Deputy CEO of the Beltrasgaz Vinery Valchuga declared today that Belarus is unlikely to agree with the gas price for 2008 offered by the Gazprom without dispute. Well-known economist Yaraslau Ramanchuk agreed to comment on the statement of the Belarusian official to the Charter’97 press-center.

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Yesterday journalist Ivan Roman was called to the public prosecutor’s office of the Leninsky district in Harodnya .The prosecutor started investigating if Ivan Roman had been the author of “the governmental body discrediting” news story published at the Radio Ratsia site in July.

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30 August 1997 the meeting in defense of free press was held in Minsk in Bangalore Square. Representatives of the non-state-owned mass media joint the meeting activists. The journalists were dressed in prison stripped overalls thus showing their solidarity with the ORT TV channel journalist Pave Harames who was then in prison. Well-known film director Yuri Khaschevatsky, editor of the “Svaboda” newspaper Igar Hermenchuk spoke to the meeting. Poet Slavamir Adamovich protesting against the speech freedom violation stitched his mouth right at the meeting rostrum. Around 5000 people participated in the meeting.

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The Un Commission on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance resumed its interest in the former interior minister Yuri Zakharenka case who had disappeared in 1999.A couple of days ago a corresponding UNO claim was received by advocate of the Zkharenkas’ lawyer Aleg Vouchak. According to him, the UN Commission is to gather at its extraordinary meeting for considering the record of investigations of the disappeared policymakers’ cases in Belarus. The Commission is eager to learn the viewpoints of all the sides involved in the process.

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International Day of Enforced Disappearance is commemorated 30 August. In 1999-2000 Deputy Prime Minister Viktar Ganchar, former interior minister Yuri Zakharenka, businessman and public figure Anatol Krasousky and journalist Zmitser Zavadzky disappeared .Belarusian top officials have been suspected of involvement in kidnapping of those people.

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