An illegal search was held in room of Vitsebsk medical university campus where Zubr activist Lubou Kuchinskaya lived. When the young lady was out three members of university administration and an unknown man in civil came to the room, searched it and taken about thousand copies of printed materials about Day of solidarity. Today Kuchinskaya had conversation with president of the university Yatusevich. He said that he knew about Kuchinskaya’s participation in numerous actions of opposition. He also said that she would be expelled from university if they find printed materials in her room again or if she continues her oppositional activities.
Chairman of Belarusian association of journalists Zhanna Litvina expressed support to day of Solidarity on December 16. “At 8 p.m. on December 16 I will lit a candle. And at this moment my thoughts will be not only along with the disappeared opposition leaders but with my colleges Veranica Charkasava and Vasil Grodikau as well. These are two more victims that has no explanations and answers. I am especially worried that profession of journalist is in danger. I think that it is duty of every citizen to light a candle and demand investigation of this tragedies,” - said Zhanna Litvina.
Minsk Regional department of Internal Affairs has initiated a criminal case on charges relating acts of vandalism in the wooded area of Kurapaty. In 1993 Kurapaty was entered on the State register of historical and cultural values of Belarus as a historical monument of international importance, the “Place of mass executions of political repressions’ victims in 1930ies–19410ies”. As the BelaPAN was informed by the deputy head of preliminary investigation department of Minsk Regional department of Internal Affairs captain Syarhei Cherap, the case was initiated on December 6 on charges relating violation of the Article 341 of the Criminal Code (defilement of buildings and wilful damage).
14 years ago in the residence “Viskuli” Belavezha Accords were signed. They declared the Soviet Union dissolved. On December 8, 1991 the agreements were signed by Russian president Boris Yeltsin, Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk and the Chariman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus Stanislau Shushkevich.
The version of holding early presidential elections in Belarus in 2006 in March, not in July, is considered more and more realistic by all political forces of the country. The secretary of the Central Election Committee Mikalay Lazavik does not exclude such possibility either, the “Belarusy I Rynok” informs.
The Charter’97 has received this document from one of our readers. It’s an instruction of the deputy head of the administration of Tsentralny district of Minsk N.N. Bury addressed to one of commercial firms with a “request” to subscribe for the newspapers of the presidential administration “Sovetskaya Belorussia” and the “Minskiy Kurjer” (founded by the Minsk city executive committee). This “request” is accompanied by the demand to submit the subscription receipts to the ideology department of the administration of Tsentralny district. It is also known that depending to the size of a firm, the number of copies can be increased. In summer our readers send us similar document relating to the subscription for the second half of the year 2005. Now people are forced to subscribe for the next year.
Desecration of the national memorial area in Kurapaty has an ordered and preplanned character, stated participants of the public meeting of activists involved in Kurapaty protection problem on December 7.
On November 30, 2005 the chairman of the All-Nation Strike Committee of Vendors of Belarus, a member of the Council of Civil Initiatives “Free Belarus” Valery Levaneuski suspended a hunger strike started on November 13. It had lasted for 17 days. The relatives of the political prisoner have found out that from his recent letters.
The upper house of the Belarusian “parliament” needed less than two hours to approve the draft law envisaging criminal liability for discrediting the state, and increasing responsibility for oppositional activities. As the Interfax correspondent informs, the law has been passed by without a single dissenting vote.
Nikolaj Avtukhovch has been on hunger strike for more than 50 days. Prison doctors point out his lowering pressure and worsening blood analyses. Last Friday Nikolaj was unable to read the results of economic expertise brought to him by the investigator of the Department of Financial Investigation. Nikolaj could not even sit at the table.
On December 3, UCP activist from Brest Nikolaj Kovsh visited the office of a local NGO. Suddenly, militia man entered into the room and announced that Mr.Kovsh’s car was parked in a wrong place. “Later he told me that there must be drugs in my car. So we had to go to the regional department of internal affairs, where my car was searched for drugs. However, militia found nothing,” told Nikolaj Kovsh.
Four members of the Union of Poles, Iuzaf Pazhetski, Vieslau Kieuliak and Andrei Pachobut are suspects on the criminal case concerning intimidation of Viktar Bohdan, head of the Polish House in Shchuchyn. The case upon Article 185 of the Criminal Code (providing punishment with up to two years of personal restraint) was brought after Mr. Bohdan complained to the procurator’s office. It is prohibited to the suspects to leave Belarus.
The main news program of TVP1 is broadcasted at 8.30 p.m. daily. At the same time, this news is broadcasted by Polonia TV channel for foreign viewers. Now this news can be watched with Belarusian TV-text, printed in early Belarusian orthography, Tarashkievitsa, not recognized by the authorities.
By 20 December the heads and the vice-heads of enterprises on ideological work of Dziarzhynsk district of Minsk region must submit to Dziarzhynsk District Executive Committee concerning the results of the departmental and individual subscription to a number of state editions. This is stated in the official note, dated 15 November and signed by A. Kadet, chair of Dziarzhynsk District Executive Committee.
Today at another plenary session of the third session of the “council of republic” of the “national assembly” of Belarus 8 matters are to be considered, including scandalous amendments to the Criminal Code, increasing penalties for oppositional activities. These amendments have been considered and passed by the lower house of the “parliament”. After their adoption by the “council of republic” (and there is no doubt of it), the amendments are to be ratified personally by Lukashenka. International community blasts adoption of these amendments.
On October 1, 2005 the population size was 9,762.5 thousand people. As compared to the beginning of the year, it has dropped by 37.6 thousand people. The decrease is caused by the fact that the number of the deceased is 38.6 thousand higher that the number of newborn. In January-September 2005 67.5 thousand children were born in the country, which is 0.6 thousand more than a year before; and 106.1 thousand people died (which is 1.9 thousand people more than last year). Infant mortality rate has gone down from 7.2 to 6.4 of cases for 1,000 of newborns.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov has approved a draft intergovernmental agreement on extending a $146 million loan to Belarus, the Russian government press service reported on Thursday. Fradkov instructed the Finance Ministry "to hold negotiations with Belarus and, upon reaching an agreement, sign a deal on behalf of the Russian government, with the authority to make amendments of a non- radical nature," the instruction says. The loan will be extended "to ensure balance in settlements in mutual trade between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus," the draft agreement says.
Victor Gaisionok and Felipe Perez Roque Havana, Dec. 7 (AIN) Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque met on Tuesday in Havana with his counterpart from Belarus, Victor Gaisionok, to assess the positive development of the two nation`s relations and the world situation.
Belarus’ state-controlled GSM mobile operator Belarus Telecommunications Network, or BeST, has signed an agreement to take out a U.S. $184.2 million loan from Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank). The agreement was signed during Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to China.
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