicants appealed from the judgement of Maskouski district court of Minsk to a higher authority.
Under present conditions the National Bank of Belarus should devaluate the Belarusian ruble at a higher rate than it actually does. This point of view was expressed by former chairman of Board of the National Bank Stanislau Bagdankevich.
Foreign ministry of Belarus is not ready to tell the date of opening a representation of the European Commission in Belarus, told Foreign Ministry press-secretary Andrei Papou at a press-conference in Minsk.
Today the wife of an imprisoned oppositional leader Andrei Klimau has tried to bring books to the remand prison in Valadarski Street in Minsk. However, the administration of the remand prison refused to pass books for the political prisoner. “We brought 14 books: Pelevin, Konchalovskiy, Houellebecq, Reagan, text books and other books. When refusing to take the books, major Dzyanisik, responsible for educational work, said that he knows perfectly well who Klimau is, and wouldn’t make exception for him. Books could be taken from the library of the remand prison only, told an opposition activist Tsimafei Dranchuk to the Charter’97 press-center. Together with Tatsyana Klimava Tsimafei tried to bring books to Klimau. Earlier the administration of the remand prison refused to bring Klimau a radio set.
At 6 .10 p.m. official news agency BelTA informed that Alyaksandr Lukashenka left Minsk for Moscow. He took part in the mourning ceremonies in Moscow over the death of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin.
Alyaksandr Kazulin has sent another appeal to Prosecutor General Pyotr Miklashevich to urge him to open a criminal case against Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Ihar Rynkevich, a former lawyer for the imprisoned former presidential candidate, told BelaPAN.
Belarusian young activists are getting ready for Charnobylski Shliakh rally which is to be held in Minsk today. A vertical streamer with the words “Charnobylski Shliakh” was placed on the roof of one of the building in the Western part of Minsk. Graffiti with an appeal to take part in the rally were seen in Kuntsaushchyna, Zakhad, Malinauka urban districts. Stickers with the place and time of holding Charnobylski Shlyakh are pasted in Minsk everywhere.
On April 25 a three-day visit of Belarusian Defense Minister Leanid Maltsau to China finished. The BelaPAN has been informed about that by the military ministry of the country. Details of the visit and talks are not revealed by agreement with the Chinese side.
On April 26, 1986 the world’s worst nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl power plant. Chernobyl disaster has affected every citizen of Belarus. More than 200 times more radiation was released at Chernobyl than during the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings combined. More than 70% of radioactive fallout landed on the territory of Belarus. About 2 million citizens of our country are afflicted by the acident, including more than 500,000 children. Scientists say that 200,000 Belarusians have died from radiation exposure. The territory of Belarus has become a zone of ecological disaster for many centuries. Today a traditional rally Charnobylski Shliakh (the Path of Chernobyl) will take place in Minks today. Organizers of the rally will gather on Yakub Kolas Square at 6 p.m. to conduct people to the sanctioned place of gathering.
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