Lukashenka: There were two times when I wanted to close Minsk city executive committee

The dictators wanted to appointed a “iron” military man to rule the city.

Minsk should be a model city with perfect management. This task was set today by Alyaksanr Lukashenka, who approved some new appointment in the city government, BelTA news agency reports.

“I'd like to tell you honestly that there were two times when I wanted to close the Minsk city executive committee at night, seal its doors for a day and appoint new head of the Committee in the morning, maybe a military man, an 'iron' man who would hire new executive officers and city's top officials in a short time so that they were able to toss out the old personnel leaving only the minimum number of old employees and employ new ones,” the head of state said.

“I repeat this honestly in public again,: I had this desire two times. I'd like it to be for the last time,” the dictator warned. “No excuses. You may understand me as you want. But it is you who should have more interest here. It's you who were born in Minsk and grew up there.”

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Yarmoshyna cannot stand boycott

Appels to boycott “elections” will be classified as mass public events.

This statement was made today by head of the Belarusian Central Election Commission (CEC) Lidzia Yarmoshyna, BelTA news agency reports.

A provision relating to “elections” boycott will not disappear from the electoral legislation, but it will be removed from the section on campaigning, the CEC head explains.

“Calling to boycott will be possible under the rules of all mass public events, but not on the simplified application procedure for the money from budget funds. It will be independent activity of candidates, parties and individuals without the preferences offered by the [electoral] legislation,” Lidzia Yarmoshyna said.

Taking into account that mass public events are in fact phorobited in Belarus, such plans mean that carrying out a boycott campaign will be impossible. The authorities seem to make conclusions after the failure of the election farce on September 23.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Believers protest against Dashkevich being humiliated

If the head of the Mozyr colony Yury Zabarouski tried to fill the whole country’s protestant community with indignation with him persecuting a protestant Dzmimtry Dashkevich, than he succeeded.

On behalf of the believers of the Christian Church of the Evangelic Faith of John the Baptist the pastor Antoniy Bokun addressed the department of corrections of the Interior Ministry, General Prosecutor’s office and Lukashenka’s administration calling to stop the pressure on the prisoner of the Mosyr colony, youth organization “Young Front’s” leader, Narodnaya Volia reports.

“Dzmitry Dashkevich is a Christian believer, he has been a parishioner of the Christian Church of the Evangelic Faith of John the Baptist since 2006. It causes lack of understanding and concern that the representatives of the Mozyr colony’s 20 administration express themselves neglectfully towards a Christian confession, which is represented in Belarus by almost 1000 registered communities and unites tens of thousands of believers”, - the statement says.

The pastor of the church which Dashkevich belongs to on behalf of all the believers demands a comprehensive investigation of the facts of the unlawful deeds of the Mozyr colony’s 20 administration. “We demanded to stop the pressure which Dzmitry Dashkevich is being a subject to, identify and punish the responsible officials and also take measures in order not to let such cases repeat in future”, - the statement says.

It is of no doubt that if not the whole thousand of the protestant communities will now be demanding to investigate the incident with Dashkevich, then a significant number of them.

We would remind, that according to the activists’ information, Dzmitry Dashkevich ended up in a lock-up because of a conflict with the colony’s head and went on a hunger strike to protest against the insults and persecution which were cause by the fact that he belongs not “a wrong faith”.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Zmitser Dashkevich receives rape threats from prison warden

Young Front reports about hideous facts of pressure on the political prisoner.

Young Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich has been on hunger strike for the seventh day in a punishment cell of the Mozyr penal colony.

The reason for the hunger strike became known today. It is cruel treatment from Mozyr penal colony administration, including prison warden Yury Zbarouski.

The Young Front press service reports the prison warden began to insult Dashkevich using obscene words as he met him for the first time. Zbarouski threatened the Young Front leader would spend his whole prison term in a punishment cell.

The political prisoner has been in the Mozyr penal colony only for a week, but prison board already had several meetings on his issue, deprived him of all visits and gave him a reprimand.

According to Young Front, a prison officer found a blade on the table in the barrack for 40 prisoners. Dashkevich was moved to the barrack only recently and it wasn't his blade, but the colony administration threatens to label him as an inmate inclined to commit suicide.

Zmitser Dashkevich filed an application announcing his hunger strike. The chief of the disciplinary department crumpled it and threw away threatening the Young Front leader would be raped by other inmates.

After these incidents, Zmitser refused to fulfill any orders. He again appeared before the prison board and got another term in the punishment cell. The Young Front leader doesn't plan to terminate his hunger strike until the prison staff changes the attitude to him.

“Zmitser Dashkevich has been in this penal colony for only a week. I cannot imagine how it goes further... The disciplinary department head said to me Dashkevich would face even tougher conditions if any information appeared in the media. But I don't see other variants except for voicing out these awful things,” Anastasia Palazhanka, the fiancee of the political prisoner, says.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

No money to pay off debts: Dictator takes new loans

Belarus plans to refinance its external debt in 2013.

This statement was made by Belarusian minister of finance Andrei Kharkavets at an extended meeting of the commission on budget, finance and taxation policy of the “house of representatives” on September 26, BelaPAN news agency reports.

He remarked that Belarus enters a “period of maximum external debt payments” in 2013. “The sum of payments is expected to double in comparison with this year's payments and reach $3.1 billion,” the minister stressed.

In this regard, the government sets a task to refinance a part of the debt package, Kharkavets says. “We'll work in the following directions: firstly, receiving two tranches of the EurAsEC Anticrisis Fund's loan at a sum of $0.9bn. Secondly, we've already begun our work this year to enter the international capital markets to place there government bonds in 2013,” the Ministry of Finance head said.

He assured that Belarus's economic conditions would be “stable” in 2013. “The external debt will amount to 21.1% of the GDP (we have a limit of not more than 25%). The internal debt will be 3% with a limit of not more than 20%. Payments for the government debt will be 7.8% of country's fiscal revenues (the limit is not more than 10%),” Andrei Kharkavets said.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Pavel Sevyarynets: Farce failed

The authorities failed to force Belarusians to vote.

Political prisoner Pavel Sevyarynets, a co-head of Belarusian Christian democracy party, comments on the outcome of the “parliamentary election” for charter97.org.

“There was no 'election'. It was a farce. It was an attempt of the regime to force Belarusians to vote, but it failed. Our observers report voter turnout was very low. The farce failed. Ballot rigging, substitution of ballots and ballot boxes are crimes. These crimes committed by the authorities against Belarusians, against the people of Belarus, against God. Depriving Belarusians of the right of choice is devilry. Even God gives people the choice either to believe in him or not,” the politician said.

“The authorities announced their results. These results are lies. The election was invalid,” the political prisoner noted.

We remind the co-head of the organizing committee to create BCD party was sentenced to three years in an open-type detention facility for post-election protests on December 19, 2010. Pavel Sevyarynets serves his term in special detention facility No. 7 in the village of Kuplin (Pruzhany district).

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Mass arrests of observers in Minsk

Twenty observers of the parliamentary elections are detained by the riot police in Minsk.

On 24 September couple dozen activists of the youth project “Election Observation: Theory and Practice”, which was observing the elections at the polling stations in the capital, were detained, the human rights center Viasna reports.

“Around twenty people, which were arranging the observation, are detained. The observer Ales Zayats told that together with him were probably detained Anastasiya Matchanka, Karyna Bobryk, Ales Herasimenka”, - a journalist Alina Radachynskaya writes in her Facebook account.

One of the detained Maryia Sliaptsova managed to tell that the observers were detained by the riot police near the Jazz hostel in Shchadryna street in Minsk.

Now they are being taken to the Minsk’s Central police department.

The young people were observing the elections in the framework of the Election Observation: Theory and Practice (EOTP) project.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Komorowski's adviser: “Election” in Belarus is makeup on dictatorship's face

An adviser to the Polish president comments on the course of the “election” in Belarus.

“The Sunday election in Belarus is makeup on the face of the dictatorship,” Tomasz Nalecz, an adviser to the Polish president, said about the Belarusian “parliamentary election” to journalists. He stressed he didn't expect much from it.

“The election organized by the dictator in dictatorial conditions is makeup on the bad looking face of the dictatorship. It is so and it will be so with this election. The problem of Belarus is the dictatorship. No makeup is able to change the expression of this dictatorial face,” Nalecz said.

Belarus has the election to the lower house of the “parliament” on Sunday. The opposition proposed about 130 candidates at the start of the campaign, but two biggest opposition parties – the Belarusian Popular Front and the United Civil Party – withdrew their candidates on September 15. They say it was done due to refusal to include their members in election commissions and political prisoners in the country.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Lukashenka “cries out loud” because of the boycott

Belarusian dictator crashed his critics on the oppositionists boycotting his “elections”.

‘’We even take them on their collar, pull them to the people. They are afraid to go to the people, I already told that they don’t need power. They are getting paid a little (by the West - Interfax) for bread and salt. But why would they need to come to power?”, - said Lukashenka to journalists on Friday in the Mogilev region, Interfax reports.

“Power- is when you have to be accountable to the people”, - the dictator highlighted.

Commenting the decision of a number of opposition parties to take their candidates off the elections the ruler claimed it meant that “the parties showed their real nature, showed that they are equal to nothing”.

“They will lose the dozen of people who still see them as a role model”, - Lukashenka added.

On the other hand, according to him, “it was a right decision on their part, because they don’t have adequate candidates”. “If they are not ready to compete today… Are you being shot here, or chocked or suppressed? They thought, that they would silently or loudly quit the elections and thus show that they were against the current system. But this system doesn’t create obstacles for anyone to be elected”, - claimed Lukashenka.

The dictator said, that he “was not involved into the campaign at all”. “Will we see then, what they will say about the dictator’s influence on these elections?” He said that the head of the Central Electoral Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna and the chairman of the House of Representatives Uladzimir Andreichanka are mainly responsible for the electoral campaign. “Not once did they address me for me to do anything or go anywhere”, - he highlighted. “I don’t get involved into the electoral campaign. For me the most important is to ensure peace in the country, that no one makes trouble to anyone”, - claimed Lukashenka.

The ruler noted that “they should learn from us how to organize elections”. “We don’t cry out loud”, - he said.

According to Lukashenka, he will decide on whom he is going to vote for on the elections day on Sunday. “I will definitely vote for a person, who has life experience and did something with own hands”, - the dictator noted. Lukashenka highlighted, that the “parliament members must be experienced, must not scream out loud on squares, but to work on legislation”. “Today there are 110 people in the parliament, but they must be literate, they must develop legislation. And that is a very hard work”, - the dictator claimed.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

USA demand to punish the guilty of the beating of journalists

U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Ian Kelly condemned the new round of repression in Belarus.

"The United States expresses serious concerns regarding government-orchestrated violence and detention of civil society members and at least seven journalists including a photographer from the Associated Press who suffered serious facial injuries. The journalists were covering a protest in Minsk on September 18 in support of an election boycott," - said Ian Kelly in the statement.

He urges the government of Belarus to cease its campaign of intimidation and to hold responsible government officials accountable, particularly for acts of violence.

"We renew our call on the Government of Belarus to honor its OSCE commitments, release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally, ensure their full rehabilitation, and stop the ongoing harassment of political activists, civil society representatives, and independent journalists.

Finally, we call upon Belarus to hold free and fair elections on September 23 and allow the journalists and observers who witness these elections to freely report on what they observe. In particular, we urge the government to permit full access, including the prompt issuance of visas to OSCE observers from ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly," - said Ian Kelly.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Walk with national flag ends with arrest

Democratic activist Ihar Lishtvan has been detained in the town of Maladzechna.

The young man was detained as he was walking with a national white-red-white flag and poster “September 19 – day of national symbols”. He wanted to mark the Day of National Symbols of Belarus in such a way.

The guy walked with the flag through the city. Police detained him near a picket of pro-governmental youth organization BRSM, which called on people to vote in the “election” on September 23, ffight.org reports.

It's worth noting that Ihar Lishtvan is a minor. He is only 16 years old.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Belarusian visas denied to OSCE PA observers

Two parliamentarians from Germany and Lithuania, who planned to observe the “election” in Belarus, have been denied visas.

This information was spread today by Matteo Mecacci, the coordinator of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly short-term election observation mission in Belarus.

The Belarusian MFA refused to issue visas to two parliamentarians from Germany and Lithuania, who planned to observe the “parliamentary election” in Belarus, Radio Svaboda reports.

“I am disappointed to hear that two members of our delegation were not allowed to enter Belarus to observe the upcoming parliamentary elections. I hope to receive an exhaustive explanation on this issue from the authorities to make sure that the atmosphere for the upcoming Election Observation Mission will remain calm and so that our work can continue without restrictions or limitations, as stated in our invitation to observe the elections,” Mecacci said in a statement.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Our true court of arms and flag

It was on September 19, 1991.

The white-red-white flag and the "Pahonya" coat-of-arms remained state symbols till 1995, when Lukashenka changed them at the referendum.

Also, the BSSR Supreme Council took the decision on the change of name of the republic: the Republic of Belarus appeared instead of the Soviet Byelorussia, also on September 19, 1991.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Partners in crime

Dictator Lukashenka is playing a horrible game with the opposition and even international observers.

During the 18 years of his rule, Aliaksandar Lukashenka has been struggling to get his dictatorship recognized. On September 23, 2012 he can finally succeed. The players from the so-called opposition and the crowd of observers do a good job playing their roles in the monstrous play staged to reinforce the dictator, and to drive Belarus away from the civilized development for years.

Let’s see the chronicle of the elections farce in Belarus from the very beginning – 1995.

May 1995: the referendum used by Lukashenka to illegally change the state symbols. The referendum wasn’t recognized by the international community. The OSCE PA said that international standards had been breached during the voting. The referendum was criticized by the US government. The Russian Duma accepted the results and welcomed the new status of Russian as a state language.

November 1996: the referendum that changed the political system in Belarus, and that was used by Lukashenka to usurp the power. The referendum was totally rejected by the international community. In the early 1997, following the referendum, the EU limited its contacts with Belarusian high officials and froze the current agreements. Russia accepted the voting results.

October 2000: the ”parliamentary elections”. The majority of the opposition boycotted the elections to the institution that had ceased to be legitimate in 1996, after the Supreme Council had been dismissed. International observers who had found violations claimed that the elections didn’t follow OSCE standards and that the opposition candidates had been pressed. In Minsk and many other cities the number of people who came to vote was too low. Russia accepted the elections.

September 2001: the presidential elections. According to international observers, Lukashenka didn’t get enough votes to win. International observers didn’t recognize the results of the elections. Russia and observers from the CIS recognized the voting and said that its results “are an expression of will of the Belarusian people”:

October 2004: the ”parliamentary elections”. The elections were not recognized by international observers who reported about repressions against the opposition and international media and noted that the votes were not counted openly. OSCE observers said that “the parliamentary elections in Belarus roughly violate the OSCE principles and obligations”. Russia and the CIS observers recognized the elections.

October 2004: the referendum on withdrawal of limitations to become president for Lukashenka. The referendum was held simultaneously with the “parliamentary elections”. There was no international observation of the referendum, but the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe made a clear conclusion that a part of the referendum question “directly contradicts the Electoral code.” According to independent observers and independent polls, Lukashenka failed to gather 50% of the votes necessary to change the constitution. Russia and the CIS observers recognized the results of the referendum.

September 2008: the “parliamentary elections”. During the elections, international observers noted “certain improvements”; first of all, the release of the political prisoners. However, the elections were not recognized since the OSCE standards were violated. Russia and the CIS observers recognized the voting.

December 2010: the presidential elections. The international community was very critical regarding the falsifications and violence used during the elections. After a break, Russia recognized the results of the elections.

Summing up: since 1995, none of the elections and referenda held in Belarus has been recognized by the institutions empowered by the international community, which includes Belarus, to observe elections and give evaluations. During this time, hundreds of reports, monitoring, analytic materials, and studies on the falsifications of the Belarusian elections have been prepared and presented. Thousands of violations and falsifications have been documented. International observers have learnt all methods that the Belarusian regime uses to provide the desired voting results.

There are no elections in Belarus – both the opposition and international observers have come to this conclusion for a long time ago. After December 19, 2010, this conclusion has become much harder: under the disguise of “elections”, a crime against the nation is being committed in Belarus.

After December 19, 2010, it became clear to everyone: there can be no elections in a dictatorship.

Nevertheless, the regime has once again started to play elections. The game has never been more cynical. This time, it’s not about getting the results of the “elections” recognized or organizing some kind of election process. There’ll be no loyal deputies in the “parliament”. It is about legitimizing Lukashenka’s right to commit these crimes. For that, the dictatorship needs the opposition to take part in the “election”, and international observers – to be present at the voting.

There are two key features of these “elections”:

- this is the first time the elections are held while such a high number of political prisoners are in jail. Furthermore, during the “electoral” campaign the tortures and humiliations of the political prisoners have escalated. The worst of all is that the OSCE and Europe have accepted this situation.

- this is the first time there’ll be no significant protests from the opposition after the elections. The repressions have nearly totally destroyed the opposition, who is presently incapable of protesting against the lawlessness in the streets.

The results of the elections will not be recognized. But the dictatorship doesn’t need a recognizance. Moreover, Russia didn’t even care to wait until the voting is complete and has already recognized the results and accused OSCE observers of bias. On August 15, the Russian minister for foreign affairs met with Lukashenka and promised to provide a positive evaluation of the “parliamentary elections” in Belarus, despite all the attempts of the OSCE to “compromise” them.

“Russia will do everything to make sure that the evaluation of the parliamentary elections in Belarus is objective, unbiased and will not become an object of some one-sided, far-fetched rules imposed by the OSCE.”

However, after the elections the regime will try hysterically to get the results recognized, using these formal arguments: the participation of the opposition in the “election”, international observation, no mass protest against the results.

Meanwhile, nobody can be sure about the lives and health of the political prisoners.

Today the question of whether to take part in the election farce is beyond the morality. Taking part in the elections equals taking part in the dictatorship’s crimes. This concerns the international observers, too.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

5,000 boycott leaflets seized from BCD activist

Police seized 5,000 leaflets calling to boycott the “election” from Zmitser Shukhrai, an activist of Belarusian Christian Democracy party (BCD) in the Brest region.

“I was detained at 7:15 p.m. near the central bus station. Policemen asked to show my ID and asked what I had in the bag,” Shukhrai told BelaPAN news agency. “A man in civvies was standing near the policemen. He left after I had been detained.”

The activist was taken to the Leninski district police department for questioning. Police seized 5,000 leaflets calling to boycott the “election”.

“I was told the leaflets would be sent for examination, because police saw calls to a coup in them,” Shukhrai said.

He was released at 10:10 p.m. No police reports were drawn up against the activist.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Polotsk winery is on strike: workers are on the streets

All departments of the factory stopped at Friday morning.

As it became known to the website ximik.info, spontaneous strike began with the employees, not satisfied with the last payslip. The workers left the company jobs and went outside.

Heaver of the winery Victar Raslyakou confirmed that yesterday employees of the company received salary receipts; the salary listed there did not exceed 2 million rubles. On Friday morning the discontent of the winery workers discontent resulted in a spontaneous strike.

Administration of the company has promised to recalculate the salaries of the employees to the end of Friday.

According to Raslyakou, there is no trust to the promises, but the winery's workshops gradually start to work, waiting for the evening decision of the administration.

Recall, there were similar incidents. About 30 employees went out of the winery's official labor union and have created a primary free labor union.

Thus the workers expressed their dissatisfaction with wages and working conditions. According to "Narodnaya Volia", after that KGB officers have come to the winery toidentify the leaders of the "rebels."

for now, the leadership of Polotsk winery strongly denies the strike of workers.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Charter’97: in Warsaw today, in Minsk tomorrow

The office of Charter’97 has opened in Warsaw.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by deputy minister of foreign affairs of Poland Jerzy Pomianowski; former minister of foreign affairs of Slovakia Pavol Demes; OSCE ODIHR Director Ambassador Janez Lenarčič; director of the Eastern Department the Polish Foreign Ministry Artur Michalski; Poland’s ambassador to Belarus Leszek Szerepka; former heads of the Polish Embassy in Minsk Mariusz Maszkiewicz and Witold Jurasz; European Parliament deputy Marek Migalski; vice-president of the International Solidarity Foundation Martin Wojciehowski; director of the Warsaw office of the German Marshall Fund Andrew Michta; Director of the Centre for East European Democracy Paweł Kazaniecki; heads of the foundation Freedom and Democracy Tomasz Pisula and Marek Bucko; representatives from the embassies of the USA, Slovakia, Belgium, Norway, Canada, Japan, Austria, Irland, Czech, Finland, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Estonia, Egypt.

Even well-known Belarusian politicians and public figures took part in the ceremony: former presidential candidate Ales Mikhalevich; coordinator of the civil campaign European Belarus Dzmitry Bandarenka; head of the head-quarters of presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov Uladzimir Kobiets; leader of the Belarusian Movement Viktar Ivashkievich; widow of the missing Belarusian businessman and public figure Anatol Krasouski, leader of the foundation We Remember Iryna Krasouskaia; former political prisoner Dzmitry Drozd; director of the radio Ratsyia Yaugen Vapa; one of the leaders of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Dzianis Sadouski; directors of the Belarusian House in Warsaw Dzmitry Barodka and Ales Zarembiuk; directors of the Belarusian Free Theater Mikalai Khalezin and Natallia Kaliada; head of the Information bureau of solidarity with Belarus Yulia Slutskaia; director of the Euroradio Dzmitry Novikau.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Mass arrests among moderators on social networking sites

The authorities are afraid of an “election” boycott.

Administrators of pro-opposition groups on social networking websites have been detained in Minsk. The KGB hacked one of the biggest pro-opposition communities on VKontakte social network – the group “We're fed up with Lukashenka” having over 37,000 members and the group “Only SHOS” with 15,000 members.

According to preliminary information, Pavel Eutyakheeu, Andrei Tkachou, Raman Pratesevich and other 2 or three persons were detained.

The website charter97.org talks to Pavel Eutyakheeu's mother.

“KGB officers came to my work. They didn't show their IDs, just said I had to go home with them and open the door. Two men were with me and a few men were in the yard to prevent my son from fleeing. When they wanted to take my son out of flat, I blocked the door and said I would remain there until they showed their identification documents. They threatened to arrest me for disobedience, but I remained firm. I wrote down information from an ID card of Alyaksandr Makarau, an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They took my son and seized his computer. I heard them demanding him to say all passwords.

The were talking to one another. As I concluded from their conversations, they arrest people across Minsk. I heard they had arrested someone and would arrest someone in Uruchcha district,” Pavel Eutyakheeu's mother says.

According to one of the moderators Sergei Bespalov, his house is being searched. Activist is in anothert place now.

“Our group was an eyesore to the secret services. They wanted to neutralize the group “We're fed up with Lukashenka” with the start of silent protests. They failed to do it last year, but they gained revenge now. Perhaps, some experts from outside were involved. The worst thing is that they arrest the people who were administrates of the group ever. There are many people. Even me don't always know their real names and surnames. We joined the boycott campaign recently. Maybe it also was a reason. Secret services are likely to prepare a birthday gift for Lukashenka.

We informed the technical service of VKontakte social networking website an hour ago that the community had been hacked, but they haven't replied yet,” an unarrested administrator of the group told charter97.org.

The police said the parents of one of the detainees that they were taken to court of October district. But this information, according to friends of detainees who arrived at the court, was not confirmed.

Roman Protasiewicz was released through 4 hours after the arrest.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Is Vkontakte under a ban again?

again.

As readers of charter97.org website inform, at 7 p.m. Minsk time Vkontakte.ru is blocked for visitors from Belarus. One can visit the website only through a proxy connection.

It is not the first time when the website of the social network is blocked on the day when the “silent protest” takes place. Protest rallies held on Wednesdays on the main squares of Belarusian cities are organized through a Vkontakte group “Revolutions through social network.”

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Silent protest actions in 30 Belarusian towns

Peaceful protest actions were held in over 30 towns across the country on July 06.

Human rights activists from different towns report about actions.

Over 1,000 people gathered in Hrodna, Viasna Human Rights Centre informs.

In Borisov, police detained and placed in prison vans almost everyone trying to come to the central square. The exact number of detained people is unknown. Witnesses say there were more people than a week ago.

Uladzimir Malyarchuk, Ales Narkevich, Mikhail Kulesh, and Alyaksei Charapanau were detained in Vileika.

At least four persons were detained in Vitsebsk.

A protester from Zhodzina said about 70 people came to the town’s two main squares. The last week’s action attracted only 19. At least 5 people, among them local journalist Syarhei Salavei, were detained. Street sprinklers were noticed on the square.
“Nasha Niva” readers say about 25 people were detained in Slutsk. As much as 40 people took part in the action, which is more than a week ago.

Lenin Square in Brest was enclosed by crowd control barriers. There was a sport competition on occasion of the 70th anniversary of defence of the Brest Fortress and International Olympic Day. A great number of policemen stood on the square, in nearby streets and yards. 500 protesters went in a direction of the Central department store.

7 people, among them activist Syarhei Trafimchyk, were detained and taken to a local police station in Byarozauka (the Lida district, the Hrodna region). He said the action gathered about 30 people. Shortly after the beginning, police officers began to detained protesters. There was not enough place in a police car, so some detained people had to go to a police station on foot.
Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Authorities to eliminate independent media

In case the law on media is adopted as it is currently drafted, independent media will get irreparable blow, which will make it difficult for them to survive and lead to eliminating of independent media in the country. Lawyers from the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) have come to this conclusion, having analysed the draft law on media, introduced for the first reading in the lower chamber of the Belarusian “parliament.”

The BAJ lawyers had an opportunity to learn the Draft Law on Media and have prepared an expert evaluation of the draft document. The BAJ press service offers the comments of experts from the BAJ Center for Legal Protection of the Media, former judge of the Constitutional Court Mikhail Pastukhou lawyer Yury Taparashau on some provisions of the law.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau