Lukashenko gave his hysterical press-conference (not historical of course) and accepted economical agreement with Russia. Some more arrests reported today but not many as almost all potential protesters are detained already and prisons of Minsk and nearest towns are overcrowded. Those inmates who are not yet accepted into prisons are in even worse conditions as they do not receive food and water until settled into cells. A few people are released after they appeared on national TV claiming their support to the authorities. This seems to be the only possible condition of release.
So there’s no surprise that tonight people gathered near prison to lit candles ant try to handle their support to imprisoned fellows. With only about 200 participants and relatively peaceful as there’re no more free cells and further detentions will be difficult to handle. So people went away after militia colonel announced violent action will be used against those who remains any longer.
This link shows the pictures
http://www.svaboda.org/content/article/2255226.html
For those who reads Cyrillic comments below the articles can be informative.
Statements from Germany, Poland, France, Austria, Slovakia, Chech Republic, UK and Ukraine criticised violence and repressions. US announced similar position even earlier. I read OSCE statement written with very specific diplomatic language and had to explain others that this is also critique. Along with this official news agency claims that dictator receives “hundreds of congratulations”. Maybe they consider articles like “Blood on snow” are congratulations? Demand for international coverage is high, so this link should be useful. http://en.belapan.by/
The measures which authorities use these days show extraordinary emergency and total absence of law.
The most touching stories come from families where both parents are detained and children are kept by other relatives. Of course this is prohibited by law which authorities have trampled down. Both candidate Andrew Sannikov and his wife Irina Khalip are detained while their three year old child constantly asking “Will I ever see my mommy and daddy again”? Vitaly Rymasheuski’s daughter is nine months old and now she is browsing photo album with father’s pictures and looks at them, her mother says. Ales Mikhalevich has ten year old daughter who does not yet know her father’s fate. Relatives hide this because she already had contact with militia earlier and received half-year medical treatment afterwards. So this regime is feeding not only with blood but also with children’s tears.
This evening first criminal charges were announced. Five presidential candidates and twelve of their closest fellows charged with possible prison terms up to 15 years. One of detained candidates holds a hunger-strike from the moment of detention (Mikola Statkevich). This is what we have to pay for our freedom.
Obviously we all had an unhappy day and now I hope for even smallest signs of good news to come after sunrise.
Minsk 1:06 AM 22 Dec 2010.
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