16 June SOLIDARITY WITH BELARUS

Events in Kyiv:

Press Conference  16 June 2006 : 13.00

Launching of a worldwide campaign “FOR THE FREEDOM OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BELARUS”

19.00  Street Performance / Demonstration “The Most Humane Court in the World” outside the Belarusian Embassy (Kotsyubynsky Street, 3)

Since October 2005, on the sixteenth day of every month in Belarus and in many other countries, protest actions have been held to draw attention to the serious violations of human rights and civil liberties in Belarus. 

On this day also, at 8 p.m. people light candles in their windows in remembrance of those who have disappeared under Lukashenko’s regime.

On 16 June 2006 in Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, France, Finland, Russia, Germany, the USA and Canada, human rights and civic activists will launch a campaign against the unjust charges being laid against political prisoners whose trials are due in the near future.

These political prisoners include ex-presidential candidate, Aleksandr Kozulin, members of the civic organization “Partnerstvo” – Mykhail Astreiko, Enira Bronytska, Aleksandr Shalaiko, Timofei Dranchuk, as well as the businessman Mikhail Avtukhevich.

The participants in the press conference which begins at 13.00 on 16 June will talk about the repressions which are touching all parts of Belarusian society, and about the actions which are planned within the framework of the campaign throughout the world to increase international pressure.

The participants will call for the issue of Belarusian political prisoners to be raised during the summit of the G8 countries meeting next month in St. Petersburg.

They will also invite the Ukrainian government to take firm measures towards supporting the campaign “For the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Belarus”.

Participants in the press conference

From Ukraine:

Volodymyr Chemerys, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union

Halyna Bocheva, Amnesty International in Ukraine

Oleksandr Demchenko, the Initiative “Solidarnist”

From Belarus:

Yulia Kozulina, daughter of ex-presidential candidate and political prisoner, Aleksandr Kozulin

Yury Khashchevatsky, dissident and film director

Valery Levonevsky, dissident, leader of the movement of Belarusian businesspeople

The press conference will also be show a video account from Polina Astreiko, wife of one of those facing trial.