News for October 2008
31.10.2008 Search in BPF activist apartment
Police of Drahichhyn department burst into an apartment of Uladzimir Kazyeka, member of the Belarusian Popular Front party.
Uladzimir said on phone that militiamen were waiting for him and forced him open the door. According to him, the policemen found around 2,000 copies of “Tut i Tsyaper” newspaper during the search, RFE/RL reports.
31.10.2008 Underage activist intimidated by distrainment
Recently an underage activist of Lida branch of the Young Front Raman Tunkel was visited by officers of the court. They threatened to his parents to distrain property.
They promise to do so for non-payment of the fine on the administrative case, the website of the Young Front informs.
As we have informed, in July the 17-year-old Raman Tunkel was detained when he was making graffiti “There is no stopping to Young Front!” An administrative report was drawn up against the activist on charges relating Article 10.9 “intentional destruction or voluntary waste of property”. The court sentenced the young man to 30 basic units of fine (1,050,000 Br), and additional 260,000 Br for repainting of the building.
30.10.2008 Police confiscate 2500 invitations to Dziady
Activist of the “Youth of the BPF” Anton Koipish was detained in Viasnyanka Minsk city district in the evening October 29. He was dropping invitations for an authorised rally on Dziady day on Sunday November 2 in mail boxes.
Anton was taken to the Centralny district militia department by a militia car. The guy was questioned by senior lieutenant Dzmitry Kirylchanka. He threatened the boy with an administrative case on article 23.34 of the Administrative Code. However, Anton Koipish was set free in a while, but 2500 leaflets inviting to Dziady were confiscated, www.pbnf.org reports.
29.10.2008 Oppositionists detained in Pinsk for action of solidarity with political prisoner
Four activists of democratic movement were detained in Pinsk for a picket of solidarity with political prisoner Alyaksandr Barazenka.
The activists carried a banner “Freedom for Political Prisoner Alyaksandr Barazenka!” at central Kirov Square, RFE/RL reports.
28.10.2008 “Process of the Fourteen”: new political prisoner
On Monday, October 27th, youth activist Alexander Barazenka was put in Valadarskaha detention center. The young man is one of the figures in the criminal case for the entrepreneurs’ rally on January 10th.
Let us remind you, the case received an unofficial name of the “Process of the Fourteen”. However, only thirteen people appeared in the dock. Student of Wroclaw University Alexander Barazenka decided to stay in Poland and not to come for the trial.
27.10.2008 “Borisovskiye Novosti” Facing a Defamation Case
The «Borisovskiye Novosti» newspaper editorial has received a court claim from Viera Pratasievich, the local state-owned «Adzinstva» newspaper’s Editor-in-chief. (It should be mentioned that the periodical has been founded by Barysau District Executive Committee.)
27.10.2008 Brest customs officers confiscate 10 issues of “Arche” magazine to conduct expertise
Brest customs officers confiscated 10 issues of a Belarusian nongovernmental magazine “Arche” yesterday. They were meant for Polish authors of the edition and were supposed to be presented to Polish libraries. A customs officer Renata Nyadbayeva suspected that “the information printed in the magazine may harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus”.
25.10.2008 Independent newspaper summoned to court at vertical of power’s suit
The editorial office of the independent newspaper “Borisovskiye novosti” has received a summons to the court from the editor-in-chief of a local newspaper “Edinstvo”, which founder is Barysau regional executive committee.
The editor-in-chief of “Edinstvo” Vera Pratasevich found that the article “Pre-election concoction, or another lie” published in “Borisovskiye novosti”, her honour and dignity were injured, the press-service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists informs.
