BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/04/2006

Belarusian opposition warned with prison

ISN SECURITY WATCH (Thursday, 27 April 2006: 00.33 CET) - Prosecutors in Belarus have called opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich in for questioning and say he could face a prison term for unrest during an opposition rally.

The authorities had granted permission for the Wednesday rally, but warned demonstrators to stay away from the central Minsk October Square.

Milinkevich had vowed to defy the warning.

More than 5,000 opposition protesters gathered in the capital Minsk, amid tight security on the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to protest President Aleksandar Lukashenko's handling of the consequences of the 1986 tragedy.

Milinkevich told the protesters that he would launch a process aimed at impeaching Lukashenko and called for another rally on 1 May.

"We will destroy this regime through acts of peaceful disobedience. We will not wait for the next election in five years. We can overcome the dictatorship in the next two years, perhaps sooner," Milinkevich said.

Milinkevich was the main opposition candidate against Lukashenko in 19 March presidential elections. Lukashenko won a landslide victory with 83 per cent of the vote. The opposition and international observers denounced the vote as fraudulent.

In related news, Alexander Lebedko, leader of the United Civic Party, has been reported missing. He had planned to take part in the protest, but disappeared on his way to the rally, reports said. Police said they had no information as to his whereabouts.

Source:

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=15634