The last week of May was proclaimed the International Week of Disappeared People by the UNESCO. Four well-known people disappeared in Belarus in 1999-2000. The former minister for internal affairs militia General Yuri Zakharenka was kidnapped on 7 May 1999 evening not far from his apartment. The first Vice-Speaker of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus of the 13th convening chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Viktar Ganchar and his friend, entrepreneur and public figure Anatol Krasousky were kidnapped 16 September 1999. Journalist Zmitser Zavadsky disappeared under unidentified circumstances on his way to the airport “Minsk-2” 7 July 2000.

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A criminal actions against opposition activists Alyaksandr Uryuski, Alyaksandra Yasiuk and Natalya Starastsina have been suspended. The investigator needed two months to come to such a conclusion.

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A request for holding the picket for support of the right of freedom of conscience and the rights of Christian confessions’ believers on 8 June in the park of Peoples’ Friendship near the Bangalor Square was submitted to the Minsk executive committee by the co-chairman of the organizing committee foe establishment of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Alyaksei Shein.

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Real rate of the Belarusian ruble over the January-April period decreased relatively to the “currency basket” of the countries which are the main trade partners of Belarus by 2.1% in comparison with December 2006. This is proved by the official data placed at the site of the National Bank.

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Alyaksandr Lukashenka believes that by developing military cooperation, Belarus and Russia would be able to find an adequate answer to the attempts to place ballistic missile defense in Europe. “Only in union with Belarus Russia would be able to find the most accurate and asymmetric answer to stationing ballistic missile defense in Europe,” A. Lukashenka said on Tuesday in Minsk, at the meeting with a delegation of Sibir federal district of Russia headed by the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexandr Khloponin.

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Campaign aimed at revocation of contractual employment system goes on. On 25 May 2007 Chairperson of initiative group of citizens that works to alter and amend labor legislation, leader of the Belarusian Radio and Electronics Workers’ Union (REWU) Gennady Fedynich and Trade Union lawyer Elena Eskova submitted documents to the Central Electoral Commission.

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On June 3 two months will pass since the moment of detention of an opposition leader Andrei Klimau. Law-enforcing agencies are to define a measure of restraint for the politician: is he to be released or to be kept in custody. As we have informed, a few days ago Klimau was placed to a republican clinical hospital because of heart problems.

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“It is forbidden to paint here, there is an Orthodox church here!” artists were told by policemen rent them away from work. After that a long discussion with journalists and passers-by started. Policemen got tired and finally calmed down. The plain-air started.

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Ake Peterson, head of the OSCE Office in Minsk, leaves Belarus, a spokeswoman for the Office told BelaPAN on May 28. The Swedish diplomat aims to serve as the European Council`s representative in Ukraine.

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The verdict to the Young Front activists is to be delivered in the court of Savetski district of Minsk today. The prosecutor demands to sentence Zmitser Khvedaruk, Barys Haretski, Aleh Korban to a fine of 500 basic units, and the underage Nasta Palazhanka to corrective works. In the court the leader of the Belarusian Popular Front party Vintsuk Vyachorka told to the human rights center “Viasna” that “the trial over the Young Front is a kind of an acid test. If the regime realizes the depth of the crisis which started from the new year, it means that they wouldn’t limit themselves to release of political prisoners Statkevich, Sevyarynets and Sadouskaya”.

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