BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

21/03/2007

Vilnius residents were among those in 60 European cities to wake up on March 19 to find that statues in their city had been "silenced"

Vilnius residents were among those in 60 European cities to wake up on March 19 to find that statues in their city had been "silenced," their mouths tied with white ribbons and banners. The pan-European action was part of a protest against the lack of freedom of speech in Belarus. Five statues in Vilnius received the treatment, which was carried out by JEF Europe, an international organization of young federalists. The organizers said the action was meant to draw attention to the fact that since last year Belarusian authorities have banned activity of non-governmental organizations, imposed restrictions on the freedom of speech and are monitoring the use of the Internet.

Source:

http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/17551/