BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

21/08/2006

Belarus Neo-Nazis Pressure Opposition

UCSJ NOTE: The following two reports document the latest in a long series of incidents in which neo-Nazis in Belarus have attacked or harassed opposition groups. Earlier reports of such attacks, which opposition groups charge happen with the consent of the Belarusian government, can be found here.

1. Fake Bomb Is Found at the Opposition Office in Minsk

A fake bomb was found at the office of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), an opposition party. A device was taped to the door. Police and combat engineers were summoned and discovered the item was a fake factory-made bomb. The fake bomb was marked with the logo of Russian National Unity (RNU).

According to Vintsuk Vyachorka, the BPF leader, a dark green container with a swastika sign and a RNU logo was attached to the door. Earlier similar images were painted on the doors of the party's office.

Minsk police department informed that a criminal case was opened.// Radio Svaboda

[Trans. Ed.] Source: Gazeta.Ru; August 16, 2006; http://www.gazeta.ru/

3. Vitsiebski Kurjer M Is Threatened by the RNU

On August 10, independent newspaper Vitsiebski Kurjer M received a threatening letter. The letter was sent by the Russian National Unity organization.

"Your newspaper is financed by American and German enemies of Russia. It breaks the unity of Slavonic nations", -- the letter stated. Its authors demanded that the editorial staff change the newspaper's news policy and "stopped publishing articles that discredit the present Belarusian authorities and A. Lukashenka who is struggling to make Slavonic nations superior in comparison with Jews and all kinds of liberals who are trying to enslave the Russian people".

If the threat isn't heeded, the RNU said it was going "to use all its contacts" in order to close the publication down as soon as possible.

The letter also contained a picture of a military man with a falcon on his uniform holding a hanged man in one hand and a sword in the other. The hanged man had the Star of David painted on his breast and dollars in his pockets. The inscription below the picture said "Let us make Russia clean!"

The editor-in-chief Uladzimir Baran claimed that the newspaper was going to file suit against the authors of the letter.

On July 18, journalists working for the Intex-Press newspaper (Baranavichy) found leaflets containing threats and two signs were posted with the inscription "CIA's Nest" on the door of the newspaper's office. Police were unable to find those were responsible for it. A month ago the head of the Vitsiebsk affiliate of the UDP received similar threats from the RNU.

Source:

http://www.fsumonitor.com/stories/082106Belarus.shtml