Belarus is imposing visa sanctions against American officials in return to the decision of the US Department of Sate on extending the list of the Belarusian citizens prohibited to enter the USA. “In response to the unfriendly actions of the USA Belarus will impose corresponding visa restrictions for special categories of the American officials”, deputy head of the information department of the foreign ministry of Belarus Maria Vanshina declared to the Interfax.

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Recently the deputy chair of the International Federation for Human Rights Ales Bialiatski has started receiving foreign letters with interesting seals: ‘To present for customs examination’ and ‘Transportation permitted. Minsk regional customs office’. Such attentive examination of Mr. Bialiatski’s letters is not occasional. In fact, in Belarus there exists a convenient system of control of the private correspondence of public and human rights activists and politicians.

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The administration of the open company Hrodna Azot (Hrodna Nitrogen) has started pressurizing members of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union in order to make them leave it and join a pro-governmental trade union Belkhimprafsayuz (Belarusian Chemical Trade Union).

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HRC Viasna learned that on 4 September Niasvizh district court will consider the criminal case against the Young Front activist Nasta Azarka. The case was brought under article 193.1 (activity on behalf of unregistered organization).

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In Babruisk the daughter of an activist of For Freedom! movement Ales Chyhir was not transferred to the 5th grade. Instead Chyhir received a letter from the headmaster. In this letter the father was proposed to take his daughter to another school. According to the official version Alisa Chyhir did not pass the entrance exams to the senior grades of the gymnasium. However, there are no examination minutes and orders for the establishment of the examination commission. Mr. Chyhir has a 13-year record as a teacher and knows all details of the educational process.

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Over 50 people including spectators, directors and actors were detained yesterday in Minsk at the first night of the Belarusian Svabodny Teatr (Free Theatre) performance. The Minsk OMON (special militia regiment) intruded the private house were the performance was on.

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French director Christian Benedetti who staged the “11 Shirts” play of Edward Bond in Minsk shared his impressions of his first night in Minsk when he was detained among other 50 people with the Charter’97 press office. “That is a very specific experience. The first night itself has not taken place actually. But, on the other hand, the arrests of people is a metaphor to the performance staged by us .The key subject of the performance is our learning to be responsible. As for me, Frenchmen it is my first life experience. But I actually feel that I have done a good job. I believe that for Belarusian actors working with me that fact is very important. We expect the Belarusian authorities to realize finally their responsibility to the world and democracy”, the director said in his interview to the Charter’97.

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