The national procuracy considered the appeal of the chairman of the Federation of trade unions of Belarus Leonid Kozik concerning the publication in the newspaper “Narodnaya Volya” of August 20, 2002 and September 14, 2002 of the articles, which, according to him, distort the Federation’s activities. “In compliance with the article 188 of the country’s Penal Code, one bears responsibility for slander and purposeful dissemination of false data, which defame another one’s personality. Article 189 envisages punishment for an insult – in connection with the deliberate humiliation of honor and dignity, expressed in a rude form. In the afore-mentioned articles there are no data, which could be interpreted as slander or defamation. And so, there are no grounds for instituting legal action,” – reports the newspaper “Belarusky Chas”.

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Residents of Lepel town (Vitebsk region) got opportunity to read the latest issue “ZUBR/BISON” newspaper. About ten ZUBR activists were spreading newspapers in the town. Most of the newspapers were put in mail-boxes. Several hundred ZUBR activists handed them out near bus-stations and stores.

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Union with Belarus is effective in every sense, said on December 19 Vladimir Putin, answering the question, posed to him during the TV link-up by a schoolboy from St.-Petersburg. The problem, he said, is that both nations could benefit from the form and methods of unification. “In this sense, the processes must not impede economic and political development of both Russia and Belarus,” – said the president: “Selecting the forms and ways of integration, we will act very thoughtfully.”

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