28.08.2007 Benita Ferrero-Waldner Dismayed by New Arrests and Detentions in Belarus

On 24 August the EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner stated:

‘Following the arrest and detention of several members of the Belarusian democratic opposition in July, which I had strongly condemned, I am dismayed by the new arrests and detentions reported over the last days, including that of Mr. Severinets, who was also among those detained in July. I call once again on the Belarusian authorities to release all those detained on political grounds without delay, and to respect the inalienable rights of the people of Belarus to assemble peacefully and express themselves freely.

28.08.2007 27 August 1937 – Day of First Mass Fusillade in Minsk

On 27 August 2007 there have turned 70 years since the first mass fusillade of Belarusian intellectuals. On 27 August 1037 NKVD butchers shot a group of archeologists, teachers and Catholic priests, all in all more than 50 persons. A mournful event in their memory took place in Kurapaty wood.

28.08.2007 Homel: United Civil Party Applies to Prosecutor’s Office Concerning Office Trespass

On 28 August Homel regional UCP organization applied to the head of Chyhunachny district police department of Homel and to the district prosecutor’s office in connection with an illegal police raid to its office. During their visit the police examined the office, videoed it and detained the present people.

28.08.2007 Mahiliou: Police Release Under-aged Activists

At about 8 p.m. on 27 August the under-aged youth activists Aleh Kashtanau and Rastsislau Pankratau were taken to a police station of Leninski district police department of Mahiliou. The detention was ordered by a deputy chair of Mahiliou regional police department, who stated that he had seen them handing out white-red-white stripes and passing a white-red-white flag to each other.

28.08.2007 Do Mahiliou Medics Finally Get Punished for Detaining Shatsikava?

On 23 August the college board of Mahiliou regional court refused to bring a criminal case on the fact of kidnap of a public activist Krystsina Shatsikava and her illegal placement to a hospital. Two days later Shatsikava received a letter in which the head of Mahiliou regional department of health care Valery Malashka indirectly confessed that her rights had been violated by medics of Mahiliou mental hospital.

28.08.2007 Pavel Seviarynets Is Allowed to Have Radio, but Prohibited to Meet with Mother

On 19 August the youth leader Pavel Seviarynets was detained in Brest during presentation of his book Letters from Forest. On 22 August he was sentenced to 15 days of jail.

28.08.2007 ‘Arena’ Music Club Closed on Order of Minsk Authorities

According to the director of the musical club Arena Ihar Shabetnik the club can no longer issue any performance certificates for concerts because of the appropriate order of the main police department of Minsk city executive committee.

28.08.2007 Brest Police Continue Detaining Youth

In the night of 26 August in Brest the police detained the youth activists Mikhail Illin, Andrei Sharenda and Yuliya Shashko who were sticking leaflets ‘Freedom to Seviarynets’. The detainees were kept at Leninski police department of Brest for three hours and were released after the policemen composed the detention, violation and confiscation reports. Next week the activists will be tried.

28.08.2007 Detentions and Trials in Niasvizh

In the night of 24-25 August in Niasvizh the police detained four youth activists: Nasta Azarka, A.Dubski, A.Zhukau and Nasta Palazhanka. They were charged with hooliganism for writing ‘Belarus is Sacred’ on a fence. The activists had to spend the rest of the night at Niasvizh district police department. The police ignored Palazhanka’s demand to call a defense lawyer.

28.08.2007 Justice Ministry Refuses to Register ‘Viasna’

According to the official site of the Ministry of Justice, ‘the charter of the association does not comply with the law of the Republic Belarus on public associations’.

28.08.2007 Homel Police Detain Participants of Meeting with Pastor Sabila

On 26 August in Homel several civil society activists were seized by the police at a meeting with the pastor of an outlawed Protestant church Ernest Sabila. The pastor of the Belarusian Evangelic Church came to the city to meet with members of the Frantsishak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society. Held at the city`s office of the United Civic Party, the meeting was attended by about 20 people.

28.08.2007 Aliaksei Shydlouski in Jail again

On 27 August the police detained a youth leader Aliaksei Shydlouski and took him to the remand jail in Akrestin Street in Minsk.

28.08.2007 Minsk Youth Hold Action of Protest against Beating of Girls by Police

On 26 August an action of protest against illegal detainments and beatings of the youth opposition activists took place at the crossroads of Niamiha and Haradsky Val streets in the center of Minsk. 20 people installed a street banner ‘When you are at home they are beating up girls’ and the posters running about the events of 16 August.