It’s the birth of the Freedom. Right in the middle of the Europe, in the heart of the capital of the last Fortress Of Dictatorship - in Minsk. Free belarusian people walk out to tell the rotten goverment and mad president, that they are fed up with lies and dictatorship.

Right now there is a huge rally on one of the central squares of Minsk. About twenty thousands of people are there. According to latest news, just a few minutes ago “Declaration of the Belarusian People” was signed. It asknowledges falsification of the recent presidents election. People demanding to assign new elections on July 16, 2006.

Update 2:40PM EST.
People are starting to install tents to stay there overnight. Police are trying to “remove” those from the square, but people are standing up.

Update 2:50PM EST.
Some photos.(from svaboda.org, bymedia.net)

Update 3:40PM EST.
Police ordered to close nearby grocery where people were able to buy hot tea, and snacks.
However people bringing hot tea, coffee and food from homes.

Update
New photos:

(from charter97.org)

Update 4:25PM EST
Special Police forces tried to provoke fight on the street, by attacking people who were carrying sleeping-bag, but others didn’t allow to arest or beat anybody.
Police also tried to shut-down generator that was powering up amplifiers, but they retired after short talk with the leader of democratic forces Alexander Milinkevich.
People are preparing to stay overnight.

Update 4:40PM EST
Amplifiers on the street were shuted down, to prevent conflicts with police. That was the only claim from theirs side. People are still there singing ‘Jyve Bielarus!’.

Update 5:00 PM EST
Alexander Milinkevich personally thanked people who set up tents. Now, there are more that 15 of them on the October square.

Update 5:25 PM EST
Milinkevich’s sons are released by police and joined their father, who is spending the night together with protestors.

Update 7:00 PM EST
Police tries to stop people who attempt to bring food and water for the demonstrators. In one instance, a police officer, confiscated warm clothes and mineral water from a man who tried to go through block posts to the October square.

Update 7:10 PM EST
Now we know some details about arrest of Milinkevich’s sons. Earlier when they tried to get to the October square, police stopped them and attempted to charge them with “disorderly conduct”. They brought them to the local precinct but as soon as their commander realized who they were he personally gave them a ride to the October square and dropped all charges against them.

Update 9:31 PM EST
Protest is still going on. There are about 500 hundred people on the square, camping out in the freezing conditions. Police blocked all access roads and nobody can get through them. However, spirits are high…Some proves of it are here…

www.svaboda.org

update 11:45 PM EST
According to the Radio Svaboda, demonstrators are still on the October Square. About 30 of them were arrested by police. Police units conducted all arrests when demonstrators tried to look for coffee or tea outside of the camping place. At this moment, most roads to the square are blocked by police and KGB. But nobody is about to give up. They chant “We will stay!!!”

This entry was posted on Monday, March 20th, 2006 at 4:39 pm and is filed under Free Belarus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.