US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to RFE/RL staff in Prague and answered a number of questions during her visit to the Czech Republic.

5 Salihorsk opposition activists were called from police and asked to explain where they were on July 4 in the night and whether any of them visited Minsk.
“On Monday at about midnight a senior lieutenant of Salihorsk police Salavej called me, my brother Illya, Khrystsina Samojlava, Ryhor Astapenya and Alyaksei Valabueu. He instisted us to come to the police department on Tuesday and give written explanations about our whereabouts on July 3 and 4, and whether any of us visited Minsk,” “Nasha Niva” was told by Ivan Shyla.

A search is being held in the apartment of one of the leaders of the World Association of Belarusians "Batskaushchyna" (or "Fatherland") Nina Shydlouskaya.

The Tsentralny district court of Minsk found activist of the “European Belarus” civil campaign Palina Kuryanovich guilty with “hooliganism”. Militia detained her because she had a EU flag in her bag.

An activist of the Social Democratic party from Barysau Alesya Yasiuk has stated to “Radio Svaboda” about tortures by Minsk police.
Alesya Yasiuk has told that the day before she was detained in Bahdanovich Street in Minsk. Policemen of Tsentralny police department found a few stickers with the word “Boycott” in her bag.

Rastislau Pankratau, Young Front member, first-year student of Mahilou University named after A. Kulyashou, was invited to the dean’s office, where he was informed about his expulsion.
“I felt pressure on me in autumn 2007, when KGB officers began to invite me to talks. They began press on me through the dean since this April. I was repeatedly offered to leave university on my own will, but I refused. An interesting fact, I passed my exams well, without problems, but at the summer exams sitting I wasn’t allowed to the first exam and received bad grades for the rest two exams. The dean said on 7 July I would be expelled from university for academic failure,” Rastislau told in an interview to Bulletinonline.

Paval Yukhnevich, activist of the “European Belarus” civil campaign, is serving his 7-day arrest in the jail on Akrestin Street in Minsk since today.
The Pershamaiski district court sentenced Paval Yukhnevich in absentia to 7-day of arrest for participation in an official demonstration of trade unions on 1 May. After the court decision was delivered, a district militia officer visited Yukhnevich’s apartment several times. The youth activist decided to come to the Pershamaiski district court on his own will in order he wouldn’t be caught by riot militia in the street, as it happened with “European Belarus” activist Yauhen Afnahel. (The youth leader was arrested for 17 days. Judge Tatsyana Paulyuchuk added 10 day of arrest for allegedly “using of foul language” to 7 days of arrest for participation in the action on May. Traditionally, riot militiamen were witnesses at the trial).

Activist of the youth organisation “Civil Forum” Artsyom Zabaryn was taken to the Minsk mental hospital for examination after he had refused to answer questions of the KGB offices.
As Artsyom Zabaryn told to “Narodnaya Volya” , he as called to a military enlistment office to have a test there, but he was met by KGB officers in the office. “During the “test” officers asked him about my trip to Georgia, about organisations I belong to, about Kalinouski education programme... They suggested to answer their questions, in return they promised to say a commissar I didn’t study in Belarus, and so I wouldn’t be drafted,” Artsyom Zabaryn says.

Activist of the youth democratic movement Katsyaryna Manchuk thinks the reason of her expulsion from Mazyr State University was political activity.
The girl was called to talks in the dean’s office and was asked to stop her public activity. But the administration of the university insists the girl had been expelled due to her bad results at the examination period, Radio Svaboda reports.
Katsyaryna Manchuk is a third-year student of the Technological Faculty of Mazyr State University. She said she had problems with credits and then faced difficulties when having the exams at summer examination period.

The Minsk local authorities forbade holding of pickets of solidarity with political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin, former presidential candidate.
As BelaPAN learnt from Syarhei Martselau, an applicant for picket, member of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), the official letter of the Minsk city executive committee doesn’t explain the reasons for a ban. “The answer just says a picket is not permitted. It’s not said there why it is forbidden,” S. Martselau told.

The situation with freedom of mass media in Belarus is getting worse. Andrew McIntosh, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur on media freedom, told in an interview to BelaPAN. The Belarusian authorities may abandon all hopes for acceptation in the Council of Europe.
“We are concerned about the situation with media freedom in Belarus, the only European country that is not a member of the Council of Europe,” PACE rapporteur noted. According to him, a topic of media in Belarus is often put on agenda of the subcommittee of the Parliamentary Assembly.

Mikhal Pashkevich, one of the leaders of the “Young Democrats”, youth organisation of the United Civil Party is sentenced to 7 days of arrest by the Tsentralny district court of Minsk.
The UCP activist was detained on 28 June near the Minsk railway station, when he was going to meet with his friend. Militia officers traditionally accused him of “using foul language in public”. The activist was detained after the UCP political council had chosen him as an observer in the Central Election Commission.

An explosion occurred in Minsk during the official Independence Day celebration. Allegedly a self-made explosive device with screws and bolts exploded. About 50 people were hospitalized after the incident near the stela in Victor’s Avenue according to reports from the ambulance service to the Charter’97 press-centre.
The injured with different traumas were taken to different hospitals of Minsk in period between 0.30 to 4.00 a.m. Majority of them have arms and legs wounded. Police officers stay in all the hospitals that have accepted the wounded. The health Ministry confirms the information about 50 injured who had been hospitalized.

An activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Raisa Kuprushyna was detained by police in Zhodzina when she collected signatures for Belarus’ joining the European Union.
A report has been drawn up against the activist for dissemination of informational materials. Leaflets with information about the European Union have been seized. In a two hours Kuprushyna was released.

For the fourth time the Jewish community of Mahilyou has addressed the city authorities with a request to construct a monument in the place of mass extermination of Holocaust victims.
As the representatives of the community said, a corresponding letter had been sent to the toponymic commission of Mahilyou city executive committee on June 30. It is noted there that October 2008 is the 65th anniversary of Minks Ghetto extermination, BelaPAN writes. It was one of the largest ghettos in Europe.

Artsyom Lastavetski, Young Front activist from Baranavichy, who is serving 7-day arrest for handing out portraits of political prisoner Andrei Kim, was guarded to another trial from a detention center.
The court fined the Young Front activist of 40 basic unites, the young man also must compensate for damage to houses and administrative buildings. Artsyom Lastavetski was returned to the detention center after the trial, he is to be set free on 1 July, press service of the Young Front reports.

3 activists of the civil campaign “European Belarus”, Alyaksandra Katok, Alyaksandr Kireeu and Marta Pyatrouskaya, were detained in Hrodna on June 28.
The young people were collecting signatures in support of Belarus’ joining the EU in one of the central streets of the city, not far from the city park of Emanuil Zhyliber, where a rock-festival “Boomerang” is held, BelaPAN informs.
Policemen detained activists at about 3.40 p.m. Soon after detention M. Pyatrouskaya was released, and others were taken to the police department of Leninski district of Hrodna. In a few hours they were released without a report being drawn up. The collected signatures were seized by policemen.

Belarusian activists who had been expelled from Belarusian universities on political reasons and who are studying in foreign universities now, are stopped on the border and told that they are prohibited to leave Belarus.
Names of the students are put on the so-called “black lists”. In this way military enlistment offices are trying to send unwanted oppositionists to the army service.

The Maskouski district court of Minsk dismissed a complaint of Svyatlana Zavadskaya against unjust acts of Mikhail Titsyankou, deputy head of the Minsk city executive committee, who banned holding a picket on 7 May, at the anniversary of disappearance of former minister of internal affaires of Belarus Yury Zakharanka.

The Ministry of Culture denied a suggestion on granting the national white-red-white flag the status of a historical and cultural object due to “insufficient arguments and documental validity”.
As BelaPAN has learnt from Anton Astapovich, head of the Belarusian Voluntary Association of History and Culture Monuments Protection, on 18 June the office received an extract from minutes of the session of the Belarusian Republican Scientific Methodical Council on Cultural and Historical Heritage at the Ministry of Culture of 21 May signed by deputy head Uladzimir Hrydzyushka.

Today law-enforcing agencies detained an Orthodox priest Leanid Akalovich. They acted under a decision of the police department of Staryja Darohi about a compulsory process.
The priest was taken to the court of Staryja Darohi. Judge Syarhei Epikhau sentenced him to a fine of 30 basic units (more than 1,000,050 Br). The priest was found guilty of participation in an unsanctioned meeting only for consecrating a cross raised in memory of 25 dwellers assassinated by partisans on April 15, 1943.

Justice Ministry of Belarus denied registration to the human rights and educational association “For Freedom” movement.
As Radio Svaboda was told by the deputy chairman of the organisation Yuras Hubarevich, the Justice Ministry had analyzed a number of statements in mass media of the leader of the movement Alyaksandr Milinkevich and some other representatives of the movement. As a result, the ministry has come to a conclusion that the movement’s main activity won’t be a community involvement, but its activities would have a political nature.

Valyantsin Shuklin, judge of the Constitutional Court, in practice confirmed that in Belarus there is a list of persons who cannot leave the country for political reasons.
Commenting on the situation with persons banned to leave the country, the representative of Themis said to the European Radio for Belarus: “even if a person is an accused, in a criminal case, he or she cannot be left in the list of persons restricted to travel abroad for more than a year. A person cannot be a suspect for a year, two or three years. A question should be solved, whether to bring a charge against him, when one is accountable for something, or not”.

The Draft Law on Media allows for registration of Internet resources, moreover, Belarusian Internet will be regulated not by laws, but by regulations of the Council of Ministers. At present, there are practically no independent printed editions in Belarus. Radio and TV are controlled by the authorities. The Internet has been the only source of alternative information. The law passed by vote of 93-1 in the “parliament”.

A book about the political prisoner Syarhei Parsyukevich has been published in Vitsebsk. It has been prepared by the Committee “For Freedom of Syarhei Parsyukevich”

The book has been compiled from materials of independent media that covered the story of the chairman of the Council of entrepreneurs of Smalenski market in Vitsebsk, an activist of “For Freedom” movement. This book will be received by market vendors, but also by representatives of authority bodies, the website milinkevich.org emphasizes.