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Belarusian Internet-providers are eagerly preparing for 1 September. From that day on they will have to filter illegal materials on by-net, the Belarusian segment of World Wide Web. Despite the criticism of international organisations and quite substantial financial losses this next step to increase the Internet censorship in the Republic of Belarus is ready to be fully implemented.

There is an increasing harassment of the Belarusian press in the run-up to the presidential election that has been scheduled for next spring. What with the information ministry’s repeated warnings, police raids, tax inspections and the country’s new media law, press freedom is now severely compromised in the Republic of Belarus.

On 5 August, Leninski District Court of Minsk rejected a claim against Belarusian independent newspaper Narodnaya Volia. The high-profile case was initiated by a pensioner who tried to “defend honor and dignity” of all the World War II veterans, allegedly offended by the daily. Narodnaya Volia was assisted by the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

The plaque’s open ceremony in honor of Larisa Geniush, the famous Belarusian poetess, did not take place in Vaukavysk, Republic of Belarus. The plaque disappeared from the wall of private house. Local historian Mikalai Kavalchuk has hung up the plaque. He was arrested and was released from the police station only in three hours.

Uladzimir Niapomniaschykh, democratic activist, was arrested in Homel, Republic of Belarus. Police didn’t like an inscription on his T-shirt “For Republic of Belarus without Lukashenka”. Authorities for propaganda in the country usually use a similar slogan (“For Belarus”).

On July 27 in the morning Aleh Surhan, a political prisoner, was released from the colony in the town of Hlybokae. He was met by friends and supporters. Aleh Surhan came up to the car of the people who met him under guard, as policemen followed him for the event to be quick and without any noise, Radio Svaboda informs.

On July 15th a symbolic pillow battle took place in Minsk. It’s some kind of comic action timed to 600th anniversary of Battle of Grunwald, a significant event in Belarusian history. The action was organized in a flash-mob manner and has not any politician context. But this was not enough to separate its participants from power dispersion. Mass arrests and dispersals were done in the center of Belarusian capital.

The main part of non-governmental weekly’s “Nasha Niva” circulation didn’t reach the news stalls in the Republic of Belarus last week. The issue has only reached the subscribers and a few newsstands in the main cities of the country. It was reported about Russian NTV channel’s “God Father” newsreel in this issue of “NN”. In this documentary Belarusian leader is shown in a negative way. So disappearance of the issue of “NN” is nothing short of sad sign of Belarusian censorship.

Such calls may soon appear on Belarusians websites. There was a criminal case initiated after a libel comment on the local website in Vileika town, near Maladzechna (Belarus). Users who had left their comments to the news on the site are prosecuted for aspersion and insulting. Corresponding authorities are now trying to identify these people. This is the second attempt of the authorities to punish for incorrect comments in the web during recent time.