Solidarity Day today: Struggle of Belarusians for freedom goes on

• 16.11.2009, 9:17

Street actions of solidarity with families of the kidnapped and repressed opposition activists will be held in Belarus and abroad on November 16. The Belarusians will come to October square in Minsk at 6 p.m.

Prisoners of conscience are kept in Belarusian jails. These are businessmen Mikalai Autukhovich and Yury Lyavonau arrested in February 2009 and “Young Front” activist Artsyom Dubski.

Political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich was persecuted earlier for his active struggle for the rights of businessmen. Human rights activists think accusations against him are unproved. It is planned that he will stand a closed trial. In protest, Autukhovich had a 90-day hungry strike in prison that ruined his health.

“Young Front” activist Artsyom Dubski was sentenced to a year in minimum security penal colony for violation of the rules of serving punishment in the notorious Case of 14, when 14 youth activists were sentenced to restriction of liberty for their participation in protests rallies of entrepreneurs.

The cases relating disappearances of oppositionists Viktar Hanchar, Yury Zakharanka and Anatol Krasouski and journalist Zmitser Zavadski in 1999-2000 are not investigated in Belarus still. The world community suspects high-ranking Belarusian officials close to Alyaksandr Lukashenka in kidnapping and murders of Belarusian opposition leaders.

On the eve of Solidarity Day opposition leaders called upon people of Belarus to gather on October square at 6 p.m. on November 16. .