‘Chernobyl Way’ In Minsk (Video, Online)

The main slogans of the action were “No NPP Construction in Astravets!” and “Freedom for Political Prisoners!”

Today is the 31st anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

Gathering of participants of the "Chernobyl Way - 2017" started at 6 p.m. near the “Kastrychnik” cinema. The actual rally started at 6:30 on the sidewalk of the Independence Avenue, Surhanau Street, Arlouskaya Street to the Bangalore Square, where the demonstration took place at 8 p.m., ending with the floral tribute at the memorial sign “To Victims of Chernobyl”.

500 to 1000 people participated in the action. Later, some participants of the rally joined the demonstration in Kyiv square, organized by the Conservative Christian Party of the BPF.

The website Charter97.org offered to your attention live text coverage of the event. The video has been provided by Belsat, nn.by, svaboda.org.

20:10

The actions dedicated to the anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe are over. Thank you for being with us!

20:03

The participants of the action sang the national and religious anthem of Belarus “God Almighty”.

20:02

The participants of the demonstration in Kyiv square adopted a resolution which refers to the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster in Belarus, the "nuclear cloud" that were downed on the territory of Belarus under the order of the USSR leaders, the secret testing of nuclear weapons on the territory of our country long before the April 26, 1986. A strong protest against the construction of the Astravets NPP is also expressed in the resolution.

19:55

Pavel Seviarynets has said at the demonstration in Kyiv square that "political Chernobyl" is taking place in Belarus today. He has recalled the events which happened on the Freedom Day in Minsk on March 25. According to him, Lukashenka's regime does not pay attention to the signs of God: people die at the construction of the Astravets NPP, the station is built on the ground faults, and the reactor itself has repeatedly been damaged. "We need to stop this regime!", - he has said.

19:52

One of the leaders of the Conservative Christian Party of the BPF Yury Belenki is speaking. He has said, that "the Moscow authorities" have always been the enemy of Belarus, precisely because of their criminal actions Belarus today remains one the most polluted countries in the world, and thanks to this Moscow authorities, the Lukashenka regime is at power today.

19:47

A demonstration with participation of about 100 people is taking place in Kyiv square.

19:43

The people have no idea what the authorities got so scared of. Many detention trucks, traffic police cars and buses are parked near Kyiv square.

19:34

Several detention trucks have driven by in the direction of Kyiv square. The people say they are not afraid, as the action in Kyiv square has been sanctioned by the Minsk City Executive Committee.

19:33

Many policemen and KGB officers without uniform are accompanying the people.

19:29

About a hundred people have decided to join the action in Kyiv square and are moving there.

19:27

Ihar Lialkou from the BPF has thanked the people for the participation in the action on behalf of the organizers. On this, the event has been announced finished. Ryhor Kastusiou has called on the people to join the action of the CCP BPF, which is taking place in the Kyiv square right now.

19:25

Pavel Seviarynets has pronounced the “Our Father” prayer and announced a minute of silence to commemorate the victims of the Chernobyl catastrophe.

19:24

The participants of the action put flowers to the monument to the victims of the Chernobyl disaster near the Chapel.

19:22

The territory near the Chernobyl chapel is sealed with turnstiles.

19:17

Pavel Seviarynets believes that the protest potential of Belarusians didn’t go anywhere. The Belarusians just hid in an ambush for a while, just like guerrillas.

19:16

“This is the combat Chernobyl way. The people have come out regardless of the rain and the mass arrests, which occurred all over the country on the eve and after March 25. The people are very determined,” – one of the leaders of the BCD party Pavel Seviarynets has said.

19:08

The demonstrators have approached the Peoples Friendship Park. The column is heading for the Chernobyl Chapel.

19:05

The people are chanting “No to Russian Nuclear Bomb!”, “We Believe, We Can, We Will Win!”

18:58

The column is approaching the Bangalore Square. Despite the rain, there are still many people participating in the action.

18:46

The activists of the ecological organizations, who have come to the action in animals’ outfits, are chanting “No NPP in Belarus!”

18:43

Many force structures officers are present at the action. The traffic policemen are lined up alongside the traffic way.

18:42

The participants of the rally are chanting “Freedom for political prisoners!” and ‘Long Live Belarus!”.

18:39

The people are chanting “Freedom for the patriots!”, meaning the “White Legion” activists who remain in the KGB remand prison now.

18:37

The participant of the action from Homel says that he has come to the action because he is tired of living in poverty. The man also says that he stands against the NPP construction in Astravets. “This is a bomb. Let them build this bomb at their place in Drazdy”.

18:35

A young participant of the Chernobyl Way says he has come to the action because he wants changes. “Enough tolerating!” – he says.

18:34

This year, not only ecological and economic slogans are sounded, but also political ones, demanding the release of the political prisoners in the “White Legion” case, says leader of the BPF party Aliaksei Yanukevich.

18:32

About 500 people are taking part in the rally.

18:31

The head of the column turned to the Surhanau Street. The demonstrators are carrying a Chernobyl bell and an icon.

18:29

The demonstrators are chanting “Long Live Belarus!”

18:28

Internet was unexpectedly cut off during the action. Now it has been reinstated. The people start the rally.

18:27

Representative of the Belarusian Popular Front party Ihar Lialkou is speaking. He says that Chernobyl is not the past, it’s the Belarusian present.

18:25

The participants of the action are holding the portraits of the political prisoners — the activists of the movement “White Legion”, the anti-fascists, HR defender Mikhail Zhamchuzhny.

18:22

A Minsker says this is the first time he has come to the opposition action, because “the authorities have gone completely mad, having divested all Belarusians off their rights and the Constitution”.

18:21

There are hundreds of people near the cinema. The participants of the action have hoisted the white-red-white flags.

18:19

“They never chose a reactor there – one fell down, the other got crushed!” – a poster held by one of the participants of the action reminds about the problems with the reactor installation at the Astravets NPP.

18:18

A girl in a dinosaur outfit is holding a poster “We will all drop dead like dinosaurs!”

18:17

The people say they have come to the action because many of their relatives died or are dying of cancer, and this is obviously the consequence of Chernobyl. Such problems must never be concealed because they will only deepen.

18:12

One of the leaders of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Pavel Seviarynets, head of the movement “For Freedom” Yury Hubarevich, HR defender Valer Shchukin, poet Slavamir Adamovich, leader of the “Razam” movement Viachaslau Siuchyk, the “European Belarus” activist Siarhei Makoits and others have come to the action.

18:08

The activists say that the authorities are digging graves for own people by this NPP construction.

18:06

Activists of ecological organizations are wearing the outfits of wild animals. They are saying “We live like in a zoo. All animals have come out to protest against the construction of the Astravets NPP”.

18:05

The green activists unfolded the streamer “Time to Stop the Astravets Monster”.

18:00

The problems caused by the accident at Chernobyl NPP will be observed in Belarus for many generations, ecologist Tatiana Novikova has said.

She has also reminded that today in Belarus, it is impossible to build a nuclear power plant - the NPP is being constructed with violations and there are defects on the reactor vessel, which will inevitably lead to a new accident.

17:59

Ecologist Tatiana Novikova, speaking to the media, has said that all the Belarusian and foreign experts are convinced that the consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident didn’t go anywhere, but, on the contrary, the penetration of strontium in the cereals grown in Belarus, only increased.

17:55

The people have started gathering near the cinema. There are about a hundred people there now, including the opposition parties leaders.