A strike of machine operators of a rural cooperative “Varanyany” (Astravets district, Hrodna region) has been finished. Demands of machine operators haven’t been fulfilled. Moreover, “stirrer-ups” of the strike are threatened by dismissal. “There very many reasons for such strikes in Belarus,” told the leader of the Belarusian Popular Front party from the town of Smurhon, Ales Dzerhachou. “We have many backward enterprises like “Varanyany”. People are just afraid to go on strike. I believe that the strike in “Varanyany” is the first sign, which would cause a number of similar actions displaying discontent of workers”.
Minsk students Yan Mikhailau and Mikalay Korshunau, participants of yesterday’s protest against repeal of benefits held on Independence Square in Minsk, have been sentenced to fines of 10 basic units each (310,000 BYR) by the court of Maskouski district of Minsk.
Youth activist Yaugen Ivaniuk was phoned today in the morning by the Minsk prosecutor’s office official and was invited for a “talk”. As it was learnt by the right’s defending center “Vyasna” the prosecutor’s office official Viktoriya Kukto explained the activist that the prosecutor’s office was interested in the activities of the unregistered organization ”Association of Belarusian Students”. It is known that several other people also got the invitations to the prosecutor’s office.
As the human rights center Viasna has been informed, today activists of a public movement in defense of the old city architecture had been detained in Hrodna again.
On May 26-27 a Congress of the Democratic forces will take place in Belarus. Delegates to this event have been chosen scrupulously. Mostly members of political parties are to take part in the congress. However, according to reports, former political prisoners will have a right of entry to the congress. However, they have found out about that only from the press. “On one hand, undoubtedly I have a positive attitude to the fact that me and other political prisoners have been automatically made delegates of the event, the Congress. On the other hand, we had to learn about that from journalists, and not from the organizing committee. It is likely that some of the 28 persons on the list are still unaware about their being delegates. As for me, I could say that I won’t take part in the congress on personal grounds. I do not see political expedience in its holding at the moment, I just judge it was internal showdown which has nothing to do with changing of the situation in the country. As I am not a member of any party, in this case I will spend weekend with my family,” told the young leader, a former political prisoner Alyaksei Shydlouski to the Charter’97 press-center.
The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FPB) appeals to people to act against depriving [the country] of trading privileges. At enterprises and in trade unions that are part of the FPB, forms of statements are disseminated in order to protest against decision of the European Union on temporary exclusion of Belarus from system of trading preferences. They are prepared on behalf of trade union organizations. The form should contain the name of trade union, number of members and its chairperson should sign the statement.
Establishment of an initiative, even a civil initiative, which aim is to help journalists to improve their skills, could be only welcomed, said the chairperson of the Belarusian Association of journalists Zhana Litvina, informing about formation of a civil Academy of a Journalist. To her mind, Belarusian journalists have limited possibilities to improve their qualification.
Pavel Sevyarinets hopes that in the near future all the political prisoners are to be released in Belarus. He declared that at the press conference in Minsk at the BNF Party headquarters 23 May.
The city authorities demand from the citizens of Minsk to dismantle satellite TV antennas installed on the facades of dwelling houses. The officials who issued the order explain that the only reason for this decision is that the satellites spoil the face of the city streets and points out that the satellites had been installed without the city administration’s architect department authorization.
Alyaksandr Milinkevich, who still formally holds the position of chairman of the Political Council of United Pro-democratic Forces, will not run for co-chairmanship in the Council at the forthcoming Congress of Pro-democratic Forces.
Site for atomic power station construction is to be chosen in several months. That was reported today by head of the center for energy efficiency of the National Academy of Sciences academician Alyaksandr Mikhalevich at the meeting with deputies of the house of representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus.
A strike of machine operators of a rural cooperative “Varanyany” Astravets district Hrodna region has been stopped. Yesterday evening a meeting was held in the cooperative. Officials of Astravets district executive committee were present there. Demands of machine operators haven’t been fulfilled. Moreover, “stirrer-ups” of the strike are threatened by dismissal.
After his release from prison the former political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich answered several Charter’97 press center’s questions relevant to the political life of Belarus.
The Belarusian Radio and Electronics Workers’ Union (REWU) has made a statement on possible depriving the Belarusian Government of trade benefits. “On June 21 2007 the European Union’s decision to exclude the Republic of Belarus from the list of users of the General System of Tariff Preferences because of violations of trade union and workers’ rights. Not much time is left to follow the recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and stop violations of trade unions’ rights, but unfortunately, today we can state that Belarusian government hadn’t done much to fulfill these recommendations,” the statement reads.
Yesterday’s protest “No to repeal of benefits!” in the campus of the Belarusian State University near Independence Square ended in detention of two persons and attack of two people in mufti on a girl. Her name is Tatsyana Tsishkevich.
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