07.08.2008 Shklou: pressurization of Ryhor Kastusiou continues

Ryhor Kastusiou, the head of Mahiliou organization of the Belarusian Popular Front Party and candidate to the Chamber of Representatives, has received a letter from A.Pabortsau, the head of the financial investigations department of the State Control Committee, with the demand to provide an income declaration for 2005-2007. The same letters were received by Kastusiou’s wife, son and elder daughter. The politician is of the opinion that such letters are sent to his family because of his participation in the electoral campaign.

05.08.2008 Financial police disturbs not only future candidates, but also members of their families

Recently the pretenders to candidates Yury Novikau, Uladzimir Novikau, Alexander Irkho, Ihar Kavalenka and Mikalai Rasiuk received writs to financial police.

05.08.2008 ‘Young Front’ to sue Minsk administration

Minsk city executive committee did not permit the Young Front to hold its constituent assembly in Kalinouski Square and did not propose any other place for its holding. The formal reason for the refusal is that a tube station is less than 200 meters away from the square, which is a violation of the legal norms. However, Minsk authorities did not provide any alternative and thus violated the law.

05.08.2008 Fingerprints taken from Barys Vyrvich

On 4 August the police officers Kiryl Khlus and Alexander Rusetski came to the apartment of Barys Vyrvich, hear of the initiative group of the candidate to the Chamber of Representatives Ryhor Kastusiou, member of the BPF Party. The police officers asked Mr. Vyrvich where he had been on 3 July. Then they took his fingerprints and a saliva sample. Barys Vyrvich is convinced that the interrogation in the case of the blast in Minsk is connected with his public position and activities as the head of Kastusiou’s initiative group.

05.08.2008 Oppositional candidate Aliaksei Yanukevich is summonsed to KGB in connection with 4 July blast

A KGB officer Yury Salauyou has called to the deputy head of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, candidate to the Chamber of Representatives Aliaksei Yanukevich to invite him to a ‘talk’ in connection with the blast which had taken place in Minsk on 4 July in the morning.

05.08.2008 Homel: KGB interrogates Ales Yauseyenka

As the BelaPAN informs, the investigator Uladzimir Vidolis has interrogated Ales Yauseyenka, the coordinator of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee in Homel oblast, in the case of Minsk blast. The activist was asked where he was on the day of the blast, whether he had a car and in which military unit he had served.

05.08.2008 Kobryn: MP confesses blackmailing Alexander Mekh

Kobryn court has carried out preliminary consideration of the case on complaint of the Belarusian popular Front Party activist Alexander Mekh. He complains of illegal dismissal from work.

05.08.2008 BPF party is forced to remove white-red-white flag from façade of its office

The housing and maintenance department of the Savetski district of Minsk demands that the Belarusian popular Front party remove a white-red-white flag from the building where the headquarters of the party is situated, and warned that otherwise the rental contract with the party could be dissolved. The office in Masherau Street, 8 where the headquarters of the Belarusian Popular Front is situated, is the place where opposition traditionally holds many its meetings.

04.08.2008 Asipovichy: Artsiom Dubski gets arrested

Artsiom Dubski, one of the Young Front leaders, was arrested in Asipovichy and guarded to the police department handcuffed.

04.08.2008 UCP members are interrogated in ‘Minsk blast’ case

Zmitser Slutski, head of Hrodna city organization of the United Civil Party, and leader of Hrodna organization of Young Democrats Alexandra Vasilevich, were called to the KGB directorate for Hrodna region.

01.08.2008 Smarhon: KGB interrogates former deputy head of BPF Youth’s Smarhon branch

On 31 July Vadzim Zharomski, former deputy head of Smarhon branch of the BPF Youth, was taken away from work and guarded to Smarhon KGB department. There he was made to give explanations concerning the blast which had taken place on 4 July. Then Zharomski was fingerprinted at the police department.

22.07.2008 KGB search Young Front office

The Young Front office was searched yesterday. Office equipment and informational materials, calling to boycott the parliamentary “elections”, were seized. As one of the Young Front leaders Artur Finkevich told to the Charter’97 press center, people in civvies watched outside the building of the office on Karol Street for more than an hour and tried to force the door. After 10.00 pm KGB officers managed to enter the office: they burst into it when one of the members of the organisation tried to leave the office. During a search, conducted by KGB and militia officers, office equipment, stickers, information materials, posters, calling to boycott the “elections” were seized. The activists, who were in the apartment, weren’t allowed to phone.

22.07.2008 Is “Long live Belarus” a slogan fearing regime?

Stas Senakosau, a minor activist, was kept in the police department of Leninski district of Minsk for 3 hours.

18.07.2008 UDF remains in the election process

The question, how the United Democratic Forces will further participate in the election, became the main issue in the agenda of the UDF Presidium on July 17th.

When only 35 representatives from the unified UDF list were included in the commissions, and in conjunction with endless detentions of pro-democratic activists, some members of the Presidium suggested the opposition forces should limit their participation in the election process.

According to UCP chairman Anatol Liabedzka, it was proposed to stop election campaigns in the districts were the UDF were left without representatives in the district election commissions. As a result of the discussion, the Presidium decided to carry out additional consultations on that issue with the potential candidates and political structures within the UDF.

Liabedzka believes the democratic forces should remain in the election process for the time being:

-- For now we have as much political will to go as far as we can in the election distance. If we declared boycott from the very beginning today we would have nothing to propose except emotions and some old speeches.

According to Liabedzka, participation in the election allows the opposition forces to receive additional proofs how undemocratic the process is. In its turn, this will become the ground for the international structures in order to make a decision about recognizing or not recognizing the election results.

As for the UDF, they will say their final word only on August 24th, at the session of the Political Council. The stages of candidates’ nomination and registration will be passed then. We will be able to exactly say, if it’s worth to continue the election campaign, the UCP leader stressed.

16.07.2008 Vitebsk human rights defender Paval Levinau arrested for 10 days

The arrest verdict was given on May 26th: court found the BHC representative guilty of disorderly conduct.

For almost two months Mr. Levinau tried to challenge the verdict. He tried to prove his innocence and the fact that the court violated the law when making the verdict – as it was read out in his absence. According to the human rights activist, Pershamaiski district policemen made numerous attempts to deliver him to the arrest and detention center: they stood on duty near his apartment and followed him around the city. Today Paval Levinau was brought to the police station from hospital. He got into hospital yesterday from the prosecutor’s office, where he had another collision with the police.