There are four main types of getting rid of “undesirable” persons in non-democratic society: assassination, prison, mental hospital and army. Only two first types were used in Belarus in the past decades now political draft is becoming a very popular form of repression in the country. For the first time it happened after the presidential elections in 2006 when during the summer draft several activists were sent to the army. It is well-known that there were numerous facts of breaking the law during the draft, including pressure on doctors by the members of special services.

This monitoring is prepared on the basis of tracking the situations and the development of events in the country after the beginning of dialogue between EU and Belarus. In this document we mention negative and positive fact that took place in the regions of Belarus in the period from the 1st of January till the 1st of July 2009.

The trial over Maksim Dashuk, activist of youth organization European Belarus is scheduled at 2.15 p.m., June, 1st 2008, in the Maskouski district court of Minsk (Gazety Praudy 27).
Youth activist Maksim Dashuk (under age) was charged with violations of the rules of serving punishment. This is article 415 of the Criminal Code, according to which Dashuk M. can face from six months to three years in prison.

On the 12th day of Hunger Strike of Solidarity it was stopped. Belarussian politicians: Aliaksandr Milinkevich, Paval Seviarynec, Viachaslau Siuchyk and other took responsibility for the future of Mikalaj Autuhovish and persuaded young people to stop their hunger strike.

At this moment 30 people participate in the hunger strike of Solidarity with Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, and Uladzimir Asipenka.

6 members of the "Young Front" Nasta Palazhanka, Arcem Dubski, Jauhen Skrabec, Iryna Gubskaja, Mikola Dzimidzenka and Kasya Salavieva are having hunger strike in the BPF headquarters, the others – at home.
Nasta Palazhanka and Mikola Dzimidzenka who are on hunger strike from first day are quite week.

At this moment 30 people participate in the hunger strike.

6 members of the "Young Front" Nasta Palazhanka, Arcem Dubski, Jauhen Skrabec, Iryna Gubskaja, Mikola Dzimidzenka and Kasya Salavieva are having hunger strike in the BPF headquarters, the others – at home.
Today the participants of hunger strike were visited by Aleksandr Milinkevich the head of “Movement for Freedom”. In the second part of the day young people were visited by Jiří Karas, Ambassador of Czech Republic and Stefan Ericsson, Swedish Ambassador.

At this moment 29 people participate in the hunger strike.

6 members of the "Young Front" Nasta Palazhanka, Arcem Dubski, Jauhen Skrabec, Iryna Gubskaja, Mikola Dzimidzenka and Kasya Salavieva are having hunger strike in the BPF headquarters, the others – at home.
Participants of hunger strike were visited by Belarusian singer Zmicer Vaicushkevich yesterday late in the evening.
Young people think that they haven’t achieved their aims and are going to continue hunger strike.

At this moment 29 people participate in the hunger strike.

7 members of the "Young Front" Nasta Palazhanka, Arcem Dubski, Andrus Cianiuta, Jauhen Skrabec, Iryna Gubskaja, Mikola Dzimidzenka and Kasya Salavieva (joined hunger strike today) are having hunger strike in the BPF headquarters, the others – at home.
Illya Nagorny left hanger strike today.

At this moment 26 people participate in the hunger strike.

6 members of the "Young Front" Nasta Palazhanka, Arcem Dubski, Andrus Cianiuta, Jauhen Skrabec, , Iryna Gubskaja, Mikola Dzimidzenka are having hunger strike in the BPF headquarters, the others – at home.
Because of bad health state Andrus Cianiuta and Gleb Snorkin stopped hunger strike today.

At this moment 21 people participate in the hunger strike.

7 members of the "Young Front" Nasta Palazhanka, Arcem Dubski, Andrus Cianiuta, Jauhen Skrabec, Gleb Snorkin, Iryna Gubskaja, Mikola Dzimidzenka are having hunger strike in the BPF headquarters, the others – at home. In the morning in the office of BNF the water was shut down. It was impossible to get to now the reason of it and when the authorities are going to turn it on.

On May the 4th the open-ended hunger strike was started in order to protect the life of political prisoner Mikalai Autuhovich . The initiators of the hunger strike are the “Young Front” and former Belarusian political prisoners.

At this moment 20 people participate in the hunger strike.

Officers of a special task force broke up a peaceful march that a hundred young opposition activists attempted to stage in downtown Minsk on February 14 on the occasion of St. Valentine`s Day.

Opposition activists have issued one more statement protesting the use of force to recruit three young opposition activists – Ivan Shyla, Zmitser Fedaruk and Franak Vyachorka – into the army. They condemned the recruitment as an illegal act that discredits the military service and the idea that the defense of the Fatherland is the sacred duty and right of every citizen.

On the 7th of February Franak Viachorka, Ivan Shilo and Dmitriy Fedoruk took an oath in Belarusian Army. The Committee for Defence of the Repressed “Salidarnasc” wants to draw your attention to some circumstances which is matter of our concern.

After the release in August 2008 of political prisoners (Kazulin A, Parsukevich S, Kim A,) there were no any significant changes in situation with human rights in Belarus.
● Political repressions against civic activists are continuing.
After the participation in peaceful action of protest of entrepreneurs in January 2008 14 young activists were accused in organizing and participation in action which violates public order (article 342.1 of the Criminal Code (CC) of the Republic of Belarus). 10 participants of the process were sentenced to 2 years (Pashkevich M., Krivau M., Tsishkevich T., Chernushou A., Bondar A., Dubskiy A., Subach M., Vinagradau P., Straltsou A.) and to 1,5 years (Dashuk M., underaged) of the restriction of freedom.
In the beginning of October, allegedly for 3 minimum violations of the regime, criminal case was brought against A. Dubskiy under the article 415 of the CC of the Republic of Belarus (evasion of serving the sentence). And soon after that he asked for political asylum in the Ukraine.
The last participant of the “Process of 14” Aliaxander Barazenko who during the trial was studying at the University of Wroclav (Poland) voluntarily came to the investigator on the 27th of October. At the same day he was arrested and stayed in pre-trial prison till the trial. On the 9th of December he was sentenced to 1 year of the restriction of freedom.

In the interview to the agency France-Presse the President of the Republic of Belarus A.Lukashenko said: There are no political prisoners in Belarus and these people are just criminals. In this connection the Committee for Defence of the Repressed “Salidarnasc” wants to state the following: A political prisoner is described by Amnesty International as “any prisoner whose case has a significant political element: whether the motivation of the prisoner’s acts, the acts themselves, or the motivation of the authorities”.

According to the FIDH secretary general, “the authorities ignoring the opinion of people and allowing falsification of election are illegitimate”.

The International Federation of Human Rights has called upon countries of the world to refrain from extradition of convicted to Belarus. Incarceration conditions in prisons and remand prisons in the country are inhuman.

Today a disabled person, a wheelchair user Uladzimir Vusikau picketed the city executive committee in Mahilyou. He demanded to reinstate him in the queue for public welfare homes, and compensate a voucher for sanatorium-resort therapy for him.

Yana Palyakova, a well-known human rights activist and a member of the initiative group of a candidate for deputy Volha Kazulina, has been beaten up by policemen of Salihorsk police department.

August 30 is International Day of the Disappeared. Politicians Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, businessman Anatol Krasouski, and journalist Zmitser Zavadzki disappeared in Belarus under puzzling circumstances

Political prisoner Syarhei Parsyukevich has been released from Minsk colony No.1. He was released by Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s decree

Political prisoner Andrei Kim has been released from Babrujsk colony today. Like Alyaksandr Kazulin and Syarhei Parsyukevich, Kim was released by A. Lukashenka’s decree

On August 16, on the Day of Belarusian Solidarirty, the former candidate for presidency in Belarus, a political prisoner Alyakasndr Kazulin, was relsed. Alyaksandr Kazulin’s press-conference is to take place on Wednesday. The Charter’97 press-centre has been informed about that by the daughter of the politician Volha Kazulina.