· March, 2006

Stories about Belarus from March, 2006

Belarus: Ignore What Seems Like a New “Gas War”

  31 March 2006

VW at TOL's Belarus Blog advises on how to react to what seems like the beginning of a new “gas war,” this time between Russia and Belarus: “Simply pay no attention. Think about those who suffered these weeks.”

Belarus: Lukashenko's Disappearance and Other News

  31 March 2006

Andrei Khrapavitski, br23 blog and TOL's Belarus Blog write about reports of the first March 25 casualty, Milinkevich's visit to Poland, Polish ex-ambassador's hospitalization – and Aleksandr Lukashenko's disappearance.

Belarus: Prison Journal

  30 March 2006

Ivan Lenin at Rush-Mush links to an English translation of a Belarusian protestor's jail journal. (Written by LJ user forion in Belarusian, translated by LJ user kapitan-tanaka.)

Belarus: Anti-TV Flash Mob

  30 March 2006

LJ user litota_ posts photos from a flash mob that took place at Oktyabrskaya Sq. in Minsk yesterday: to protest the lies of Belarusian state TV, a group of young people put scarves over their eyes and pretended to watch the news broadcast on a huge screen above.

Belarus: Ex-Ambassador Maszkiewicz Hospitalized

  30 March 2006

19. People's Blog on Presidential Election reports (RUS) that Mariusz Maszkiewicz, former Polish ambassador to Belarus, has been moved from prison to a hospital, possibly for emergency treatment of a heart attack. Maszkiewicz was jailed for his participation in the March 25 protest rally in Minsk and subjected to harsh...

Belarus: Lukashenko's Missing

  30 March 2006

Andrei Khrapavitski translates an entry by LJ user wolny on the mysterious public absense of the Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Czech Republic: Havel Denied Entry Into Belarus Embassy

  29 March 2006

br23 blog reports on how Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, was denied entry by the Belarus Embassy in Prague when he wanted to deliver a letter of protest. The incident reminded him of 1979, when Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter were protesting his own imprisonment, but were...

Belarus: Letter From Female Prisoners

  28 March 2006

LJ user kapitan_tanaka translates a letter written by Valyantsina Palyavikova and Larysa Bukholenka, two female prisoners who were jailed for their participation in the post-election protest in Minsk.

Belarus: Election Fraud Video

  28 March 2006

German-language Media-Ocean switches into English to write about a short video from a polling station in Belarus, which conveys repressive atmosphere during the count and shows how one observer, despite being barred from the table with stacks of bulletins on it, catches a violation that could've benefited Aleksandr Lukashenko, the...

Belarus: Wishful Thinking aka ‘Foreign Policy Simulation’

  24 March 2006

A Fistful of Euros reports on a weird blog called Belarus Today: A News Service Dedicated to Belarus and the Belarusian People. It covers such an unlikely event as Lukashenko's assassination – and its pretty violent aftermath. There's a disclaimer at the bottom of the page, however, which reads: “This...

Belarus: Arrests, Courts and Anti-Media Flash Mob

  24 March 2006

French journalist writing for Liberation has just been arrested in Minsk; actually so many people have been arrested that, unprecedentally, Minsk courts will be working on Saturday, reports br23 blog. Andrei Khrapavitski posts a picture from today's flash mob event that took place in Minsk to criticize the performance of...

Belarus: Post-Crackdown Belarus

  24 March 2006

Ivan Lenin – formerly of Minsk, now of New York – translates a post by LJ user lipski, a Minsk resident, on who benefits from the Oktyabrskaya Sq. crackdown, and shares his thoughts on the country's future: “If anything, the West should engage Belarus as much as possible. Isolation would...

Belarus: Election Observer's Observations

  24 March 2006

Through negligence, LJ user czalex, a foreign citizen once registered in Belarus (1995-96), was registered to vote in this election. He didn't vote, of course, but visited several polling stations as an observer, and noted a few violations (RUS). This photo, for example, shows how it was made impossible for...

Belarus: Tent Camp Demolished, Protesters Arrested

  24 March 2006

Riot police began their operation at 3 am Minsk time and after 15 minutes the camp was demolished and the protesters arrested. br23 blog and Rush-Mush have updates on the aftermath: the amazingly slanted coverage on the Russian-language EuroNews; Minsk residents’ approval of the regime's actions; a sample leaflet distributed...