The public association “European Movement of Latvia” plans to hold pickets from December 29 to December 31 from twelve noon to 2 a.m. in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Riga in support of one of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, Mikhail Marynich, who is tried in Minsk these days, the Latvian news agency LETA informs.
An entrepreneur and deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet of Belarus, Andrei Klimov (Andrey Klimau) has received a present for the New Year. A criminal action has been initiated against him. The ground for initiating a criminal action are the books written by him: “Obvious Truths” and “I have made my choice”. According to a decision of a commission of specialist in study of literature, they contain a “number of statements insulting the president of Belarus, and are formulated in an offensive form”. As a result, the prosecutor’s office of Minsk has defined elements of crime in the actions of the author of the books, as he had violated Article 368 Part 1 (public insult of the head of Belarusian state), and could be sentenced up to two years of imprisonment, the “BDG” informs.
A trial of political prisoner Mikhail Marynich has started several days ago in Minsk. After each session of the court the innocence of the defendant gets more and more evident. No one from the participants of the process have any grievances against him. None of the accusations is substantiated convincingly. The former Minister of Foreign Economic relations, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus Mikhail Marynich considers this trial to be exclusively political and cynical. Dozens of MPs of the European parliament and of European countries, prominent public figures and politicians of many countries have expressed their solidarity with the political prisoner. Dozens of people stand by the building of the court every day. They come to support the Belarusian political prisoner. We propose you, dear viewers of out site, to write a letter of support to Mikhail Marynich and to send it to an email solidarity@charter97.org. All you messages will be given to Mikhail Marynich on the eve of the New Year holiday.
The Secretary of the Central Election Committee (CEC) of Belarus Mikalay Lazavik (Nikolai Lozovik) believes that the presidential elections in Ukraine have demonstrated the disregard of the authorities and subjects of the electoral process to the legislation of the country. “The most negligent attitude to the law has been demonstrated during this election campaign. First of all, I am indignant that it had been done by the blessing and maybe even on initiative of the observers from international organizations,’ told the Secretary of the Belarusian CEC on Monday, December 27, ForUA informs with the reference to the “Podrobnosti”.
One of the loudest criminal cases of the expiring year has already been called the “Christmas process”. A week before the New Year, the trial of Mikhail Marynich started. The criminal trial of the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus, former Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, former chairman of Minsk executive committee, MP of the 12th Supreme Soviet, started on December 23 in the court of Minsk district, the “Belorusskaya Gazeta” reminds.
The situation in Belarus can only be changed by the Belarusian nation, other countries` options are limited, President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said in an interview on Latvian State Radio today. "If the nation has not awaken and does not want to take to the streets, we can cock-a-doodle-doo every morning and night but this won`t make the sun rise or set," president commented.
The Kremlin will try to maintain closer ties with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, with Viktor Yushchenko-led Ukraine nearby, prominent Russian television journalist Sergei Dorenko told reporters in Kyiv on Monday. “Now they will be keeping in with Lukashenko and offering him strong support,” he said. “Just guess what will happen if Lukashenko is no longer there; this will be a very risky situation.”
Belarus` opposition leaders have hailed the anticipated win by pro-Western ex-premier Viktor Yushchenko over incumbent premier Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine`s repeat presidential runoff as a victory of democracy.
The leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party “Narodnaya Hramada” (BSDP) delivered a speech at Monday’s rally at Kyiv’s Independence Square where thousands people gathered to celebrate Viktor Yushchenko’s victory in the December 26 presidential runoff.
The Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Minsk will get the country’s largest pipe organ starting next year. The eight-ton musical instrument has been made in Austria’s Vorarlberg to the Catholic church’s order, pastor Antony Klimantovich BelaPAN. The pipe organ will be delivered to the church only after the restoration of its 18th-century frescoes is completed. “The thing is that restoration work as a rule involves much dust which is the worst enemy of musical instruments,” the pastor explained.
Trade in agricultural produce between Belarus and Moscow has reached a $180-million mark this year, said a Moscow government official, according to Russian news agencies.
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