The election into the Chamber of Representatives of the Belarusian Parliament will take place on 14 October. The authorities are getting ready to it – the wave of repressions increases.

 Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus has liquidated the office of correspondent of the Russian TV channel “RTR” in Belarus because of allegedly distorted elucidation of the mass protest action, organized by the opposition on 21 July. On that day RTR correspondent Zmitser Piatrow said in the “Vesti” news program that several thousand citizens took part in the meeting, whereas Lukashenka’s officials stated there were only 193 persons.
    
 About a month ago the ministry also deported the Ukrainian citizen, journalist of the independent newspaper “Vremya” Mikhail Padaliak. The KGB PR and Information Center states that the ground for Padaliak’s deportation was “edition of the “Vremya” newspaper the articles of which contained urges to consolidation of radical opposition with the purpose to counteract state organs”. According to Mr. Padaliak’s wife Iryna (citizen of Belarus), at about 7 a.m. on 21 June someone began to ring insistently at the door bell. When they opened the door, 8 people came in – policemen and people in civil clothes, one person with video camera. They gave 15 minutes to the journalist to collect personal things, ordered to take some money with him and took Padaliak away in unknown direction.
    
However, the authorities don’t limit their methods of struggle with distribution of uncontrolled information to deportation of journalists.

 On 26 July in Minsk the police detained the minors Franak Viachorka and Makar Vawchok for distribution of the fly-sheets of the electoral coalition of Belarusian democratic parties “5+” with the description of the results of A. Lukashenka’s 10-year rule. On 27 July in the city of Mahiliow activists of political parties handed out printed congratulations with the Day of Independence and informational materials of the People’s coalition “5+”. Vital Makaranka, the head of Mahiliow city organization of the BPF Party, vice-head Zmitser Salawiow and the member of the Party Soym Yury Holubew explained the political situation to the citizens of Mahiliow. The police detained them as well and confiscated the printed materials.     

     — Fortunately, we managed to hand out most of them. Only several copies were left for the police, — said Zmitser Salawiow.