Belarusian Freedom Day: violation of human rights and freedoms again

            On the 25th of March Belarusians celebrate the day of the creation of Belarusian People’s Republic (Dzien Voli) in 1918. For many years of Lukashenko’s regime Belarusians were protesting peacefully to commemorate this important day in the history. This year the social protests against the tax for unemployed occurred before Dzien Voli. Those protests were crowded and occurred mainly in the regions where the unemployment rate has been dramatically increasing. Authorities got scared that it could be a massive gathering of people in the capital, therefore it performed the preventive arrests of leaders of opposition, journalists and activists. More than 300 people were detained before March 25: police entered their homes taking away people and confiscating their belongings. Much more people were arrested on March 25. All together there have been more than 1000 people detained. People were caught on the way to the protest, pushed to the  vehicles and taken away, beaten up. 

             If the social protesters merged with political protesters, it would be hard to stop such quantity of people. And the authorities know that.

(c) Radio Svaboda

"Givi" killed, another death of well known separatist in Eastern Ukraine

             Today the commander of one of the battalion of the self-proclaimed  Donetsk People's Republic was killed. Mikhail Tolstych was known as “Givi”. This is not the first death of high rank separatists well known from Russian media. In October last year famous separatist named “Motorola” was killed. It cannot come as a surprise to the people serving to the war in Eastern Ukraine. If you are take part in the invasion to the sovereign state, you are the reason of exodus of residents from the territory and you are damaging many lives and destinies, you cannot believe that your life will end up peacefully. 

Georgian pass to EU: "We don't need no thought control"

     Georgian aspire to travel to the Schengen zone without a visa will soon come true. This week the majority of the European Parliament voted for visa-free regime for Georgian citizenship. The procedure still requires some technical realizations. In case of increase of migration or asylum seekers from Georgia, EU will be able to suspend the visa-free travel. The regime is designed for travelling, visiting and business purposes trip but not working on the territory of Schengen. Ukraine is going through similar procedure of EU visa liberalization. However, the war in Eastern Ukraine brings the case on another level of consideration and procedures.  

The Union State of Russia and Belarus: time to separate?

              Russia has established a border area with its partner of the Union – Belarus. Allegedly it has to do with the “necessary security of the boarder control of the Russian Federation”.  However, it is not the first time when Russia makes steps that show that not everything is smooth and harmonized in this Union. Last year Russian government have forbidden a transit of foreign passengers to Russia via Belarus. Also Belarusian citizens’ passports are being checked in the Russian airports that was not a case before. Belarus pays these costs for being not obedient to Russia. If you want be a master, you have to take care of you dependant, if you do not have resources, be ready that a dependant will look for another master.

Escalation of Russian aggression: Avdiyivka humanitarian disaster

             Recent escalation of the Russian military aggression in the East Ukraine has brought death to dozens of civilians. It leaved inhabitants of Avdiyivka city without electricity, heating and water. There are 2500 children among 17 thousand inhabitants. This is not the first of the last place being damaged by Russian-backed separatists. Ruined, not liveable cities are being left after Russian forces “protect” of Russian-speaking population. East Ukraine should not become another frozen-conflict in Eastern Europe. It is a on-going war that makes Russia feel as a global power in the world. The bed news for Kremlin is, there is no power in a state where a human life costs nothing. 

Holocaust Remembrance Day: Jews from Belarus and Ukraine

   Today is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day in 1945 the Auschwitz Concentration Camp was liberated by Soviet Army. More than a million people were killed in the death camp. Initially it was directed to Polish political prisoners, then Jewish question was moved along, then Roma and Sinti. Before the World War II two-third of Jewish population in Europe lived in Poland and Eastern Europe (Western Belarus and Western Ukraine). The population of towns in these parts of Belarus and Ukraine consisted from around 40% of Jews. After the war the numbers decreased dramatically. We should always remember it and these tragic facts cannot be denied. As the fact that other human slaughtering is happening nowadays. There are things in this world that have a special meaning for entire mankind and genocide is the biggest of them.

Aushwitz

Belarus opens doors for tourists - visa free regime

    Yesterday Belarusians welcomed a new decree on the visa free entrance for the foreign visitors to Belarus. New decree was anticipated already in September 2016 when the five-days visit to Augustow Canal was introduced. Before visa free regime was established only on the Belarusian site of Bialowieza Forest to where foreign visitors could come crossing the Polish-Belarusian boarder in the forest. From now on the citizens of 80 countries (incl. EU, USA, Japan, Australia and Canada) are able to visit Belarus for five days without a visa with the condition of arriving to the Minsk International Airport. Such possibility does not spread on transit visitors travelling to or from Russia. Finally foreign visitors are able to discover and enjoy the natural beauty of Belarus without additional obstacles.

Bialowieza Forest