Rybakov breaks own world record, Cooperation with Jordan, Opinion polls, Fried, Roshallo, Zubr harassed

Tell your friends about it!

Please remember that tomorrow, November 16th, 2005, is designated as the Day of Solidarity in Belarus.

in many windows of Belarusian towns and cities the light will be switched off, and hundreds and thousands candles of our solidarity and freedom will be lit. “Dark cities, dark windows, where only burning candles are seen. In many countries and capitals of the world the solidarity with Belarus is to be expressed on this day. We call upon all, who would take part in the Day of Solidarity, to send photos of burning candles in dark windows made on November 16 evening, to the email address charter97@gmail.com. The pictures are to be published at our site. Let’s let the world see that we are many!

From the Top

ANDREI RYBAKOV BREAKS OWN WORLD RECORD TO SNATCH GOLD

From ESPN

Andrei Rybakov breaks his own world record

DOHA, Qatar -- Andrei Rybakov of Belarus broke his own world record in the snatch to win a gold medal Monday at the World Weightlifting championships.

The 187-pound Rybakov surpassed his previous best twice, finishing with a 408-pound effort, seven better than his record set in 2002.

"I have always wanted to raise the bar in all my performances," Rybakov said. "After overcoming my own personal record it was my desire to scale a new mark."

Meanwhile, junior world record-holder Ilya Ilin of Kazakhstan won the senior men's 187-pound title. The 17-year-old Ilin totaled 851 pounds from a snatch of 375 and a clean and jerk of 476.

ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO GREETS THE STAFF OF ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA

From the official website of the president

Lukashenka: NowTHIS newspaper we like

President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has congratulated the staff of the newspaper “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” on the 15th anniversary of its first issue.

The Head of State pointed out that the production personnel of editors remained loyal to the high standard principles and traditions of the Russian journalism.

Being a co-founder of the newspaper “Soyuz (Union),” the journalists of the periodical put forward a real and attractive image of the Union State for many millions of readers from both countries, they give the floor to everybody who displays sincerity and interest to discuss the issues related to the unity of Belarus and Russia,” Alexander Lukashenko underscored.

BELARUS READY TO DEVELOP ALL-ROUND COOPERATION WITH JORDAN

NLIPRB

Cherginets: Belarus can do business with Jordan

Belarus is ready to develop all-round cooperation with Jordan, chairman of the permanent commission for international affairs and national security of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Nikolai Cherginets stated at a meeting in Minsk of the parliamentary delegations of the two countries.

According to him, successful development of the Belarusian-Jordanian economic cooperation should be followed by strengthening of interparliamentary and interstate political links. In particular, the Belarusian side hopes that the issue on an exchange of visits on the highest level will be solved in the near future.

Nikolai Cherginets extended condolences to the members of the Jordanian delegation in connection with the terrorist attacks in the Amman hotels that caused loss of life. “We should stand united in the fight against this most dangerous evil of the present day”, Nikolai Cherginets stressed. - The parliamentarians should seek to unify the legislations of their countries in an effort to create the conditions to prevent terrorist activities.

In turn, head of the parliamentary delegation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Muhammad Bani Hani took note of a big potential of bilateral links. First of all it concerns the economic sphere, as “the economies of the two states are complementary”. Jordan is interested in Belarusian trucks, agricultural machines and electronics. According to him, “the Jordanian market can become for Belarusian goods a gate to the Arab world”.

For the nine months of the current year the Belarusian export to Jordan grew by 8.3 per cent against the same period of 2004 and made USD 3,6 million. Belarus mainly exports trucks and carbon steel to Jordan and imports medical preparations. The imports made USD 62,2 thousand.

U.S. OFFICIAL URGES ACTION WITH EUROPE ON BELARUS

Charter '97

Fried: Belarus is becoming as severe as in the former Soviet Union.

BERLIN (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official called on Monday for action by Europe and the United States to combat political repression in Belarus, which he said was becoming as severe as in the former Soviet Union.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried said he would be discussing Belarus and the government of President Alexander Lukashenko in a series of meetings with German officials.

"It's been called Europe's last dictatorship. It is on the borders of the European Union. It is a place where increasingly and sadly Soviet levels of political repression are becoming more and more apparent," he told reporters at the U.S. embassy.

"This is a tragedy for the Belarussian people. Europe and the United States have a responsibility to do what they can to help," Fried said.

Fried gave no details of what he thought the European Union and United States should do.

The EU has already introduced visa bans for some Belarus officials and last week threatened further sanctions possibly including asset freezes for those deemed responsible for undemocratic practices.

Belarus became an independent state in 1992, like other former Soviet republics, but has seen its relations with the West grow steadily worse since Lukashenko, who wants to reunite his country with Russia, came to office in 1994.

The United States accuses Lukashenko of crackdowns on dissent, poll manipulation and adherence to Soviet-era economics.

Lukashenko denies allegations that his administration has undermined fundamental rights. He says he has spared his 10 million people the uncertainties of other post-Soviet states and accuses the West of waging an "information war" on Belarus.

REGIME TO CONTROL OPINION POLLS

Charter ‘97

The National Academy of Science of Belarus: Manipulations by unprincipled organizers are possible

The National Academy of Science of Belarus takes over the control of organizing opinion polls. This decision has been formalized by the Decree of the Council of ministers of Belarus of November 8, 2005. According to the resolution, the functions of accreditation of legal entities, that lay claims to holding opinion polls, which are related to the republican referenda, presidential elections, elections of parliament deputies and a public and political situation in the country, and to publishing their results in mass media, are imposed on the Commission on Public Opinion Polls by the Belarusian Academy of Science of Belarus.

By accreditation of legal entities “recognition of their right to hold opinion polls and publishing their results in mass media” is meant.

The Commission is within its rights to control of activities of the accredited legal entity at any stages of holding these opinion polls. In case of violations of the law requirements the Commission is authorized to cancel its accreditation.

The head of the Belarusian Central Election Committee Lidziya Yarmoshyna considers this decree a necessary document. As said by her, “it’s a positive occurrence, as we do not have a particular law which would regulate organizing of such opinion polls, and their quality needs a competent control”.

L. Yarmoshyna believes that “different manipulations by unprincipled organizers are possible”. Nobody knows how they would us these results of the poll and how they would influence the public opinion forming. People who are engaged in this work “should have an appropriate qualification”. But the practice shows they do not have one. Besides, Yarmoshyna said that “the ordering party should be checked, as funds of foreign organizations must not be used for such purposes”.

VLADIMIR RUSHAILO TO VISIT BELARUS TO CONSIDER COOPERATION ISSUES WITHIN CIS FRAMEWORK

NLIPRB

Vladimir Rushailo

Cooperation aspects within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States will be considered in the course of a working visit of chairman of the Executive Committee – Commonwealth executive secretary Vladimir Rushailo to Minsk November 14-15.

In particular, press secretary of the Executive Committee Vera Yakubovskaya told a BelTA correspondent that November 14 Vladimir Rushailo is set to meet with deputy prime minister of Belarus Andrei Kobiakov and first deputy foreign minister Vasiliy Pugachev.

ZUBR ACTIVISTS DETAINED AND HARRASSED IN MAHILIOU

From Viasna and the Zubr press-service

ZUBR: They have got the attention of the state.

At night of 12-13 November the police detained the members of Zubr movement Iauhien Suvorau and Andrei Baskorau while they were pasting fly-sheets with number 16 in ring. The detainees were taken to Mahiliou Kastrychnitski Borough Board of Internal Affairs, where the police composed on them the reports for violation of Article #143 of the Code of Administrative Violations.

Also, On 12 November at the market of the town of Vialieika the police detained Uladzimir Maliarchuk and Mikalai Susla for handing out the bulletin calling the citizens to join the action of solidarity with political prisoners on 16 November. They were kept at a police station for about two hours. The police confiscated more than a hundred of bulletins.

On the 10th of November the KGB detained and threatened Zubr activist Alena Kopach. In the morning policeman came to the home of Kopach and gave her a subpoena and took her to a room in the Metro police department. Soon two people came in. one of them was in police uniform. He said that he was an officer of criminal police. The other was dressed in civil and he did not identify himself. He was asking questions about Zubr, about its structure, about Nikita Sasim and about places where printed production is printed and stored. He said that Alena will be expelled from university if she would not answer the questions.

After young lady refused to speak, she was released. But that man said that they would meet again.

In the evening of 8 November the member of Zubr Uladzislau Barodka and the member of United Civil Party Dzianis Zalutski were detained by the police with Major Savitski Ruslan Uladzimiravich. The youngsters were distributing the newspaper “16” devoted to the action of solidarity with the missing politicians. At the police station the police confiscated from them 400 copies of the edition, stickers, devoted to the solidarity day and badges with the inscription “I Love Belarus”. Later the police also detained Iauhien Suvorau, who photographed through the window the events that took place at the police station.

Barys Bukhiel, lawyer of Mahiliou branch of HRC Viasna, represented the interests of the detainees, as a result of which the police returned to them the stickers and badges. After composition of the confiscation report the detainees were let go.

On 2 November 2005 by its verdict Minsk Maskouski District Court informed Mikita Sasim, coordinator of Zubr movement, about the refusal to bring a civil case concerning the beating and tortures of protestors.

We should remind that Mikita Sasim complained to the court concerning the actions of the riot police of the Main Board of Internal Affairs of Minsk City Executive Committee connected to the dispersal of the protest action of 16 September, dedicated to the anniversary of the disappearance of the vice-speaker Viktar Hanchar and the businessman Anatol Krasouski. During the forced dispersal of the action M. Sasim was beaten by the riot police. As a result of the beating he had to apply for medical treatment to the hospital where cranial trauma and brain concussion were diagnosed.

In his complaint M. Sasim asked to consider the police actions lawless and violating his rights. According to Judge T. Vnukievich the refusal to bring the case was that M. Sasim didn’t abide by the order of complaining against such actions.

Valiantsin Stefanovich, lawyer of HRC Viasna, thusly commented on this situation:

-- We consider the court ruling illegal because the present legislation, Article #6 of the law of the Republic of Belarus “On police” guarantees the right of citizens to complain to the supreme official and to the court against the actions of the police that he/she considers lawless. That’s why Mikita Sasim had the right to apply to the court directly, without the obligatory pre-court complaining. This ruling has been just appealed to the College Board on civil cases of Minsk City Court. We ask to set the ruling aside and direct the case to the court of the first instance. In general, these actions witness the reluctance of the authorities to investigate such cases, cases of tortures. It has already become a trend here. Minsk Tsentralny Borough Board of Internal Affairs also refused to bring a criminal case on the fact of the beating of Sviatlana Zavadskaia, wife of the missing cameraman of ORT Dzmigtry Zavadski, by the riot police. The criminal case on the beating of the chair of United Civil Party Anatol Liabiedzka wasn’t brought either. Actually, all complaints to procurator’s office concerning such cases end with refusals to bring criminal cases on the cases of tortures. The procurator’s office either doesn’t find any evidence or answers the police acted strictly within the limits of their official powers.
Click HERE to visit the ZUBR site.

CENSORSHIP GETS HARDER IN BELARUS

From Charter ‘97

The above banner that call Belarus to take part in Day of solidarity were removed today from leading Belarusian Internet-portal TUT.by. The banners were also removed from pages cards.tut.by, love.tut.by and forums.tut.by. Several other Belarusian Internet pages also refused to support the action. It is unknown for now weather is it connected with pressure of authorities or with self-censorship. Let us hope that owners of this pages will at least light candles in their windows.

Representatives of the civil society of Belarus proposed holding the Day of Solidarity with political prisoners, disappeared oppositionists, their families, and independent journalists, with all who fight for freedom and democracy in Belarus, on the 16th day of every month. The first Day of Solidarity took place in October. More than 100,000 people have taken part in the action on October 16. On November 16, 2005 at 8 p.m. the Belarusians are to switch off the light in their apartments again, and to light candles of Freedom in their windows for 15 minutes.

Banners that call Belarus to take part in Day of solidarity were removed today from leading Belarusian Internet-portal TUT.by. The banners were also removed from pages cards.tut.by, love.tut.by and forums.tut.by. Several other Belarusian Internet pages also refused to support the action. It is unknown for now weather is it connected with pressure of authorities or with self-censorship. Let us hope that owners of this pages will at least light candles in their windows.

Representatives of the civil society of Belarus proposed holding the Day of Solidarity with political prisoners, disappeared oppositionists, their families, and independent journalists, with all who fight for freedom and democracy in Belarus, on the 16th day of every month. The first Day of Solidarity took place in October. More than 100,000 people have taken part in the action on October 16. On November 16, 2005 at 8 p.m. the Belarusians are to switch off the light in their apartments again, and to light candles of Freedom in their windows for 15 minutes.

Sport

VLADIMIR SAMSONOV OF BELARUS WINS GERMAN OPEN

Belta

Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus

Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus scored straight six victories at the German Open in Magdeburg, BelTA was told in the ministry of sport and tourism. At the start of the tournament the Belarusian ousted Zoltan Varga of Hungary and then Jun Mizutani of Japan with the same score 4:0. Samsonov’s victories over Lee Yung woo of Korea (4:2) and in the next round over Yun Cheung from Hong Kong (4:1) saw him progress into the semis.

In the semifinal the Belarusian was superb playing against Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth of Germany. The finals saw Vladimir Samsonov against the young Ma Long from China with the Belarusian clutching the champion’s title. We remind that a week ago Vladimir Samsonov came in a winner at Eurosib Russia Open in St. Petersburg.

Another Belarusian Evgeniy Schetinin lost a first-round match in Magdeburg to Poland’s Lucjan Blaszczyk. In the ladies’ event Victoria Pavlovich lost in the quarterfinals to Tamara Baros of Croatia. The Pavlovich sisters – Victoria and Veronika lost the doubles quarterfinals to the duo from Hong Kong who eventually won the doubles event in Magdeburg.

BELARUSIAN ICE HOCKEY TEAM COMES SECOND IN NORWAY

Belarus loses in the finals to Norway

The Belarusian ice hockey team took second place at the second stage of the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge tournament in Norway.

The team of Belarus lost against Norway 0:4 during the final game of the tournament. Manager of the Belarusians Svyatoslav Kiselev told BelTA that the Norwegians scored just 29 seconds into the first period and dominated throughout the game.

As a result the team of Norway scored 4 points in two matches (beating the Danish team 2:1) to win the home stage of the Euro Challenge. The Belarusian ice hockey team won against Denmark 4:1, gained 2 points to come second in the final standing.

The next stage of the tournament will take place in Minsk in February 2006.


BELARUSIANS MEDAL AT WORLD SAMBO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Belta

Sambo: Not a sport for the weak at heart

The Belarusians have scored seven medals, including gold at the world sambo championships in Almaty (Kazakhstan), BelTA has been told in the ministry of sport and tourism. The gold was claimed by Tatiana Moskvina in the weight category 48kg. Yulia Borisik (80kh category) picked up silver. Bronze medals went to Maria Kuznetsova (64kg), Tatiana Solodkina (72kg) and Andrei Kurlypo (52kg), Dmitriy Bazylev (62kg) and Leonid Svirid (over 100kg).