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Andrei Klimau, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 13th Convocation, is kept in investigative isolator since 22 April. The investigation accuses him in organization of a street action on 25 March that allegedly led to mass riot. (13-MAY-2005)

The Press prize of Ihar Hiermianchuk Memorial is awarded by the  Belarusian Association of Journalist (BAJ), Human Rights House Foundation and the Norwegain PEN  to the editor-in-chief Alena Raubetskaya on the International Freedom of Pres day May 3. Mrs. Raubetskaya is being honered for her critical articles in relation to the October elections in 2004 (3-MAY-05).
 

Andrei Klilmau was detained on 25 April in a car park in Platonava Street, and then was taken to 7 Sapiorau Street. He is now kept in the temporary detention center. The investigation committee gave him a status of a suspect in a criminal case initiated for the events of 25 March. On that day there was a demonstration demanding the resignation of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. The investigators suspect Andrei Klimau of organizing the street protest. (26-APR-2005)

The leadership of the Catholic church in the Republic of Belarus addressed the Belarusian authorities, requiring that they recover to them the Minsk Church of St. Joseph and the Bernardine monastery. Now, the building of the church now houses the Archive of the Scientific and Technical Documentation, and also the Archive of Literature and Art of Republic of Belarus. The building of the former monastery is occupied by the military commandant’s office. The believers started saying prayers for recovery of the Catholic sacred places. (26-APR-2005)

On 20 April it is 6 months since our colleague, a journalist on the independent newspaper Salidarnasts, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Vieranika Charkasava was murdered. On the eve of the occasion the Belarusian Association of Journalists staged a press-briefing attended by Vieranika’s family and colleagues. (26-APR-2005)

The Belarusian authorities do not want to see Adrian Severin in Minsk, said Foreign Minister of Republic of Belarus Siarhei Martynau on 18 April. According to Mr. Martynau, what Mr. Severin presented at the session of the Human Rights Committee was a compilation from the US State Department report rather than his own review. (26-APR-2005)

Almost 40 people take part in the hunger-strike in the town of Vaukavysk. n 29th day of hunger-strike Vaukavysk businessman Mikalai Autukhovich feels quite bad. The state of the health of some other hunger-strikers deteriorated as well. Yesterday one more person joined – Anatol Dzeshka, former worker of tax inspection. (12-APR-2005)

On 29 March the International League for Human Rights filed an open letter to Aliaksandr Lukashenka to condemn the repressions the law machinery used towards participants of the “revolutionary” action that took place in the center of Minsk on 25 March. About 2,5 thousand people took part in the action. The police dispersed the action participants several times. Among the politicians who took part in the action there was Andrei Klimau (former political prisoner, now is tried for alleged insult to Lukashenka). (12-APR-2005)

Many Belarusian NGOs have been already liquidated on the initiative of the Ministry of Justice for invented or insignificant reasons. Human rights activist say it has turned into a liquidating organ instead of the registering one. Now the Ministry of Justice proceeds to political parties. At the same time, it continues to initiate liquidation of new NGOs. (12-APR-2005)