Mass rallies “Dzyady” held in Minsk (ON-LINE Reporting, photo, video)

Today mass rallies dedicated to the remembrance day “Dzyady” are held in Minsk. The rallies are organized by representatives of the Belarusian Popular Front Party and the Conservative Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front. This year marks the 20th anniversary of holding the first mass anti-Soviet rally in the wooden area Kurapaty.

The Belarusian Popular Front Party has announced the meeting of the rally participants at the noon near the central entrance to Uskhodniya (Maskouskiya) cemetery. From 12.30 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. march is planned to go through Independence Avenue - Kalinouski Street - Lahojski Trakt - Mirashnichenka Street – Minsk ring road – Kurapaty. At 2.30 p.m. a memorial meeting in Kurapaty is to start. In Stalin time NKVD officers exterminated thousands of innocent victims there.

Meeting of the participants of the rally held by Conservative Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front starts at 10.30 a.m. near the watch plant “Luch”. He march is to take place since 11.00 a.m. from Independence Avenue to Kalinouski Street-Mirashnichenka Street – Hamarnik Street – Minsk ring road – Kurapaty. The meeting starts at 2 p.m.

The both demonstrations are sanctioned by Minsk city executive committee, and meetings by the executive committee of Minsk district, as Kurapaty lie outside the city.

The Charter’97 press-centre will inform about the events in Minsk streets in online regime.

3.30 p.m.

Meeting in Kurapaty has finished. Having laid flowers to the crosses raised in memory of the repressed, people start to disband. The full coverage of the Dzyady rally on the Charter’97 press-centre website is coming soon.

3.20 p.m.

Ukraine’s ambassador Igor Likhovoi and representatives of other diplomatic missions attended Kurapaty. A group of Polish youth also take part in the rally.

3.15 p.m.

Maya Klyashtornaya, daughter of the repressed poet Todar Klyashtorny, went to Kurapaty, Radio Svaboda reports. As we have already informed, her heath didn’t allow her to walk in the column. Ms Maya tells what Dzyady means for her: “This day means much. The main thing is awakening of people. People go there, in Kurapaty, to show that they have awakened. I am happy because Belarus won’t sleep any more. What is important for me, is that this society has noting to fear. Here all people are united.”

3.10 p.m.

About 2000 people gathered in Kurapaty. The meeting is continued with speeches of the activists of the CCP BPF.

3.00 p.m.

Head of the BPF Party Lyavon Barshcheuski addressed the mob during a short meeting in Kurapaty. The politician told about Kurapaty, a tragic place in the history of Belarus. Participants of the meeting paid tribute to the memory of victims of Stalin’s repressions, murdered there. People are laying flowers to hundreds of crosses in Kurapaty. These crosses were established by public activists, not by the authorities. The authorities even refused to protect the memorial, so why Kurapaty is often attacked by vandals.

2.55 p.m.

More than 100 people have already gathered in Kurapaty. People are carrying a huge-white-red-white flag of 18 by 9 meters.

2.50 p.m.

A meeting has begun in Kurapaty, the people are singing “Mighty God”.

2.35 p.m.

Participants of the rally “Dzyady” have come to Kurapaty, where a meeting should be held. Senior officers of Minsk police in plainclothes are waiting for demonstrators in Kurapaty. Besides, there are a few officers with maroon berets (riot policemen) and many policemen in plainclothes there.

2.30 p.m.

Participants of the united demonstration under white-red-white flags repeat “Ling live Belarus!” and “We have one way – Belarus should go to Lord!”

2.25 p.m.

Columns of the BPF party and CCP BPF united neat the exposition centre “Expobel”. Together they make more than 2000 people.

2.15 p.m.

Many activists of the civil campaign “European Belarus” take part in Dzyady rally. One of the “European Belarus” activists Yauhen Afnahel told in an interview to the Charter’97 press center: “20 years ago, Dzyady rally started an open resistance to the communist dictatorship, a new stage of struggling for independence of Belarus began. Attending this rally annually, we give tribute to the memory of our ancestors, who were fighting for the independence of our country, who suffered from repressions, who were slaughtered in Kurapaty and other places, who gave their lives for independent and European Belarus,” Yauhen Afnahel told.

2.05 p.m.

“The Young Front” leader Zmitser Dashkevich has stated in an interview to the Charter’97 press-centre, that participation of young people in the rally “Dzyady” is very important and symbolic, as the path of Belarus to freedom, independence and democracy started in 1988 with this protest. And today, when Belarus is dictatorship again, Belarusians should fight for the future of their country under the white-red-white flags which for the first time were openly raised in 1988. Today participants of the rally are carrying streamers “Freedom to political prisoners!”, “We want to say to Belarusians and world community that there are political prisoners in Belarus. Alyaksandar Barazenka, “European Belarus” activist, is in prison. “Process of Fourteen” participants are sentenced to restriction of freedom,” Zmitser Dashkevich said.

A rally, organised by the BPF Party

1.50 p.m.

The column leading by the BPF party is walking along Karbysheu Street. The bell is ringing. People are moving in silence. Many of them are carrying flowers to lay them in Kurapaty, where thousands of Belarusians were executed. A great number of white-red-white flags attract attention of passers-by. Some of them join the rally.

1.45 p.m.

The youth in the column organised by the BPF party, is signing “Chase” and “I was Born Here”.

1.30 p.m.

The column, leading by the CCP BPF, has reached Karbysheu Street. People are singing “Mighty God”. They walked in silence before and began to shout “Long Live Belarus!”. A distance between the columns is about a kilometer.

1.25 p.m.

Demonstrators continue to move along Kalinouski Street. They chant: “Long live Belarus!” This march has been organized by the BPF party.

1.20 p.m.

Former political prisoner Andrei Kim addressed the participants of the CCP BPF rally through a loudspeaker. He called on the youth not to forget their ancestors. It is his third Dzyady rally. The youth will establish a special cross in Kurapaty in memory of the murdered during the repression of 1930ies.

1.15 p.m.

In the march organized by the BPF party, one can see participants of the civil campaign “European Belarus”, “Young Front”, the United Civil Party, the Belarusian Popular Front party and “Moladz BPF”. According to preliminary reports, the number of participants has grown to 1.500 people.

1.10 p.m.

The rally, organised by the BPF Conservative Christian Party, is walking along Sedykh Street near Slyepyanskaye water storage. The tail of the column can see a rally, organised by the BPF party.

CCP-BPF march, photo by "Radio Svaboda"

1.05 p.m.

Participants of the rally are passing by the cathedral of All Belarusian Saints built in memory of innocent victims. People sing the hymn “Mighty God”.

1 p.m.

Passers-by are greeting participants of the procession along Kalinouski Street by the words “Well done!” and applause. The cars passing by honk in support.

12.55 p.m.

The column organised by the BPF is moving along Kalinouski Street. People in front of the column are carrying a bell and are ringing it. There are many white-red-white and European flags at the mourning ally. Almost every participant brought a national flag to the action. Seven people are carrying a huge white-red-white flag.

12.45 p.m.

More than 1000 people are taking part in the rally organized by the Belarusian People’s Front. People are holding streamers “Dzyady. 1988-2008”, “European Belarus”, “Freedom to political prisoners!”, “Freedom to Barazenka!”, “No to repressions!”, “BPF for Dzyady”, “Young Front”.

12.40 p.m.

A column of Dzyady rally participants, organised by the BPF party, is moving along the Independence Avenue from Uskhodniya Cemetery to Kurapaty memorial area, where, according to different data, from 40,000 to 200,000 people were executed during the Stalin’s repressions.

12.30 p.m.

Participants of the rally “Dzyady” organized by the Belarusian Popular Front Party, laid flowers to the tomb of the People’s writer of Belarus Vasil Bykau and sang the hymn “Mighty God”. People were solemnly singing words which are precious to every Belarusian, holding the national white-red-white flags in their hands.

12.25 p.m.

A column of the BPF Christian Conservative Party walked past the National Library. People are signing national hymn “Mighty God”. Paval Sevyarynets, one of the leaders of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, joined the column.

12.20 p.m.

The deputy chairman of the Conservative Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front Yuras Belenki noted that the demonstration started from one place of mass execution to another: in Chelyuskinites Park people were shot in the 1930ies too. In the column there are many people who were defending Kurapaty in 2001: Vitaly Kosheleu, Zmitser Kaspyarovich and others, Radio Svaboda informs.

12.10 p.m.

Participants of the rally, organised by the BPF party, are laying flowers to graves of famous Belarusians and figures of the Belarusian Revival – writers Uladzimir Karatkevich and Vasil Bykau, poet Pimen Panchanka, one of the founders of the Belarusian Popular Front and Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada Party Mikhas Tkachou, journalist and editor of “Svoboda” newspaper Ihar Hermyanchuk, photographer Uladzimir Karmilkin. BPF leaders Lyavon Barshcheuski and Vintsuk Vyachorka held speeches near every grave, emphasising contribution of these people to the development of Belarusian culture and Belarusian national conscience.

12.05 p.m.

Pyatro Shashkel goes in the beginning of the column. He was convicted when he was a year and a half. It is the 20th demonstration of Dzyady for him. For the first time in 20 years Maya Klyashtornaya, a daughter of the poet Todar Klyashtorny repressed in the 1930ies, is not taking part in the march to Kurapaty. Maya Klyashtornaya says that she cannot participate because of her state of health, but she is with participants of the rally in spirit, Radio Svaboda informs. People are joining the rally. According to Radio Svaboda, there are 500 participants in the column.

11.55 a.m.

Leaders of the BPF party Lyavon Barshcheuski, Viktar Ivashkevich, Alyaksei Yanukevich, activists of the ofivil campaign “European Belarus” Zmitser Barodka, Yauhen Afnahel, leader of the Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich, head of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of “The Youth of the BPF” Franak Vyachorka and other opposition activists came to Uskhodniya Cemetery. About 100 people gathered at the cemetery, many white-red-white and European flags can be seen.

11.45 a.m.

Near the main entrance of Uskhodniya cemetery people start to gather. National white-red-white flags, flags, flags of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, the Belarusian Christian Democracy and the civil campaign “European Belarus”.

11.35 a.m.

People in the lead of the column are carrying a banner “Dzyady” and 10 crosses. People also carried flowers and national white-red-white flags. Among the participants of the rally are those who attended a meeting in Kurapaty 20 years ago – artist Ruhor Kiyko, politicians Yuras Belenki, Syarhei Papkou, Valer Buival. Banners “Young Belarus remembers”, “Let’s Pay Memory to Kurapaty Victims”, “Defend Belarus from Russian Imperialism” are seen. Artist Ales Pushkin is carrying a portrait of Orthodox priest Heorhi Bortnik, executed in 1952. The frame of the portrait symbolises bars.

11.25 a.m.

The column moves along the sidewalk of the avenue. Painter Ales Pushkin carries a picture: NKVD officer (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs’ officer) holds a pistol near the head of a priest. Almost all leaders of the CCP-BPF are present. Entrepreneur Ales Taustyka is among them. “Moladz For Belarus” holds a steamer.

11.05 a.m.

Activists of the Conservative Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front gathered at 10.30 a.m. near the watches plant “Luch”. At the moment 300 persons are taking part in the rally. They move along Independence Avenue with white-red-white flags. As we have informed, activists of the Belarusian Popular Front Party will gather at the noon at Uskhodniya cemetery in Minsk