BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/07/2007

Belarusian police detain about 20 participants in unsanctioned opposition rally

The Associated Press

MINSK, Belarus: Belarusian police detained about 20 opposition activists who were trying to stage an unsanctioned rally Friday.

Police cordons encircled the main square in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, preventing the opposition from gathering there, and authorities also prevented opposition activists from trying to assemble in a nearby park.

Officers rounded up Anatoly Lebedko, the head of the United Civic Party, and several other opposition leaders.

"Repression can't stop the Belarusians' striving for freedom," Viktor Ivashkevich, one of the leaders of the Belarusian Popular Front who also was among the detained, told The Associated Press.

Another nine opposition activists had been detained earlier this week.

Police refused to comment on the detentions.

Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, quashing dissent, closing down opposition media and cracking down on private business. The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on him and on top members of his government.

The 2004 referendum scrapped presidential term limits and gave Lukashenko the go-ahead to seek a third term in 2006 and prompted days of protests by opposition parties and youth activists. Lukashenko's win in last year's presidential election was widely criticized by opposition groups and Western observers as flawed.

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/27/europe/EU-GEN-Belarus-Opposition.php