The US Ambassador in Belarus George A. Krol has expressed support to the family of the Belarusian political prisoner Mikhail Marynich (Marinich). “The United States and I personally wish to see fairness and justice prevail in your father’s case. Please convey to your father the regards of my country and myself personally. Our hearts are with him and with you and all his loved ones during this difficult time,” wrote the American Ambassador in the letter, received by the sons of political prisoner Igor and Pavel Marynich.
A number of non-governmental organizations of Latvia: «Transatlantiskas organizacijas» (LATO), «Eiropas Kustiba Latvija Latvijas» (EKL) «Atverta Baltkrievija», «Transatlantiskais jauniesu klubs» (LTJK), «Latvijas Nacionalas komisijas "Rietumu krievi" and Tautas partijas jauniesu organizacija» have organized a picket in support of the Belarusian political prisoner, former Minister of Foreign Economic Relations of Belarus, ex-Ambassador of Belarus to Latvia Mikhail Marynich, who is tried these days in Minsk. About 30 people took part in the picket. In front of the Belarusian Embassy the picketers have also carried out a political performance. One of the participants of the action played a role of a judge, and another, in a mask of Lukashenka, personified the Belarusian justice.
After the triumph of the "Orange revolution" in Ukraine, the democratic community will inevitably focus its attention on Belarus as the last zone of Russian interests bordering with the West and still not under EU control, Vremya Novostei writes.
Today the state accuser demanded to sentence former Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus Mikhail Marynich to 6 years of imprisonment. Besides, the prosecutor demands to prohibit taking executive positions for Marynich for 5 years, and to seize to revenue of the state 90,000 USD seized during detention of Mikhail Marynich (by the way, this money is not involved in the criminal case of Marynich), as well as firearms allegedly found in the dacha of former minister and diplomat.
Belarus should become a democratic partner with Europe, but is unlikely to do so while President Alexander Lukashenko`s government persists in violating citizens` rights, the European Union`s foreign policy chief said in an interview published Tuesday.
Several non-governmental organizations will gather opposite the Belarussian Embassy in Riga tomorrow, December 29, to show support for Belarussian opposition leader Mikhail Marinich, European Movement in Latvia (EML) president Andris Gobins told LETA.
Two members of the Belarusian Popular Front “Adradzhennye” (Renaissance) Party were detained in Vitsebsk. Kastus’ Gorny and Uladzislau Tokarau were detained by police patrol at the Volya Square for handing out leaflets “Truth about the referendum and elections in Belarus”, and for passing out calendars with the schedule of radio programs of Radio Svaboda.
Viktor Yushchenko and his team will encourage the Belarusian authorities to improve the country’s human rights record, Petro Poroshenko, Mr. Yushchenko’s deputy campaign manager, told reporters on Tuesday. Mr. Poroshenko, who chairs the standing budget committee in the Ukrainian Supreme Rada, is considered by many to be the most likely candidate for the position of prime minister in Ukraine’s new government following Mr. Yushchenko’s victory in Sunday’s presidential elections.
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 mandate of the OSCE Office in Minsk is to be extended by one year to January 1, 2006, the deputy head of the OSCE Office in Minsk, Vagram Abadzhan, told BelaPAN. The mandate is to be extended automatically in accordance with a so-called silence procedure, as none of the Organization’s 55 participating states filed an objection or proposals before the deadline, 12 p.m. December 28, Mr. Abadjan said.
Belarus’ election officials who monitored the December 26 repeat runoff in Ukraine’s presidential election concluded that the voting process "was generally conducted in accordance with regulations,” Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the central election commission, told BelaPAN on Tuesday.
18 opposition activists, mainly youths, were detained in Minsk on the evening of December 28 for participation in solidarity action with the democratic forces of Ukraine after their leader Viktor Yushchenko’s victory in Ukraine`s presidential election. It is not the first time when people are detained for support of the “orange revolution” in Ukraine. The Zubr activists have been repeatedly arrested in Minsk for solidarity display of solidarity with the Ukrainians before.
Lithuanian and Belarusian representatives have signed documents confirming the demarcation of 230 km, or one-third, of all the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. The state border demarcation commission, consisting of both countries` representatives, met in Minsk on 21-23 December, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
Belarus and Russia have signed the financial statement of the Union State on fuel and energy for 2005. Russia guarantees the delivery of natural gas to Belarus next year in the amount of 19.1 billion cubic metres and 1.4 billion cubic metres additionally if technically possible. The deliveries will be made by Gazprom, including 0.6 billion that will be delivered through the Gas-oil subsidiary.
Aleksandr Lukashenko told children from across Belarus at the country`s "main" New Year`s/Christmas party held in the Palace of the Republic in Minsk on December 28 that "gifts are good and Christmas trees are beautiful" because adult Belarusians worked well in 2004.
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