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On 7 July Minsk police dispersed an unauthorized meeting of people who gathered in the central square of the city to commemorate Dzmitry Zavadzki, the disappeared journalist.During the breakup of the meeting a riot police officer punched Zavadski´s wife in the face.

On 22 June representatives of oppositional political parties gathered in Freedom Square in Vitsiebsk to protest against the verdict to two leaders of the Belarusian opposition Paviel Sieviaryniets and Mikola Statkievich. 40 minutes after it started the action participants were dispersed by the police and riot squad.

The registration and licensing department of Minsk City Executive Committee refused to register the changes made to the registration documents of the Dzienpres company that publishes the newspaper Den. The changes concern the new legal address that has been provided by the House of Republic of Poland in Minsk.

The political situation in the Republic of Belarus is getting harder and harder. Now it reminds of the second half of 1920-ies, the beginning of repressions against Belarusian intellectuals in the Soviet Union. Now the state persecutes everyone who can’t be controlled or doesn’t prove to be loyal.(11-JUN-2005)

Recently the education boards of regional executive committees and heads of secondary and higher educational establishments have received the letter of the Ministry of Education #03-24/28, restricted publication “About non-admission of the attempts of involvement of pupils and students in lawless activity of political kind”, signed by the minister Aliaksandr Radzkou. This document confirmed the practice of political persecution of students that has existed for several years already.(11-JUN-2205)

The justice boards of local administrations continue liquidating branches of political parties and NGOs. The formal reason for it is that the juridical addresses of these branches are situated in residential premises. At the same time, the law on political parties and NGOs doesn’t demand from them to have juridical addresses. The authorities, in their turn, don’t provide the branches any possibility to register new juridical addresses, putting various obstacles to it. (11-JUN-2005)

Persecution of believers in the Republic of Belarus started long ago. The real reason for it is concurrence of other religious movements and directions to Russian Orthodox Church, which top-level Belarusian officials consider as a means that can serve promotion of their pro-Russian ideology. Most often religious persecution concerned representatives of non-traditional confessions, which were treated as sects. Now it also touches one of the oldest confessions in the Republic of Belarus, Catholics. (11-JUN-2005)

Minsk: Human Rights Center Viasna expresses its decisive protest against the criminal case against the oppositional activists Paviel Sieviaryniets and Mikalai Statkievich. According to the court verdict, both politicians were sentenced to three years of jail on 31 May. (3-JUNE-05)
 

According to the investigators, the interview given by Hary Pahaniayla to the Swedish television last year contained a libelous statement. In February the criminal charges against Hary Pahaniayla were dropped, the corresponding ruling said that the actions of the human rights activist did not constitute a crime though were libelous with respect to Lukashenka. (30-MAY-2005)