9:30 am According to a statement by human rights activists, riot police detained about 50 peaceful protesters in Belarus on August 25.
At least 20 people were detained in Minsk – including the oncologist, Dmitry Alexandrov, who came to support the teachers’ protest. He spent the night in Akrescina detention center, and today he will face trial.
Elsewhere, the most arrests took place in Grodno. Twenty eight employees of Grodno Azot, a chemical company, were detained. They were held in the police office for several hours, before being released.
9:40 am Svetlana Alexievich, a writer and Nobel laureate has been called for questioning by the investigative committee as a witness in the Coordination Council criminal case.
The interrogation will take place today at 2:00 pm.
10:27 am The Polish Independent Trade Union, “Solidarity”, collected 1 million zlotys and humanitarian aid for Belarus people.
Petr Duda, the head of the Trade Union, recorded a video with an appeal to all workers in Belarus. He recalled in that video that it was mass strikes, not demonstrations, that explicitly enabled the Poles to gain their own freedom.
Peter urged workers to follow the same path and promised the support of the Polish Trade Union.
10:32 am Komsomolskaya Pravda, one of the most popular newspapers in the country, has stopped printing in Belarus. The editorship had to print the latest edition in Russia.
A quote from a Russian actor is on the frontpage: “It is impossible to witness this mockery of peaceful people.”
10:35 am Employees of Grodno Azot, the largest chemical manufacturer in the country, have installed a White-Red-White flag on the top of one of their buildings.
10:50 am A criminal case has been brought against a taxi driver who was severely beaten by riot police on the night of August 11-12.
Alexey is accused of violence or the threat of violence against a police officer. The riot police considered the man extremely dangerous, so even during surgery and medical procedures in the first days of his hospital stay, Alexey was kept in handcuffs.
Source: TUT.BY
11:00 am The Deputy Director of the Art Museum in Mogilev has been dismissed for participating in the protests against violence.
11:05 am The Head of The Strike Committee of Minsk Wheel Tractor Manufacturer (MZKT), Alexander Lavrinovich, has been sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest, as reported by his lawyer.
His ‘crime’ was participation in the rally of August 23, and the fact that he collected signatures and held meetings on company premises. The court considered these actions to be illegal. Now he is serving his sentence in Akrescina.
A reminder: as yet, no criminal cases have been opened against the violence and torture of detainees by riot police officers.
11:25 am For those who have been affected by political repression and lost their jobs as a result, a fund of about 1.8 million dollars has been raised. Donations have been made by more than 31,000 people.
11:35 am The Russian Confederation of Work, the second largest Trade Union in the country, with more than two million members, has made a statement in support of the workers of Belarus.
“The Russian Confederation of Work calls on workers from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other post-Soviet countries to oppose the intentions of the authorities of the Republic of Belarus to replace the striking workers with strikebreakers from our countries.”
11:50 am Police officers detained a human rights defender – a representative of Human Rights Public Association “Belarusian Helsinki Committee” – in Soligorsk on August 26.
People in civilian clothes were waiting for him on the street, then grabbed him, put him into a car and took him to an unknown destination.
11:55 am The Belarus Solidarity Foundation #bysol has arranged the possibility of transferring money via Revolut and PayPal cards. This allows people who live abroad to support striking workers in Belarus.
12:00 pm People are gathering again to form new chains of solidarity in different districts of Minsk.
12:10 pm Konstantin Pozharsky, who was detained yesterday in the center of Minsk, has been sentenced to 8 days incarceration. The only reason for his arrest was carrying a white-red-white flag in his hands.
12:30 pm There are more and more reports in various media stating the authorities have begun to arrange staged protests in residential areas. The protests are set-ups, designed to portray protesters in a bad light. Groups of young people congregate in the middle of the night, turn on the song “Change” (a song that has become a symbol of the protests), drink alcohol, break bottles etc.
Yesterday, such a group daubed the car of a former Belarusian TV presenter, Yevgeny Perlin, with paint.
12:40 pm Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius, has published excerpts from his reply to Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei on Twitter.
The Minister writes that violations of civil rights and crimes against citizens are unacceptable in a democratic state, and advises the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus not to distort reality.
12:50 pm The Prosecutor General’s Office reported that the Investigative Committee continues to conduct pre-investigation checks on the complaints of citizens about the use of physical force and non-lethal weapons during mass events.
The creation of the commission was announced by Yuri Karaev, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. He also stated that he hadn’t given any orders to carry out such violence.
The day before, Belarusian human rights activists reported that they had received testimonies from over 450 victims, confirmed by photos and videos.
12:55 pm Two-thirds of the employees, headed by the director, have resigned from the state radio station, Stolitsa. The remaining employees are currently either on vacation or on maternity leave.
1:00 pm The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania has included 118 persons responsible for rigging elections in Belarus and violence against citizens on a “blacklist”.
Alexander Lukashenko was also included on the list. Now this “blacklist” must be approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania.
1:30 pm Following repeated refusals from the state publishing house (who claimed that they were experiencing problems with the equipment) to print the “Narodnaya Volya” newspaper, translated as “People’s Will” and publisher of unbiased reporting of the events in the country, it was decided to publish the newest issue of the newspaper in Moscow and then transport it to Belarus. Yesterday the issue was delivered to the state organizations responsible for the distribution of printed media, but this morning the newspaper wasn’t delivered to subscribers and neither was it available for sale. It’s still unknown where the 22,000 issues have disappeared to.
1:45 pm A crowd of people, including numerous journalists, are waiting for Svetlana Aleksievich, a member of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition, near the building of the Investigative Committee in Minsk.
The Nobel Prize winning writer was summoned to the investigation committee for 2 pm today concerning the criminal case that is being conducted against the Coordination Council.
1:50 pm The trading day of the Belarusian Currency and Stock Exchange market has finished with new all-time high US dollar and Euro rates.
2:10 pm People have greeted Svetlana Aleksievich, chanting “Thank you!” She came accompanied by other members of the Coordination Council, Pavel Latushko and Maxim Znak.
Aleksievich was invited to the department to testify in the case of calls for the seizure of power, initiated after the creation of the opposition Coordination Council.
Before she visited the investigation committee, Aleksievich said that she did not feel guilty and considered the activities of the opposition’s council fully legitimate. “I think we need to be together, we shouldn’t give in – God forbid that blood is shed from our side. It should not be shed, we must win in spirit, win by the power of our convictions,” she stressed.
2:25 pm A member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council, former Minister of Culture, Pavel Latushko, said that the Investigative Committee of Belarus had summoned another member of the opposition council – Maria Kolesnikova, head of Viktor Babariko’s electoral headquarters.
2:30 pm The Coordination Council has launched the Regional Support Service. The Council is ready to provide information and consulting support to such public initiatives as the recall of deputies, preparation of appeals and petitions, legislative regulation of strikes, and the holding of mass events.
2:40 pm NATO urged the Belarusian regime not to use them as an excuse to disperse the protesters.
“There is no military NATO buildup in the region, so any attempt by the regime in Belarus to use NATO as an excuse or a pretext to crack down on demonstrators in their own country is absolutely wrong and absolutely unjustified,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday in Berlin.
2:45 pm Pavel Latushko, member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council, diplomat, and former minister of culture of Belarus, has once again urged the people of Belarus to initiate the recall of elected deputies who do not defend the will of the people.
2:50 pm Svetlana Aleksievich has left the investigation committee building. Her interrogation lasted less than an hour. Aleksievich refused to testify against herself and was let go. She said that as of now she is still a witness in the case of the opposition’s Coordination Council.
Source: ONLINER
6:05 pm The Telegram chat which has been used to find accomodation for medical staff during COVID-19, is now being used to help the Kapala Theatre employees who have lost their jobs for political reasons.
6:09 pm TUT.BY posted a video by a Minsk resident Denis Germanov depicting his arrest and transportation in a riot police truck. The footage from the riot police truck confirms the evidence of other detainees – they were beaten so hard that some men cried. Tut.by sent this video to the police office of the Minsk City Executive Committee and the General Prosecutor’s Office. “We have no right to comment on the actions of our employees,” said Natalya Ganusevich, an official representative of the Minsk district police department. The General Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment.
6:10 pm Belarusian citizens will be exempt from the travel ban on entry into Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
6:20 pm Sound engineers Vlad Sokolovsky and Kirill Galanov who played the song “Changes” by V.Tsoi on August 6 during the official government event in the Kievsky park and were convicted to 10 days of administrative arrest, left the country. They are in Lithuania at present.
6:25 pm The special aircraft of the FSB (Federal Security Service)of the Russian Federation, which has already come in on August 18, is heading toward Minsk again.
6:30 pm Detentions on the streets started early today. Riot police officers grabbed a young man near the Independence Square, as reported by witnesses. Meanwhile, “notorious” riot police trucks and vans have appeared on Soviet street. The surrounding roads to the Independence Square have been blocked by police.
6:34 pm “Grodno Azot” Striking Committee leader Yury Rovovoi was forced to leave Belarus, he is currently in Warsaw. Yury posted a video on his Intstagram account where he explained how the striking committee tried to conduct a survey amongst the plant workers on the prospective strike and about the reasons for his departure.
6:55 pm Latvian investment and development agency announced an initiative facilitating the transfer of operations of some Belarusian businesses to Latvia.
Latvia is particularly interested in collaboration with Belarusian businesses in the information and communication technologies industry, bio-economics, smart-technologies, bio-medicine, and other medium and high-tech industries. However, in view of the recent events in Belarus, Latvia will also be open to other types of businesses.
7:05 pm Queues of people continue to grow all over Minsk to disqualify the people’s deputies [of the Belarus Parliament] in their relevant constituencies.
7:20 pm Flashmob is underway in the shopping mall “Gallery” in Minsk,- the Philharmonic musicians and shopping centre staff are singing Belarusian folk song “Pahonya”.
7:42 pm New governor of Grodno region Vladimir Karanyk left the plant “GrodnoAzot”. The new governor did not talk to the press or the personnel who did not have a chance to attend the meeting and was waiting by the entrance to the administration building. From each department only five people were selected to attend the meeting with the new governor, “GrodnoAzot” general director Igor Bobyr was also present at the meeting.
8:05 pm A policeman approached the protestors on the square in Brest and announced in a loud hailer that the rally was not authorized. In response, the people started to recite The Lord’s prayer.
8:10 pm Vladimir Shylo, an activist from Soligorsk, was detained and sent to “serve the remaining 17 days of his sentence”, his son Ivan Shylo informed on his Facebook page.
Vladimir Shylo was an observer during the presidential elections. On August 9 he was arrested and severely beaten. He was sentenced but released later.
8:13 pm Modern dance choreographers and dancers presented their new art piece dedicated to the fight against violence on the Yakub Kolas Square in Minsk.
“First of all, we gathered here to express how difficult it is for us to cope with the situation in the country. Maybe our experience of being close to each other, mutual care of each other’s bodies, would resonate in someone’s souls”, said Anna, one of the choreographers.
8:35 pm Euroradio reports that random police “round-ups” [abductions] have started in the Independence Square. TUT.BY informs that the riot police have arrived at the Independence Square, over 100 churchgoers were locked inside the Red Church (St.Simon and St. Helena Church). The Police guarded the church doors.
8:40 pm A1 mobile operator officially announced that “based on the order issued by the state authorities, on August 26 starting from 8:40pm Mobile Internet bandwidth will be reduced in Minsk”.
8:44 pm Nexta informs that the Mobile Internet was shut down in Minsk almost completely.
8:45 pm People are still not allowed to leave the Red Church.
8:50 pm TUT.BY reports that the riot police have surrounded some 20 people in the Independence Square and don’t let them out. Apparently, the police were waiting for a riot police truck.
UPD: Young ladies have been let free, men are being loaded into the police truck.
8:59 pm The number of people detained at Independence Square is not known. Riot police trucks are still standing near the Red Church, moving directly over the pedestrian sidewalks of the Independence Square. Other traffic is completely blocked, even public transportation.
9:03 pm Anton Motolko’s Telegram-channel claims that it has just been ordered to open up traffic around the square for all transport modes.
9:10 pm Nexta has published a full video of the moment when the riot police grabbed a white-red-white flag from the 73-year old protestor Nina Baginskaya, brutally pushing her several times.
9:12 pm The Red Church was opened and people were able to leave the building.
9:20 pm The riot police are leaving the area, only several of them are patrolling the Independence Square. People with posters are approaching the square. Filming crew of the Russian propaganda TV company RT is seen on the square: some say that today’s arrests in the square have been staged for filming, among anything else.
9:33 pm The Prime-Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki made some important announcements:
- Warsaw intends to represent the interests of independent Belarus.
- Poland will help those repressed by the regime.
- Poland will allocate 50 million zlotych to strengthen the Belarusian independent media and non-governmental organizations, as well as to support the detainees and victims suffered from the brutality and violence of the regime.
“We need the entire world to know that people are being tortured in Belarus”, said the Polish Prime Minister.
9:45 pm Vladimir Putin and the prime minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte discussed the situation in Belarus in their telephone conversation. The conversation was initiated by the Italian side.
Russia “stressed how counterproductive any efforts of interference into the internal affairs of the country and any pressure on the government can be. It was agreed how important it is to prevent any escalation of the crisis”, — stated the Kremlin press-service (TASS).
9:55 pm Belsat reports that at least 10 people were detained during today’s protests in the Independence Square.
10:19 pm Pavel Latushko, the former director of the Yanka Kupala National Theatre and a member of the Coordination Council, commented on the mass dismissal of actors, producers, and other theatre personnel.
“The dismissal of actors and other personnel at the Kupala Theatre does not defeat the people, does not defeat the nation — it is a defeat for those who cannot hear the call to arms and do not listen to what the people have to say. People can be silenced, but their thinking cannot be suppressed. It is an attempt to bring the Belarusian culture to its knees”, he said.
10:25 pm The Bishop Yuri Kosobutsky denounced the actions of law enforcement agencies near the Red Church: “Blocking the church entrance and exit violates the fundamental rights of citizens to freedom of conscience and religion, guaranteed by the Constitution. It insults the feelings of believers and violates the laws of mankind and God”.
10:50 pm According to a report by Radio Svaboda, 14 people were detained at Independence Square today.
10:55 pm Despite the dispersion of the protestors’ rally at Independence Square today, the memorial to the victims of the street protests was preserved near the Red Church.
11:00 pm EPAM Senior Vice-President Maxim Bogretsov took an indefinite leave at work and joined the Coordination Council. He said on his Facebook page: “I cannot see those people who are ready to forgive, pretend and return to their paddocks and keyboards, machines and frying pans and continue to maintain the authorities and riot police who continue to kill us and our children, our relatives and friends,who beat and humiliate us while playing pseudo-patriotic songs ”.
11:25 pm Belsat journalist Artem Lyava went missing. He was reporting from the rally in Independence Square earlier today.
00:08 pm As stated by the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Artem Lyava’s telephone is located in the Oktyabrsky District police office. It is very likely Arem is there as well.
