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Authorities continue keeping Mikhail Marynich in jail
On 3 September judge of Minsk Tsentralny Borough Court Natallia Vaytsiakhovich declined the complaint of Vera Stramkowskaya, attorney of the public activist Mikhail Marynich with the request to find illegal the prolongation of the detention term at investigative ward for Marynich, who is charged with illegal storage of arms. (9-SEP-2004)
Nationwide referendum will be held in Belarus together with parliamentary election
At 9 p.m. on 7 September all Belarusian TV-channels – BT, Lad, ONT and STV broadcast the appeal of Aliaksandr Lukashenka to citizens of Republic of Belarus, in which he declared referendum in order to stay president for the third term athwart Belarusian Constitution. This referendum is combined with the Parliamentary election that will take place on 17 October. (9-SEP-2004)
New Long-term Political Imprisonments in Belarus
In May 2004 the police detained the head of the strike committee of entrepreneurs Valery Levanewski and his substitute Aliaksandr Vasilyew. Both of them were charged with insult to president for distribution of a flys-sheet with satyrical poerm on 1 May. Aliaksandr Vasilyew was also charged with organization of unauthorized meeting on that day. On 8 September both of them received severe sentence. (9-SEP-2004)
Reporters Without Borders condemns new attacks against the independent press ahead of elections
On 25 August the influential international organization “Reporters Without Borders” protested after the information minister ordered a three-month closure of the independent weekly Novaya Gazeta Smorgoni in Smarhon, western Republic of Belarus.
(30-AUG-2004)
One More Month of Jail and New Criminal Case to Mikhail Marynich instead of Meeting with UN Represen
The authorities didn’t permit to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions to meet with Mikhail Marynich who has been kept in the Investigative Isolator of KGB since April 2004. The meeting was planned on 25 August. Instead of this, they brought one more criminal case and prolonged the term of his preliminary detention for a month. (30-AUG-2004)
Minsk Shops Are Ordered Not to Sell Independent Press
In Minsk a number of large shops refused to sell leading non-governmental newspapers, such as “Belorusskiy Rynok”, “Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta” (“BDG”), “Belorusskaya Gazeta” and “Narodnaya Volia”. The owners of some shops didn’t even bother to notify the editors while canceling the distribution agreements. (26-AUG-04)
Parliamentary Election in Belarus: Human Rights Center “Viasna” Analyses Registration of Initiative
The public association “Human Rights Center “Viasna” that was liquidated by the Supreme Court of Republic of Belarus in 2003 continues its activity. On 24 August the lawyers of the organization completed the analysis of one of the stages of the election into the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of Republic of Belarus (Parliament) and presented its results at Viasna´s web site. (26-AUG-04)
Russian Orthodox Church Rewards Police Colonel, Suspected in Kidnaps
Zmitser Pawlichenka, suspected of abduction and possible murder of Lukashenka’s political opponents, was awarded with the order of the Russian Orthodox Church. Families of the disappeared are indignant about the award. (18-AUG-2004)
Illustration to Work of of Electoral Commissions in Belarus
The election into the Parliament of Republic of Belarus will take place on 4 October. District electoral commissions have been already formed and have begun registration of candidates’ initiative groups. This stage has never been a problem before. As a rule, all initiative groups were registered during all previous elections. Now some district election commissions insistently refuse to register the groups. It has become a real problem for some well-known regional activists.
(18-AUG-04)