Anniversary of Chernobyl disaster being marked today

A mourning rally is to be held on Bangalore Square today at 6:00 pm. The authorities agreed only on this format of the action.

One of the biggest radioactive accidents, an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, occurred on April 26, 1986. The Chernobyl disaster affected every Belarusian. The radioactive release from Chernobyl accident was 300 times that of nuclear bombing in Hiroshima, Japan.

Over 70 percent of radioactive fallout descended in Belarus. The disaster affected about 2 million people in Belarus, including over 500,000 children. According to scientists, as much as 200,000 Belarusians died from radiation. The territory of Belarus has turned into a zone of ecological catastrophe for many centuries.

The Belarusian authorities hush up the problem of radiation. The number of territorial zones under radioactive control has been reduced during Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s rule. About 140,000 people live on highly contaminated territories (15 to 40 curie), thought pin Russia an d Ukraine people were resettled from such zones. The Belarusian authorities claim these lands are now clear and encourage people to return to live in dangerous zones.

Minsk city authorities forbade holding a traditional rally “Chernobyl Way” on April 26.

Participants are forbidden to gather in front of the Presidium of the Academy of Science and march to Chernobyl chapel in Karastayanava Street. The Minsk authorities motivated their decision by a law on mass events, under which mass actions cannot be carried out closer than 200 metres from metro stations or administrative buildings.

Chernobyl Way will be held as a mourning meeting in Minsk Park of Peoples’ Friendship.

Participants are to demand the authorities to stop constructing a nuclear power plant near the town of Astravets. Besides, people will demand to release Belarusian political prisoners. The meeting will begin with a moment of silence in memory of victims of the metro blast on April 11.

We remind that rallies on anniversaries of the Chernobyl disaster have annually been held in Minsk since 1988.