Belarus—the Struggle for Freedom of Expression In cooperation with the Office for a Democratic Belarus, the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted (Hamburger Stiftung für politisch Verfolgte) and the Hanse-office in Brussels organized an evening discussion on the difficult media situation and problems with freedom of expression in Belarus. The event, scheduled on the next day after a large-scale demonstration in Minsk that was br... Болей »
Belarus Says Last “Good-Bye” to Iryna Kazulina In September 2007, Iryna Kazulina was one of the organizers of an international conference on breast cancer. She wrote a book about her struggle with the disease but did not manage to complete it. “The fact of illness is not a reason for selfisolation, to speak of accepting any sacrifice from my relatives,” she said. “I believe that life should go on and the illness is not a good reason to ... Болей »
The Office for a Democratic Belarus expresses its support for the campaign initiated in the European Parliament and aimed at reducing the costs of Schengen visas for the Belarusian citizens. Belarus remains the only country of the EU Eastern neighbourhood whose citizens have to pay €60 for a single-entry Schengen visa, which amounts to almost one third of the average monthly salary in the country. Lowering costs of the visa and easing t... Болей »
PACE: Pourgourides Line vs. Rigoni Line towards Belarus Active discussions on Belarus at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) stopped in 2004, following release of the well-known Pourgourides Report and, consequently, adoption of the Resolution on Disappeared Persons, as well as the Resolution on Persecution of the Press in the Republic of Belarus. In the course of 2004-2005, PACE continuously made statements conde... Болей »
Schengen Zone Expansion: Consequences for Belarus By Dzyanis Melyantsou for the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies Europe's Schengen arrangement, which allows people to cross borders without having their passports checked, expanded on December 21, 2007 to nine new members of the European Union – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Three of these countries share borders w... Болей »
US President Bush Receives Belarusian Opposition Leaders US President George W. Bush received a delegation of Belarusian opposition politicians in Washington on December 6, the White House’s press office reported. The delegation, which arrived in the USA on December 2 and left on December 8, included Alyaksandr Milinkevich, a former presidential candidate; Anatol Lyabedzka, chairman of the United Civic Party; Syarhey Kalyakin, leader of... Болей »
Belarus Before and After Chernobyl Explosion. Radioecological, Demographic and Medical Aspects Excerpts from article by Prof. Yury Bandazheusky Radio-Ecological Situation in Belarus before the Chernobyl Explosion Today, after more than 20 years after explosion at the Chernobyl power plant, people continue to experience the consequences of this accident. Many questions that came with this tragedy remain unanswered. Above all is the quest... Болей »
EU Diplomats Call on Belarus to Release Political Prisoners The Slovak Embassy in Minsk has issued a statement calling on the Belarusian authorities to end their "repressive practices" against civil society, respect the human rights of Belarusians, and release all political prisoners. Slovakia acts on behalf of the EU presidency, currently held by Portugal, in Minsk, where Portugal does not have diplomatic representation. The Slovak Emb... Болей »
Documentary on Forced Disappearances, Screening in Brussels On October 24, the Office for a Democratic Belarus and the Hanse office in Brussels organized screening of the documentary “The Wild Hunt”-- a film by the Russian journalist Pavel Sheremet, which tells the story of forced disappearances in Belarus. The movie screening was followed by a discussion on the cases of politically motivated kidnappings of the former Minister of Interi... Болей »
Belarus Represented at the NATO PA Annual Session On October 5-9, Director of the Office for a Democratic Belarus (Brussels), Olga Stuzhinskaya, participated as observer in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Annual session in Reykjavik, Iceland. About 350 legislators from NATO member, partner and observer countries, including delegations from Afghanistan, Algeria, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan, met to discuss major security issues... Болей »