The Day of our Freedom

On March 25 the Belarusian People’s Republic was declared 93 years ago.

The current Belarusian authorities do not recognize this date officially, but representatives of the democratic community celebrate it every year as Freedom Day.

The rallies dedicated to this holiday are to take place in Belarus and abroad today. This year the traditional rally is to be held in a different form.

After the election of December 19, 2010 a wave of mass crackdowns swept through Belarus –arrests of presidential candidates, activists of their election headquarters, journalists, human rights activists, youth leaders. Searches were held in the editorial offices of almost all independent mass media and pro-democracy and human rights organizations. Arrests are continued till now. Many politically active citizens had to flee the country. And now political prisoners’ legal lynching is taking place, they are sentenced to 3-4 years of imprisonment in colonies. Many distinguished persons of the country, including presidential candidates Andrei Sannikov, Mikalai Statkevich, Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, a journalist Iryna Khalip, the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka, the leader of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Paval Sevyarynets, a spokesperson of the presidential candidate Sannikov, Alyaksandr Atroshchankau, the editor-in-chief of charter97.org website Natallya Radzina, “Young Front” leaders Zmitser Dashkevich and Anastasiya Palazhanka and many others are still kept in the KGB jail, under house arrest, some had been released with a written undertaking not to leave the place.

That is why this Freedom Day is marked, beside others, under the slogan “Free Political prisoners!”

The authorities have prohibited celebrating Freedom Fay by a march along the intended route: Yakub Kolas Square – Yanka Kupala Park. For the first time in the recent history of Belarus the organizers representing the Belarusian Popular Front Party, the UCP and “For Freedom” movement of Alyaksandr Milinkevich refused to stage a rally on March 25, offering Minks dwellers simply to lay flowers to monuments of Belarusian poets. Political immaturity of these party functionaries has drawn criticism on the part of “European Belarus” civil campaign and “Young Front”.

“European Belarus” and “Young Front” have stated that in the conditions when real leaders of Belarus are imprisoned, it is necessary to protest. They have called upon Belarusians to come to Yakub Kolas Square in Minsk on March 25 at 6 p.m.