BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

Friday, 14 October 2005

Protest against Belarus' Lukashenko

Written by Brussels journalist David Ferguson

Students from as far away as South Africa, Nepal, Ghana, and Taiwan are marching through campuses, parks, and streets to protest against Alexander Lukashenko's government. "The Worldwide Walk, which will include Belarus language slogans, t-shirts, signs, and a pledge drive, also seeks to place pressure on Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and his government to observe international human rights standards, including the right to free and fair elections," said Charlie Szrom, Founder and President of US-based Students for Global Democracy International.

The march, on 15 October, is part of a six-month fund-raising campaign with volunteers raising money for Belarus student group Zubr-Bison as well as underwriting the efforts of another pro-democracy group, Third Way Belarus, to unite the opposition into one political force for upcoming elections. It takes place this Saturday, two days before the first anniversary of a referendum organized by President Lukashenko to extend his mandate.

Azeri Rustem Azimov studies at Bogazici University in Istanbul. "Azerbaijan and Belarus have exactly the same problems. So we can understand the emotional state of Belorussians very well. That's why we are marching. We want all dictatorships to be free." Azimov will be protesting at the Bogazici University. "We are also raising awareness amongst university clubs about the march and encouraging people to write articles in their journals," he said.

UK Research student Simon Bance will not be marching, but is taking part in another series of actions. For 16 October 2005, opposition groups are urging people in Belarus and beyond to turn out electric lights and place a candle in their front windows. "There are not many people in the UK or elsewhere who are aware of the situation or even know anything about Belarus. It is sad, though, that a country, so close to us, cannot enjoy democracy or political and journalistic freedom," said Bance.

The candle protest is, according to Zubr coordinator Mikita Sasim, "... a Day of Solidarity with Belarus political prisoners, disappeared opposition members, their families, independent journalists, and with all who struggle for freedom and democracy in Belarus." Sasim joined Iryna Krasouskaya, founder of the association 'We Remember' and Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta's Deputy Editor Iryna Khalip in calling for the candle protest. Khalip, herself, was fined $25,000 in April and her newspaper another 25,000 on 30 September, in what even the OSCE has termed a campaign to silence the independent press.

Source:

http://euro-reporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=222&Itemid=1