CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February, 21, 2007
http://charter97.org/eng/news/
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ALIAKSANDR MILINKEVICH INVITED TO PACE PRESIDENT TO VISIT BELARUS ON MARCH 25
11:38 21/02/2007
Leader of democratic forces Aliaksandr Milinkevich has sent an invitation letter to PACE President Rene van der Linden. Leader of Belarusian opposition invited PACE president to visit Belarus on March 25 and to take part in celebration of Freedom day. I share your point that the situation within and around Belarus warrants a new look on its democratisation prospects. After intensive consultations and discussions with representatives of democratic civil society and taking into account the Belarusian authorities
declarations on their interest to normalise relations with Europe, I sent a letter to Aliaksandr Lukashenka with a proposition to start a dialogue between the opposition and the authorities. I strongly believe that only this can help to prevent the economic crisis, defend the independence of the country and work out a strategy of Belarus' movement towards democratization. In any case, you will have an opportunity to see for yourself what is really going on in Belarus, -- says letter of Aliaksandr Milinkevich
to Mr. van der Linden.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/am
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BELARUS THREATENS WITH INCREASING OIL TRANSIT DUTY
10:26 21/02/2007
The government of Belarus is likely to increase the oil transit duty since March this year. This was declared simultaneously in the ministry of economy and in the ministry of finance of the country, Interfax reports. Increase of the excise rate is essential to Belarus for rebating the oil refiners' expenses. Moreover, the effectiveness of Belarusian oil refineries has considerably decreased due to high prices for crude oil .The situation was aggravated by the price decrease for oil products in the world- markets.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/tranzit
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TRIAL OF ACCUSED KILLER COP BEGINS IN BELARUS
18:02 21/02/2007
The murder trial of a senior Belarusian police lieutenant has begun in the city of Hrodna, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. Police Lieutenant Alyaksandr Syarheychyk is accused of committing 12 murders between 2000 and 2005, including 11 young girls.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/trial
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AMBASSADOR HOPES THAT FRANCE WILL HELP BELARUS-EU DIALOGUE
18:01 21/02/2007
Mireille Musso, the newly appointed French ambassador to Belarus, has expressed hope that France will help forge "real and fair dialogue" between Belarus and the European Union.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/france
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TWO WARNINGS TO ARCHE
17:51 21/02/2007
The editorial board of the "ARCHE" magazine received two warnings of 12 February 2007 signed by deputy minister of information Lilia Ananich on violation of the Law on press and other mass media of the Republic of Belarus. Now issuing of the unique Belarusian edition may be stopped at any moment.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/arche
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SIVAKOU HAS APOLOGIZED TO SVYATSKAYA FOR QUOTING HITLER
16:56 21/02/2007
The Frunzensky district court of Minsk appointed 20 March the date of hearing of the lawsuit on the claim of Valyantsina Svyatskaya, Radio Svaboda reports. Claim of the BNF activist is directed to the Belarusian association of veterans of "Honor" departments of special designation of the ministry for internal affairs and to former minister for internal affairs, former deputy head of the president's administration Yuri Sivakou.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/hitler
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FLAWED ELECTIONS AND PARTIES
16:43 21/02/2007, by Rodger Potocki, Transitions Online
How Belarus' opposition parties, already under attack from the governing regime, squandered their meager chances to score even symbolic gains in January's local elections.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/text
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PUBLIC ACTIVISTS DEMAND RELEASE OF YOUTH ACTIVIST DZYANIS DZYANISAU
14:06 21/02/2007
Public activists demand immediate release of participant of the tent camp, arranged in Minsk Kastrichnitskaya Square in March 2006, Dzyanis Dzyanisau and consider his detaining as exclusively political. As policymaker Vyachaslau Siuchik reported to BelaPAN, the demand was included into the appeal signed by former deputy of the Babruisk City Soviet Ales Chigir, public activist Ales Mazur and Siuchik himself.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/denisov
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INTERNET CAFES UNDER BIG BROTHER'S EYE IN BELARUS
12:10 21/02/2007
All of the web addresses, visited by Internet caf customers, are to be stored at a special database for one year and checked if necessary by Belarus security agencies, according to the February 10, 2007 resolution of the Council of Ministers.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/internet
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RELEASE OF KANSTANTIN LUKASHOU
12:05 21/02/2007
The Leninsky district court of Minsk gave a 2 years suspended sentence to opposition activist Kanstantin Lukashou. Kanstantin Lukashou was released right in the courtroom.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/02/21/lukashov
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February, 21, 2007
http://charter97.org/eng/news/