05.02.2008 Court Turns down Complaint against Bans of Peaceful Assemblies

On 1 February the court of Baranavichy and Baranavichy district considered the suit of the lawyer Karney Piatrovich against the ban of a picket by Baranavichy city executive committee. Despite convincing arguments proving that the ban was illegal the court, predictably enough, took the side of the authorities.

05.02.2008 Salihorsk: Young Front Activists Fined again

Recently Salihorsk court has abolished a number of decisions of the local administrative commissions, according to which activists of the underground youth organization Young Front were fined huge sums of money for participation in peaceful protest actions. Their cases were returned to the administrative commission for reconsideration.

05.02.2008 Babruisk Has No Premises for Meeting with Milinkevich

Babruisk activists of For Freedom movement have received answers from Babruisk executive committee to their request to lend a hall for meeting with the leader of the movement Aliaksandr Milinkevich. The event was appointed on 9 February.

01.02.2008 Hrodna Oblast Court Turns down Activist’s Complaint

The resident of Masty Ales Zarembiuk received an answer from Hrodna oblast court. The activist appealed to the court against a huge fine, which was imposed on him for alleged organizing a street meeting of Masty citizens with the head of the For Freedom movement Aliaksandr Milinkevich. Zarembiuk was fined 525 000 rubles (about 244 US dollars).

01.02.2008 Andrei Kim Faces Six Years of Jail

An activist of the youth campaign Initiative Andre Kim is charged under article 364 ‘Violent actions against a policeman’.

01.02.2008 Entrepreneurs Refuse to Pay Taxes

Belarusian entrepreneurs begin a mass campaign on refusing to pay taxes from today.

30.01.2008 Police beat opposition youths in Salihorsk

Opposition youths are reported to have been beaten up by police in Salihorsk, Minsk region, on Wednesday over a demonstration staged in protest against increasing crackdown on individual entrepreneurs.

30.01.2008 Prison for national flag?

Barys Khamaida and Aliaksandar Salauyan, democratic activists from Vitebsk, were detained yesterday. They spent the night in the remand jail.

29.01.2008 Larysa Nasanovich arrested for 15 days

Today Judge of Salihorski district court Aliaksandar Burautsou arrested civic activist Larysa Nasanovich for 15 days. She was charged with participation in an unauthorized rally of entrepreneurs in Salihorski on January 28th.

28.01.2008 Entrepreneur Ales Makayeu released from jail on Sunday

Ales Makayeu, member of the Entrepreneurs’ coordination council, was released early, at 8 a.m. His term was to be officially over at 11.30 a.m. Mr. Makayeu refused to eat during all 15 days of his arrest.

28.01.2008 Entrepreneurs wait for authorities to decide

It’s a day off today at Minsk markets. Entrepreneurs hope the authorities will take certain steps to regulate the conflict soon. Entrepreneurs hope that during the week the authorities will propose a way out that would allow them to keep their jobs. They plan to continue street actions and other events if edict # 760 is not cancelled.

23.01.2008 One of the detained entrepreneurs disappeared

An entrepreneur from Homel Uladzimir Niapomniashchy was detained by police during the protest action on January 21st. He spent the night in Akrestsina jail. However, yesterday his case was not considered by administrative courts. Human rights defenders are trying to find out what happened with the entrepreneur.

22.01.2008 Results of trials over the detained during the entrepreneurs’ action on January 21st . (The list is updated regularly.)

Centralny and Maskouski courts of Minsk are trying the detained activists and citizens during the entrepreneurs’ rally on January 21st. The list is updated regularly.

Many of the detained have been beaten by policemen in the Central police department. They say they were beaten yesterday in the evening and today in the morning, on the way from the police station to the court. Earlier officers of the Centralny police department did not allow themselves to do that.

1. Vadzim Barouski, Centralny court of Minsk, judge Tatsiana Pauliuchuk, fined 700, 000 BYR; article 23.34 of the Administrative Code. 2. Artur Petsko, Maskouski district court of Minsk, article 23.34 of the Administrative Code, 15 days of jail.

21.01.2008 List of the detained during entrepreneurs’ rally on January 21st (updated regularly)

Some corrections and inaccuracies are possible. According to information from our activists, more than 20 people were detained. Now we are trying to find out their names.

1. Mikhail Subach, taken to Centralny police department 2. Lilia Subach, taken to Centralny police department 3. Alina Hladkaya, taken to Centralny police department 4. Yury Bakur (theer are 9 more detained people together with him in the police department) 5. Andrei Sharenda 6. Andrei Sauchuk 7. Tamara Sauchuk

21.01.2008 Mass detentions begin, ambulance arrives on the square

15.00 Some of the protesters squeezed out from the Independence Square, returned to Kastrychnitskaya Square. There is a big jam near Centralny store on the avenue. Riot policemen are pushing the action participants down the stairs to the underground crossing.