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Anatol Liabedzka, UCP, and Ludmila Hraznova, a Belarusian Human Rights group, claim their web sites have been attacked by  unidentified hackers. They believe the attack has been masterminded by Belarusian KGB. This is not the first case when opposition web sites have fallen victim to hacker attacks.

In September 2004 Valiery Lievanieuski (right), chair of the Nationwide Strike Committee of Businessmen, and his deputy Aliaksandr Vasilieu were found guilty ofinsult to Aliaksandr Lukashenka (violation of Article #367 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced to two years of colony. Recently the authorities have amnestied Aliaksandr Vasilieu. However, Valiery Lievanieuski wasn?t granted parole. (17-JULY-05)

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)