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Byelorussians Appeal for Indymedia & commercial media support

Things are happening in Byelorussia. The anarchist camp got brutally evicted on friday. Their crime wasn't so special, the pitched tents on a square which is usually used to sell children to whomever wants to buy them at $50. Maybe they put off the punters. But thats politics. Translators and Horizontal solidarity and support is being asked for by our peers in Minsk. Give it to them.
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Those who were on the camp are with indymedia and are "@narchists" and they've been shipped off to Okristina Street "special detention centre". Its so special it appears in Amnesty international reports regularly.

Byelorussia is not the Ukraine nor is Georgia. This is no "orange or rose" revolution. And as our peer group begin to report "possible deaths" it is time to give them the support they ask for.

We need not go into Byelorussia history, we need not touch on the possible presence of a CIA rendition secret prison.
We need not remind ourselves that even our old friend Soros (where are you now Georgie & how's the memory?) saw his team booted out of minsk after being question at Okristina street in 1997.

Nope, we don't need to touch that.

We just need to remember that is now Saturday night / Sunday morning. And things can go really bad on weekends, especially if no-one reads what you're saying, and can understand your language.

we don't even need to remember that the conservative alliance who presently govern Poland teamed up with Radio Liberty to broadcast into Byelorussia from March 19th onwards.

Here's a map of minsk

http://www.minsk-maz.pl/planmiasta/Minsk_mapa_duza1.jpg

Here's the latest news from our peer collective:-

http://belarus.indymedia.org/

Here's video

http://belarus.indymedia.org/3722

Here's the possible report of a death

http://belarus.indymedia.org/3615

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Here's the latest report in translation from "Thistle"

In an organized way columns of demonstrators are moving to Okrestina st. (special prison is located there). Police don’t detain them so far. There are about 5000-7000 of demonstrators. They are going by pavements towards a hospital, show-center and further to Okrestina. On each of the four sides of the Kupala park there are 10 buses with riot squads, 700-750 policemen from each side.

On Okrestina policemen of all kinds continue to amass, there are already arrived:

- 3 armored trucks (the ones that have earlier been used to convey the arrested demonstrators from the October square). They are full with special forces (in black uniform, masks and helmets)

- 3 buses – inside there are riot squads fully equipped

- cars with policemen – 7-8 vehicles

--- 16:16

Special forces have blocked the column from two sides on the Dzerzhinskii ave. At 16:10 riot squads started to blow up something at the head of the column!…

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Follow the story on imc global (www.indymedia.org) and on imc belarus (www.belarus.indymedia.org).

ipsiphi

Additions

wee hours and a bit "p-a-n-i-c-k-y"

26.03.2006 05:28

Well its like everyone and anyone is in okristina prison, including many of the opposition, the happy campers, and who knows???? maybe the kid prostitutes too.

Latest hour rumour is of tanks outside of Minsk (with intent?) and heavy duty police stuff and that the polie aren't allowing people to disperse or go home.

They've gone through their death list news. Still.... lots of rumours will happen by tea time.
its a former soviet republic, they put tanks outside of their cities. In London they're a lot closer.

ipsi

Eyewitness accounts

26.03.2006 11:26

We got the following. It contians links with pictures and a blow by blow account. We continue to provide updates as they are sent to us. They are on

http://iaf-ifa.org/News/news.htm

here is some chronicle translated from Indymedia Belarus:

--- 15:54

In an organized way columns of demonstrators are moving to Okrestina st. (special prison is located there). Police don’t detain them so far. There are about 5000-7000 of demonstrators. They are going by pavements towards a hospital, show-center and further to Okrestina. On each of the four sides of the Kupala park there are 10 buses with riot squads, 700-750 policemen from each side.

On Okrestina policemen of all kinds continue to amass, there are already arrived:

- 3 armored trucks (the ones that have earlier been used to convey the arrested demonstrators from the October square). They are full with special forces (in black uniform, masks and helmets)

- 3 buses – inside there are riot squads fully equipped

- cars with policemen – 7-8 vehicles

--- 16:16

Special forces have blocked the column from two sides on the Dzerzhinskii ave. At 16:10 riot squads started to blow up something at the head of the column!

--- 16:30

Riot gas is being used, there are bleeding people lying unconsciously on the ground. Peacefull demonstration is being put down with terrible brutality. There is information that additional trucks with policemen are going here from Okrestina.

--- 16:36

Peaceful demonstrators moving to Okrestina are being bombarded with smokeblocks and sound grenades by riot squads. They have just used riot gas against people. People are in panic. Riot squads are batoning them. Dmitrii Pavlichenko is commanding actions of Special troops.

Behind the chain of policemen there is a bloodstained man lying on the ground.

There are 3-4 thousand of people left, they are being detained. Some people with flags have been arrested. People are being dispersed.

--- 16:44

Witnesses are telling the following: “A woman has come and said that this killed guy was fractured with a baton. He fell and policemen walked on him. Now they’re calling for Belarusian Television to show that demonstrators have just trampled down one of theirs.”

--- 16:49

The action is suppressed. In the city center special forces started the real hunt on people. Cursing, special forces were dispersing, arresting, beating people in streets and courtyards. An armored vehicle has just arrived.

Note: The name of the injured man is Sergey Otroschenko (it is not known yet if he is killed or severely injured)

--- 17:25

There are armored vehicles in the center. Policemen are arresting everyone they don’t like.

Right now it is known that at least 10 people were injured and 38 were arrested. There is no precise information as police refuses to say it.

We’re preparing indyvideo from the event. When it will be uploaded to the site, I’ll send a link here.

Here you can see photos and video from Minsk 25/3/2006

http://svaboda.org/articlesfeatures/politics/2006/3/CE10E8F1-6EDF-4832-9B4F-52A9882682AD.html

http://svaboda.org/articlesfeatures/politics/2006/03/0adf2c87-7991-48fa-ae5c-28641c5d1721.html

http://svaboda.org/articlesfeatures/politics/2006/3/6834EFBD-0E1E-41C8-981D-58FD32B5BF66.html

http://imc-by.hardcore.lt//content/editor/test.avi

http://imc-by.hardcore.lt//content/editor/test2.avi

http://community.livejournal.com/anarchism_ru/177494.html

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/WORLD/europe/03/25/belarus.protest.ap/story.belarus.clash.ap.jpg

http://community.livejournal.com/minsk_by/1109845.html?nc=2

http://community.livejournal.com/minsk_news/160532.html

http://fishbi4.livejournal.com/162234.html

http://www.hello.by/minsk25/

http://community.livejournal.com/minsk_by/1105907.html