BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

15/03/2007

New Arrests in Minsk

A new round of arrests is taking place in Belarus. In the last two days, Vintsuk Vyachorka, leader of the opposition Belarusian People's Front, and dissident Vyacheslav Sivchik have been taken into custody. The opposition says that the authorities are preparing for Freedom Day, March 25, when a large protest is planned. Persecution of the opposition also indicates that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who a month ago was talking about turning toward the West, feels secure enough again not to cvourt the West.

Freedom Day is the anniversary of the founding of the Belarusian People's Republic in 1918. Several thousand people gathered on October Square in Minsk last year on that day to protest the falsification of presidential election results. This year, the emphasis of the holiday shifted. After Russian-Belarusian relations cooled dramatically last December, Alexander Milinkevich, once the leader of the united Belarusian opposition, wrote an open letter to the president suggesting he join in a united fight against Russian imperialism. As a sign of the unity of the Belarusian people, it was suggested that Lukashenko participate in the March 25 observation, which would be renamed the Day of Belarusian Unity.

The suggestion came as Lukashenko was engaged in a PR campaign oriented toward Western Europe. He gave several interviews to the Western press but did not respond to Milinkevich's proposal until March 13, when special forces troops were stationed in the courtyard of the headquarters of the Belarusian People's Front, one of the organizers of March 25 event. Yesterday, Vyachorka and Sivchik were charged with minor offenses and released. Vyachorka had spent the night in jail.

Tuesday night, KGB agents searched the apartment of Boris Goretsky, press secretary of the youth organization Malady Front. Yesterday, Goretsky was informed that he is being charged with violations of article 193.1 of the Belarusian Criminal Code ("Activity on the Behalf of an Unregistered Organization"). Malady Front leader Zmiter Dashkevich is already serving a three and a half-year prison term on a conviction in the same case.

Igor Shinkarik, deputy chairman of the United Civil Party, stated yesterday that Freedom Day would be observed "under any circumstances." Infighting among the opposition in recent months has diminished its popularity, so Freedom Day is expected to attract fewer participants than last year.

Source:

http://www.kommersant.com/p750029/Belarus_opposition/