Officers of the local KGB department searched an apartment of member of the Belarusian Association of Belarus Syargei Padsasonny in Gomel on 12 January.

Katsyaryna Salauyova, member of the Young Front from Polatsk, accused of drawing political graffiti on the building of the Polatsk city executive committee two months ago, was sentenced to fined of 30 basic units.

41 persons were detained during and after entrepreneurs' action in Minsk and other cities.

The leader of entrepreneurs Viktar Harbachou has been released from the building of the court. “He is acquitted for absence of crime in the act,” told the activist of entrepreneurs’ movement Mikhail Vasilyeu the verdict of Barysau regional court to Charter’97 press-center.

The leader of the campaign “For free development of entrepreneurship” Viktar Harbachou is kept in Barysau police department.
As Svaboda is informed by the wife of the detained Svyatlana, they were on their way from Krupki to Barusau in a train.

A district judge in Mahilyow on December 20 sentenced Artur Finkevich, a leader of a youth opposition group called Malady Front, to 18 months in a minimum security correctional institution.

A criminal case (article 341) against 23-year-old Alyaksei Sarnou on fact of drawing graffiti on walls was brought in Grodna.
As Radio Svaboda reports, the guy was detained at 2 a.m. on Gorky Street. Paintcans were found during the search in his bag. Sarnou spent 10 hours in the Leninski District Internal Affairs, after that he was guarded to the October District Internal Affairs Department. He was explained that similar inscriptions written also in red were found out in the October District.
The detained was set free after 12 hours. He was handed a decree that he was a suspected in the case. Alyaksei Sarnou works as a circuit installer.

Two opposition youths were detained briefly for passing out leaflets protesting the abolition of state benefits in Brest on December 16.
Svyatlana Novik and Yawheniya Kohut were handing out the fliers on Astronauts Boulevard near Brest State University at the center of the city when several plainclothesmen approached them and ordered the girls to follow them to a police station, an opposition activist who asked not to be named told.

According to radio Racia the trial over youth activist Artur Finkevich will start on the 20th of December in Mogilev City Court at 10.30.
We should remind that on the 20th of November documents on his case were transferred to the court.
Finkevich is accused under article 415 of Belarusian Criminal Code. He is considered to be a malicious violator of the security regime.
On the 10th of May 2006 he was sentenced to two years of restraint of liberty under article 339 part 2. (malicious hooliganism).

If it wasn’t for the second criminal case, Artur Finkevich would return from the corrective labour facility on December 9. but more than a month ago a new criminal action was brought up against the activist for violation of the regime of serving the punishment.
Yesterday a public committee of solidarity with the political prisoner gathered in the Belarusian Popular Front head office. The main issue on the agenda is an action of solidarity with Artur Finkevich. A trial over Artur Finkevich could take place in the near future, Radio Svaboda informs.

Viktar Ivashkevich, deputy head of the Belarusian Popular Front, and detained leaders of entrepreneurs Viktar Garbachou, Viktar Kryval, Viktar Kalei, Alyaksandr Tsetsura, Alyaksandr Makaeu, democratic activists Barys Garetski, Krystina Shatikova and Alyaksei Kashkarou were detained till the trial, which is to be held on 11 December.

Alyaksandr Makayew, an organizer of sole entrepreneurs’ December 10 unauthorized protest, was grabbed by police and brought to the Maskowski district police department on Monday afternoon, his second arrest in one day.

A meeting between the US president and the delegation of the Belarusian opposition took place on 6 December. The talks with George Bush lasted for an hour Instead of 40 scheduled minutes. “Taking into consideration the significance of the meeting and time limit, it was difficult to choose topics of top priority. But the president starts up a discussion, he asked concrete questions, and demonstrated his good familiarity with the Belarusian situation. He said: imagine you are Bush and what you can do for Belarus,” Alyaksandr Milinkevich, head of the Belarusian delegate, leader of the “For Freedom” movement, said.

One of the arrested entrepreneurs was released.
One of the arrested entrepreneurs Ales Taustik who was sentenced to 7 days of administrative arrest for spreading leaflets devoted to planed strike of entrepreneurs which is to be held on the 10th of December was released.
On the 28th of November Ales Taustik and Ruslan Luzenko were detained in shopping center “Padzemnui Gorad”. They were spreading leaflets devoted to entrepreneurs’ action of protest. The next day he was sentenced to 7 days of administrative arrest and Ruslan Luzenko – to 10 days by Zavodskoi district court.

Ales Zarembuk was called to local Mastu milicia station to give explanations about citizens’ meeting with Alexander Milinkevich on the 4th of November.
On the 2nd of December captain Danilchich visited mother of the activist of movement “Za Svabodu” Ales Zarembuk.
We should remind that on the 4th of November Milinkevich was detained during his meeting with the citizens of Mastu for holding an unauthorized meeting. He was asked to write an explanation and after it was released.

The administration of Polatsk State University decided to expel Katerina Salaueva from the University. The majority of disciplinary committee, which members are the head of the university and all his deputies, decided that Katerina Salaueva who is the activist of Maladoi Front, should not continue her education.

Lawyers from Belarusian Helsinki Committee have sent an appeal to the Constitutional Court. They remind that the right for free education is guaranteed by the Constitution.

A lawyer from BHC Aleh Hulak informed ERB about human rights defenders’ viewpoint: “It is necessary to stick to the Constitution. If the state thinks that it cannot guarantee free education, the Constitution should be changed. Or they should change the legislation and find ways of providing really free education”.

The activist of movement “For Freedom” Pavel Batuev was called to the prosecutor’s office as a witness. Investigator Dmitriy Deshuk is interested in events of the 7th of November in Soligorsk.
In prosecutor’s office explained, that actions of young people fall under article 363 of Belarusian Criminal Code

The presentation of a new album of famous group Neuro Dubel, which was to be held in Minsk club “Fortuna” today, was banned. As group’s leader Aleksandr Kullinkovich said to Charter’97 press center, “there was a call from Partizanski District Executive Committee, and then people from KGB came to the club”.

Vitsebsk Social Democrats have submitted an application for holding a picket on November 25, on Alyaksandr Kazulin’s birthday in the settlement of Vitsba.

The applicant for the picket, Alyaksandr Mikulin, a member of Vitsebsk regional branch of the Belarusian Social Democratic party, says the aim of the action is to express protest against politically motivated Alyaksandr Kazulin’s sentence for 5.5 years of imprisonment. Alyaksandr Kazulin is a former candidate for presidency.

Young activists Andrei Kim, Tatsyana Lashkarova, Andrei Shalin and Valyantsin Sakalouski were arrested on October 21 for celebrating Halloween in Minsk. The young people were charged with “public moral” offense.

After Andrei Kim was passed a sentence, a 7 days arrest, he announced a hunger strike together with his friend Valyantsin Sakalouski who had been sentenced to 10 days of arrest. Yesterday Kim and Shalin were released. The young activist Andrei Kim told the Charter’97 press-center how the young people were detained during the innocent masquerade, and about the conditions of detention in the remand prison in Akrestsin Street.

Political prisoner Andrei Klimau in Mozyr colony is in the critical situation. In this connection, the appeals have been sent to the embassies of all the EU countries and the USA, and also to Uladzimer Kouchur, the head of the Penalty Executions Department.

A trial over political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich was surprisingly quick. Judge Kashkina found Zmitser guilty of violation of the article 402 of the Criminal Code, and fined him 60 basic units (1 million 869 thousand rubles). Representatives of the OSCE mission were allowed to be present at the proceedings. Previously they sent a letter to Interior Minister Navumau and asked him to attend the trial. But even Dashkevich’s father, who had arrived to Shklou from Staryja Darogi, has been denied a permission to attend the hearings.

The reason for rescheduling is that according to the law, the trial is to begin after 5 days a defendant receives a document informing about place and date of a trial. He received it 3 days before. His lawyer claimed that he would procure the open session.

Journalist Ivan Roman was called to the prosecutor’s office to give explanations about his professional activities.
Deputy prosecutor of Leninskiy District Alexander Abramovich showed him the listings of his phone talks on the basis of which they decided that he was a correspondent of Radio Racia. But the journalist refused to give any explanations referring to the corresponding article of Belarusian Constitution.
Previously he got a warning for working for foreign radio station without accreditation.