Democratic Opposition to Belarusian Dictator
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s secret police - the KGB – burst into the home of the democratic opposition leader Uladzimir Kishkurna in mid-July. They arrested his son, claiming he was in possession of illegal drugs and ammunition. However, the real reason for the raid would appear to be a printing press.“To have a printing press, you need special permission of the Ministry of Information and Press," said [human rights activist] Bialiatski, who rushed to the Kishkurna home after hearing about the raid. "That machine was illegal in the best tradition of Soviet times."
The Printing machine was used to publish anti-Lukashenko posters, newspapers and leaflets. It was one of only 10 suspected free-presses in the country, and a vital cog in the democratic opposition movement’s attempts to enact a Belarusian ‘Orange Revolution’.
Mobile phones, satellite television, the Internet and instant messaging - all of which played a role in popular uprisings in Ukraine, Lebanon and Georgia - are too closely monitored by the government to be reliable.
If Lukashenko’s authoritarian credentials were at all in doubt; here is what he said during the 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly:
"The leaders of the destroyed Yugoslavia and Iraq were put behind bars on groundless, absurd and far–fetched accusations. This was a very opportune way to conceal the truth about annihilation of their countries."
posted by Alexander Try @ 6:10 pm
2 Comments:
anyone fancy going to minsk with me this winter???
On the subject of freedom of expression:
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/competitionnews/392/68779.html
Girl arrested for wearing "Bollocks to Blair" shirt.
Love Tom
(my accounts stopped working again)
I want to go to minsk!
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