BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/04/2006

4 Belarusian Opposition Leaders Arrested

by UPI Wire

MINSK, Belarus - April 27, 2006 (UPI) -- Four Belarusian opposition leaders have been arrested for participating in protests over the government's handling of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

The four men are accused in taking part in an unauthorized rally in Minsk Wednesday, which has become an annual event for the opposition on the anniversary of the reactor failure.

Some 5,000 protesters are opposed to the government's attempts to repopulate land still contaminated by the accident in Ukraine, the BBC.

The four men detained could face 15 days in jail if convicted.

The arrests came a month after elections which brought President Alexander Lukashenko a third term amid international claims the election was neither free nor fair.

Meanwhile, Radio Free Europe said in response to the arrests, opposition parties are reportedly considering staging a new march on May 1.

Source:

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_21216247.shtml

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