“Chernobyl Way” Starts on April 26 from Academy of Science

The march “Chernobyl Way” will start on April 26 at 2 p.m. near the presidium of the National Academy of Science of Belarus. Such a decision has been adopted on April 22 at the meeting of the steering committee on holding the rally.

After that participants of the “Chernobyl Way” are to go down Surhanau Street towards the memorial chapel named after the icon “Seeking of the lost” which is situated at the crossing of Karastayanava and Arlouskaya Streets. A one-minute silence will be announced there. A meeting won’t be held there.

The chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic party “Hramada” Ihar Rynkevich, a deputy chairman of the movement “For Freedom” Viktar Karniyenka and a chairman of the public association “Union Chernobyl-Belarus” registered in Ukraine Alyaksandr Vauchanin have taken part in the today’s press-conference in Minsk.

“Despite of the fact that the “Chernobyl Way” is an authorized protest, the regime is interfering with holding an information campaign; punish those who spread information, arrest newspapers’ print runs and other materials,” said the deputy chairman of “For Freedom” movement Viktar Karniyenka at a press-conference.

Viktar Karniyenka reminded that there were times when the regime and opposition cooperated in Chernobyl aftermaths relief efforts, and today’s regime hushes up the real situation, depriving liquidators and people living in contaminated areas not only allowances, but of true information.

In this connection organizers offer to place the accent of the current Chernobyl Way on April 26 at three aspects:

1) Health of the population (to attract attention of the society to the policy of the government on rehabilitation of people living in contaminated areas).

2) Social guarantees (protection of people who liquidated aftermaths of Chernobyl disaster);

3) Protests against construction of a nuclear power station without public control and comprehensive independent international examination.

In this connection Alyaksandr Vauchanin said: “We want not only common citizens, but representatives of the presidential administration, government and a “chamber of representatives” to take part in the rally”. According to him, participation or non-participation of the authorities would demonstrate the society the real attitude of the present Belarusian regime to Chernobyl problems.

“Deputies of the European parliament have agreed that the consequences of Chernobyl disaster haven’t been overcome yet, and are very serious, while the Belarusian regime is simply declaring care about health of citizens of contaminated territories. In reality they are trying to play down and hush up the real state of affairs,” the chairman of the public association “Union Chernobyl-Belarus” underlined.

As an example of the state’s attitude towards Chernobyl catastrophe in other countries Vauchanin reminded about Ukraine and Israel. “In Ukraine the public association dealing with Chernobyl problems occupies premises on the same floor with Yushchenko’s office. In Israel, which hadn’t been affected by Chernobyl disaster, Knesset had adopted a law according to which liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster have the same rights as war participants of war and other conflicts, which means serious medical benefits allowances and other kinds of social protection,” Vauchanin stressed.