For Freedom of Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

On October 16 the Day of Belarusian Solidarity was marked in Belarus and all over the world. Actions of solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners, families of the abducted and all those who are fighting for freedom and democracy in Belarus, have been held in Baranavichy, Homel, Salihorsk, Mozyr, Mahilyou, Brest, Babrujsk, Barysau, Maladzechna, Polatsk and other towns of Belarus. Several flash-mobs were staged in Minsk. More than 80 young activists lit candles near the metro station “Pushkinskaya”. A few dozens of people with portraits of political prisoners gathered in Adam Mickievicz park. Dozens of people gathered in Nyamiha metro station holding candles in their hands. Thousands of people have lit candles in their windows.

15 persons were arrested during the protest. 5 activists spent a few hours in the police department of Maskouski district of Minsk. They were asked to give written explanations, fingerprinted and videotaped. 10 more participants were detained by policemen of the police department of Tsentralny district. They were released without drawing up reports in a few hours.

Actions of solidarity with Belarus were held in Belgium, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Estonia, Sweden, the USA and other countries of the world.

The initiative to mark Days of Solidarity started after policemen disbanded a protest rally dedicated to the memory of the abducted on September 16, 2005. On September 16, 2005 a memory of abduction of vice speaker of the Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation Viktar Hanchar and a businessman and public leader Anatol Krasouski was marked. Protesters were also holding portraits of ex-Minister of Interior Affairs Yury Zakharanka and a journalist Dzmitry Zavadski. 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.

Since that time actions of solidarity are held in Belarus and worldwide on the 16th day of every month. Hundreds thousands of Belarusians and friends of our country all over the world light candles of freedom in their windows, hold street actions of solidarity, tie jeans and white-red-white ribbons on their clothes, take part in flash-mobs and Internet-actions. In churches all over the world prayer services for political prisoners, families of the disappeared, all those fighting for freedom and democracy in Belarus, are held. Not only common citizens, but heads of parliaments and governments, presidents of many countries demonstrate their solidarity with Belarus.