The trials over the detained during the protest march “Can’t Live Like This Anymore!” have been taken place for two days in three courts of Minsk – the Soviet, Partyzansky and Central courts. The shameful judgments were passed by judges of the Central district, Pauliuchuk and Vajtsekhovich, judges of the Soviet district Kazadaeu and Relyava, judges of the Partyzansky district Dzeminskaya and Lebyadz. 44 judgments have been passed. 33 protesters have been sentenced to terms of arrest from 3 to 15 days. 10 people were fined from 200,000 to 1,700,000 roubles.

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Alexander Lukashenko issued a reprimand to the NTV correspondent Pavel Selin for biased report of the April 19 incident, when police broke peaceful protest in Minsk.

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“The Advisory-Monitoring Group’s mandate in Belarus must be seriously reviewed,” – said on Tuesday Alexander Lukashenko, addressing the parliamentarians with his annual missive. According to the head of state, the OSCE AMG during its operation in Belarus targeted one goal – overthrowing the existing regime, which isn’t envisaged by the mandate. Lukashenko noted that he has plenty of evidence for that, reports RIA “Novosti”.

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Chairman of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Committee for science and culture D.Puig “officially condemned” the refusal of the Belarusian authorities to forward for an expertise to CoE their law on media, contrary to the public promises, voiced by the Minister of information Mikhail Podgainy during the January CoE hearings. Radio Ratsya reported this with a reference to the president of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Janna Litvina, who is part of the Belarusian journalists delegation in Strasbourg.

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Alexander Lukashenko has numerously stated that Belarus is developing better than any other CIS state and that it reached 1990 level in terms of its export turnover. It was allegedly the first country to overcome the lengthy crisis. In the NTV program “Freedom of Speech” he even stressed that the production volume last year amounted to 102% as compared to the year 1990. These statements produced different reactions among the public. Independent economists and experts comment on them ironically. But what’s the real situation?

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The Sovietsky district court of Minsk sentenced two participants of the social Protest March “CAN’T LIVE LIKE THAT!”, ZUBR activists Yaroslav Steshik and Ivan Degtyarev to 10 days of arrest. Another ZUBR member Vasily Zhakov received 5 days. They also ruled 4 days of jail against the “Vesna” human rights center observer Oleg Zhludko, who, when in prison, went on a hunger-strike. Today the human rights defender will be set at liberty. Professor Georgy Lepin, detained and beaten by police on April 19, was fined 50 minimal wages ($485). Elena Reshetnikova, another dissenter, was fined 100 minimal wages ($970).

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Press-center of Charter’97 find out the events that took place today at night with the participants of the Protest March, and who were found guilty by the court of the Soviet district of Minsk. After the hearings ended, the organizers of the protest march Yuri Khaschevatsky, sentenced to 10 days of arrest, and Mikalai Khalezin (who received a summons to court for today), ZUBR”s press secretary Alyaksandr Atroschankau (5 days of arrest) and ZUBR activists Karpovich (10 days of arrest) and Vyadzerchanka (7 days of arrest) were at the police department of the Soviet district of Minsk until late night, 2 a.m. To keep them there was ordered personally by the senior officer of the Soviet police department Mikalai Buslo. Then the five detainees were driven all over the city in a special police bus. On its way the bus called in at the special detention centers in the Valadarsky Street and in the Dabramyslensky alley. They reached the special detention center in the Akrestsyna Street only in the morning, after 6 a.m., and at 8 a.m. they were taken to court. But it was not the end of mean treatment. At the moment Mikalai Khalezin, arrested for 15 days, and ZUBR activists Yaraslau Stseshyk, who rejected a judge, are sitting in the Soviet court in so-called “wineglasses” – extremely dark and little cells.

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Two of the Protest March organizers, human rights defender and Charter’97 coordinator Dmitry Bondarenko, along with the journalist Nikolai Khalezin, were sentenced by the Sovietsky district court of Minsk to 15 days of arrest. The human rights defender and journalist were found guilty of violating art.167/2 of the Administrative code (unsanctioned rallying). As we reported before, trials over the PM participants took place in three Minsk trials – Sovietsky, Partyzansky and Centralny. One of the action’s organizers, world-known filmmaker Yuri Khaschevatsky received 10 days of administrative incarceration. Valery Schukin, a human rights defender, journalist and also a PM initiator was sentenced by the Partyzansky district court to 15 days of arrest. A 60-year old human rights defender was taken into custody on April 20 in the intensive care ward of the military hospital, where he was taken after heavy police beatings.

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“On April 19 Minsk police brutally dispersed the Protest March “Can’t Live Like That!”, whose purpose was to remind Lukashenko of his pre-election promises. As a result, over a hundred participants were arrested, while some, including those under legal age, were hospitalized with broken bones and brain concussion,” – starts the appeal of the citizens, handed to the Vitebsk police by local ZUBR activists. A group of young people with Schukin’s portrait on their T-shirts, walked around all police stations of Vitebsk, passing the flyers to the policemen on the way.

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Chernobyl Shlyach organizers passed their appeal ahead of the action, due to take place in Minsk on April 26. The action will start at 5.30p.m. from the Academy of Science. Following comes the text of the message:

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Last year press in Yugoslavia enjoyed greater freedom, while in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine the authorities continue to restrict the mass media freedom, reads the annual media review, published today by the oldest American human rights watchdog FREEDOM HOUSE.

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The UN Commission for human rights received a complaint over the verdict against former rector of the Gomel medical institute Yuri Bandazhevsky, Radio Svaboda was told by the professor’s defender, prominent Belarusian attorney Garry Pogonailo.

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Around 2000 Borisov entrepreneurs, trading at local marketplaces, refuse to transfer the money into the sowing campaign’s fund and prepare the town to a 900-year jubilee. In response to the pressure, exerted by local authorities, they pledge to go on strike.

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Delegation of business circles of the Vietnam Socialist Republic, headed by deputy Minister of trade of Vietnam Ho Huan Ngiemom, will stay in Belarus on April 21-23, 2002. On April 22 the Vietnamese delegation was welcomed by first deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Vasily Pugachov. In course of the talks the sides discussed in detail the issues of the Belarusian-Vietnamese trade-economic cooperation, in particular the enlargement of Belarusian machinery construction supplies into Vietnam.

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