Belarus has marked the 20th anniversary of Chernobyl catastrophe. 10,000 thousands of Belarusians took to the streets of Minsk for a traditional Charnobylski Shlyakh (The Path of Chernobyl). This year the rally was held under the motto “Freedom. Truth. Justice”. The Belarusians protested not only against the official policy of hushing up the aftermaths of the catastrophe, but raised their voice against the dictatorship that has deprived them of the free choice and a right to elect a new president. The rally was completely peaceful, however after it unknown people in mufti seized the leader of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Vintsuk Vyachorka. Previously the United Civil party leader Anatol Lyabedzka disappeared. Youth leaders Yauhen Afnagel and Alyaksei Shydlouski, dozens of opposition activists in provinces have been detained preventively.

The rally has started in several places of the capital today. The democratic forces have planned to start the march on October Square in Minsk and to march to the Academy of Science and hold a meeting there. However the city authorities have banned this route and offered the participants of the rally to gather by the Academy of Science to follow to a remote square of Bangalore and hold a meeting there. As a result of this ban announced only a week before the protest, many participants planned to gather on October Square.

At 5 p.m. October Square of Minsk was encircled by special barriers. All entrances of metro stations were cordoned off by policemen in mufti and riot policemen, big stores by the square were closed. It was impossible to approach the square, and participants of the protest started to gather by Yanka Kupala Park. The leader of the Belarusian opposition Alyaksandr Milinkevich came there. He said that to bring people to the Academy of Science and prevent arrests was his moral obligation.

However, a truck came nearer to the people peacefully standing by the park. Via megaphones policemen started to urge people to disband, as the “rally on October Square was unsanctioned”. The participants of the rally started for the Academy of Science along Frantsysk Skaryna (Independence) Avenue in an organized column.

The demonstration under national flags moved along the avenue accompanied by armoured trucks. Policemen via megaphone were threatening the “participants of the unsanctioned protest” by criminal liability. However the number of people was growing all the time. People were scanning “Long live Belarus!”, “Freedom!” Protesters had white-red-white and jeans ribbons, blue kerchiefs, badges “For Freedom!”

Thousands of people have been waiting for the demonstration by the Academy of Science. The column headed by Alyaksandr Milinkevich was welcomed with applaud. People scanned: “Milinkevich!” Demonstrators were holding streamers with slogans: “For Freedom!”, “Belarus has two disasters: Chernobyl and Lukashenka”, “Radiation and dictatorship are killing us”, “Stop dictatorship!”

By the Academy of Science a meeting started. Well-known politicians, scientists, public leaders, liquidators of the nuclear power station accident addressed the listeners. They spoke about the real scale of the catastrophe’s aftermaths. Participants of the meeting demanded the authorities to say the truth about the aftermaths of the disaster, to relocate people from contaminated areas, to provide affected by Chernobyl disaster with medicines and treatment, to return allowances to liquidators, to stop growing crops and producing of foodstuffs in contaminated areas, to lift restrictions for humanitarian aid from abroad for Chernobyl sufferers, to stop compulsory job assignment of university graduates to contaminated regions.

All speakers noted that these problems are impossible to solve under the current regime. “20 year ago Chernobyl power station catastrophe has taken place. 10 years ago a political Chernobyl has taken place. When the legally elected parliament was disbanded, people relying on violence and not on the law came to power,” the head of Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s headquarters Syarhei Kalyakin said.

Participants of the rally “Charnobylski Shlyakh” have unanimously voted for holding a public trial over Alyaksandr Lukashenka. It is known that the United Civil Party has proposed this initiative. A deputy chairman of the United Civil Party Ludmila Hraznova at today’s meeting by the Academy of science reminded of victims of Lukashenka’s regime: abducted and assassinated opposition leaders, a journalist D. Zavadski, political prisoners, thousands of people beaten up and arrested during peaceful protests. The meeting continues.

The speech of Alyaksandr Milinkevich, the leader of the Belarusian opposition, was in the final part of the meeting. He had urged the Belarusian citizens to join the people’s liberation movement “For Freedom!” and said that the dictatorship of Alyaksandr Lukashenka is sure to collapse in the two years. “We have taken part in the presidential elections in order to wake people up, to convey truth to them. If we stay united, we shall bring down the dictatorship that had deprived the Belarusian nation the right for choice, and robbed the chance to elect a president of our country in a legal way. We can win if we stay united. I call upon everybody to join the people’s liberation movement “For Freedom!” The truth is on our side, and the truth is the strongest weapon. The whole democratic world is at our side. We won’t wait five years. We will be able to defeat the dictatorship in the two years immediately ahead,” Alyaksandr Milinkevich said.

After the meeting by the Academy of Science participants of the Charnobylski Shlyakh headed for Bangalore Square to Chernobyl chapel to honour the victims of the catastrophe. The number of demonstrators have grown considerably and reached 10,000. A meeting was held near the chapel as well. Alyaksandr Milinkevich addressed the meeting again. He said that the Belarusians are to continue peaceful protests until the overthrow of dictatorship and victory of democracy.

The next democratic forces’ rally is planned on May 1. Representatives of pro-democracy movement are set to come out for cancellation of the contract system, which, according to many comments, seriously derogates from workers’ rights.

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