Just Come and Light Candle of Freedom! 17:04, 10/02/2006
The organizers of the Days of Solidarity call upon the Belarusians to light candles in the central square of the capital. “February 16, 6 p.m., Minsk, October Square. Simply come and light a candle of Freedom!” they said in an address published at the site www.solidarity16.org. It is the fifth action, which is held on the 16th day of every month in our country and abroad. At 8 p.m. hundreds of thousands of Belarusians are to light candles of Freedom in their windows, thousands and thousands of people all over the world are to express solidarity with a Belarus working for a just cause. On February 16 many of us can make one more step to Freedom – to gather in the square with lit candles.
“February 16 is the Day of Solidarity with families of murdered leaders of opposition Henadz Karpenka, Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski and ORT journalist Dzmitry Zavadski.
It’s a day of solidarity with the Belarusian political prisoners Mikhail Marynich, Valery Levaneuski, Mikola Statkevich, Paval Sevyarynets, Syarhei Skrabets, Adrei Klimov, Zmitser Kaspyarovich, Artur Finkevich.
It’s the day of solidarity with journalists of liquidated or working in extreme conditions independent newspapers.
It’s a day of solidarity with students of the Belarusian Lyceum and the European Humanities University, closed by the authorities.
It’s a day of solidarity with independent trade unions that still defend the rights of workers.
It’s the day of solidarity with all fighters for Freedom and Democracy in Belarus,” reads the address at the site www.solidarity16.org.
The initiative to hold Days of Solidarity started after policemen disbanded a protest rally dedicated to the memory of the abducted on September 16, 2005. Policemen seized portraits of disappeared politicians and national flags from the participants. At that moment one of the Zubr leaders Mikita Sasim raised his jeans shirt as a symbol of resistance to dictatorship.
Days of Solidarity are held in most of the large citiez – Minsk, Hrodna, Brest, Vitsebsk, Homel, Mahilyou, Baranavichy, Pinsk, Polatsk, Navapolatsk, Lida, Slonim, Kobryn, Maladechna, Vilejka, Barysau, Svetlahorsk, Asipovichy, Pastavy, Belaaziorsk, Salihorsk, Zhodzina, Vorsha, Zaslauje, Marjina Horka, Kopyl, Ivatsevichy, Byaroza, Babrujsk and others. Actions of Solidarity with Belarus are held all over the world – in Poland, Ukraine, Russia, the USA, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, the Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, Belgium and other countries of the world.
The candles of Solidarity with Belarus are lit by former Czech President Vaclav Havel, the EU deputy, former Foreign Minister of Poland Bronislaw Geremek, legendary leader of Polish “Solidarity” Zbigniew Bujak, Vice Chairman of the European Parliament , one of the creators of Polish “Solidarity Janusz Onyszkiewicz, the head of subcommittee of the PACE on Human rights, the author of the report “Disappeared in Belarus” Christos Pourgourides, the head of the European Parliament delegation on relations with Belarus Bogdan Klich, vice chairman of the European Parliament delegation on relations with Belarus Aldis Kuskis, former PACE Rapporteur on Belarus Azim Mollazade, deputies of the European Parliament, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, MPs of Sweden, Italy, deputies of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine and many others.
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