Minsk encompassed by solidarity actions (Photo) :: Charter'97 :: News

Several hundred people with portraits of the political prisoners gathered yesterday in the Oktyabrskaya Square in Minsk but then they were forced to Nezavisimosty Avenue by men in civic attire and moved to the St. Joseph Catholic Church. Actually, they could not remain near the Church for a long time because the OMON (special militia regiment) made them disperse.

An hour later around 50 young activists in “For Freedom” t-shirts approached the Church. The young people kneeled and prayed for returning the St. Joseph Catholic Church to the believers.

At 8p.m. already over 100 people gathered near the Church. They lighted candle-sticks , put them on the building’s steps and jointly prayed for 15 minutes, sang the Belarusian anthem ”Magutny Bozha” (God All-Mighty) and departed without any accidents.

The believers have already been praying for 2 years for returning the St. Joseph Church to the Catholic congregation. Previously the Church and the monastery housed the military commandant’s headquarters and now the authorities are going to rebuild the monastery into a hotel with the swimming pool and bowling. Actions for the St. Joseph Catholic Church are held daily near it.

In other parts of the city- at the National Library, in the Yakub Kolas Square, at the Palace of Culture of Railway Workers ,at the Academy of Sciences , at the Svislach embankment as well as in the Zavodsky district of Minsk – people came out into the street with lighted candle-sticks and portraits of the political prisoners and disappeared opposition leaders.

Several hundreds of people participated in the solidarity actions in Belarus. The actions were taken in several parts of the city- near the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cyril and Methodus Street, in the Oktyabrskaya Square, at the National Library, in the Yakub Kolas Square,at the Palace of Culture of Railway Workers, at the Svislach embankment as well as in the Zavodsky district of Minsk. The St. Joseph Catholic Church alone was three times approached that day.