04.11.2008 Homel: court justifies bans of opposition’s pickets

On 3 November the deputy head of Tsentralny district court of Homel Siarhei Shytsikau upheld the refuse of Homel city executive committee to authorize pickets which the opposition intended to hold within the frame of the electoral campaign. The applications for authorization of pickets were file by the democratic activists Andrei Tolchyn, Piatro Kuzniatsou, Natallia Shchukina and Alexander Protska.

04.11.2008 Court turns down suit of Brest oppositionists

Leninski district court of Brest considered the complaints of Brest opposition activists Zhana Abramava and Vital Symonik. Abramava and Symonik appealed against the ban of their picket by Brest city executive committee. They intended to hold the action on 7 May near the Belarus cinema in Savetskaya Street and dedicate it to the anniversary of disappearance of the ex-minister of interior Yury Zakharanka. Bear in mind that a number of high state officials are suspected in relation to this crime. The official ground for the executive committee’s refusal was that the only authorized place for mass actions in Brest was the Locomotive stadium.

04.11.2008 Baranavichy: ‘Young Front’ activists are beaten on return from Dziady action

Activists of the Young Front Yury Bahdanovich and Siamion Bylinski were brutally beaten up after they returned to Baranavichy from the protest rally Dziady in Minsk.

03.11.2008 Police detain 65 people coming to ‘Dziady’ action from Mahiliou

65 people who tried to get to Minsk for Dziady rally, were detained in Mahiliou by the police.

03.11.2008 Drahichyn: police hinder ‘Dziady’ - action of commemoration

The planned works on cleaning and paying tribute to the grave sites of participants of national uprising of 1863 was called off in Drahichyn (Brest region).

30.10.2008 Disabled person without legs punished for streamer “Who has stolen my benefits?”

The court has punished wheelchaired Uladzimir Vusikau for conducting a picket near the building of Mahiliou city executive committee.

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.

14.10.2008 Brest citizens are not allowed to demand return of social guarantees

The local authorities are doing everything possible to smother the civil initiative for returning of the liquidated social guarantees.

13.10.2008 Teachers are prevented from attending action of Union of Poles in Belarus

About 100 teachers of Polish language haven’t been allowed to come to Hrodna for a concert organized by the Union of Poles in Belarus headed by Anzhalika Borys.

01.10.2008 Salihorsk: Young Front activists are punished for anti-war picket

The commission on affairs of minors warned Illia Shyla, a 16-year old participant of a picket against the Russian intervention in Georgia, which had been held near the Russian Embassy on 11 August.

28.09.2008 New ways to prevent protests in Kastrychnitskaya Square

At present one can come to Kastrychnitskaya Square in the center of Minsk quite easy. There are no police cordons. During the presidential elections’2006 the square was turned into a skating rink. This time eight decorative constructions have been put there. They occupy one third of the square’s territory. The constructions consist of iron columns with flowerpots on the top and improvised flowerbed on the bottom. Now the center of the square is a large decorative flowerbed, and two other flowerbeds stand in a small distance from the first one.

28.09.2008 First detentions in Minsk

The first detentions on the eve of the action of protest in Kastrychnitskaya Square have been registered already. Several hours ago the police detained a youth activist Uladzimir Shved near the apartment of the deputy-head of the Young Front Arthur Finkevich.

12.09.2008 First application for holding action of protest against rigged elections on 28 September

On 12 September an application for authorization of a protest meeting for 1 000 people on 28 September in Kalinouski Square was submitted to Minsk city executive committee.

08.09.2008 Baranavichy: two applications for pickets

Citizens of Baranavichy have submitted to Baranavichy city executive committee two applications requiring permission to hold pickets in connection with injustice during the electoral campaign. The people want to protest against non-registration of a writer, ambulance doctor, member of the Party of Communists Belarusian Alexander Halkevich, who intended to run for parliament at Baranavichy-Eastern electoral constituency #6.

08.09.2008 Orsha: police confiscate white-red-white flags at celebration of Military Glory Day

On 8 September Belarus celebrates one of its most important and legendary holidays, the Day of Belarusian Military Glory.