Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [This is about 4 pages selected from a 20 or so page continuous stream of minute-by-minute Belarus election day (9/9/01) "updates" from Charter97, described by the New York Time as a Belarus "human rights" organization. Website is www.charter97.org. The "unique candidate," Vladimir Goncharik, is opposition's figurehead "Kostunica"] "US PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH VOWS SUPPORT TO BELARUSIAN DEMOCRATS US President George Bush the Junior called to support the human rights and democracy struggle in Belarus: "I'm calling upon all delegates to support the people of Belarus, who are fighting for the fundamental human rights and freedoms, for which many nations had also fought in the past," - said George Bush in his address to the participants of the 3rd conference of rightwing parties of Central and Eastern Europe in Tallinn. The key topics of the conference were - cooperation in security sphere and enlargement of membership in NATO and EU. US president George Bush's address will be voiced at the September 9 conference on Sunday." "RECORD NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS IN MINSK 547 foreign journalists from more than 30 countries applied for registration to cover the presidential elections, BDG informs. Records holder among them is Russia (more than 120 journalists) and the USA (more than 70 journalists). Compare with 250 journalists accredited at the 'parliament elections' in 2000 in Belarus." Belarus ON-LINE: news of changes NEWS /// 09 September 2001 2.55. Some 80 journalists turned up at the Palace of Culture, where the unique candidate and his 200 followers barricaded themselves. Representatives of leading world news agencies and TV channels, reporters of various editions, Russian and Belarusian correspondents came to the Palace in order meet with the members of the headquarters of the unique candidate from wide public coalition and learn of Vladimir Goncharik's further plans and hypothetical situation development for the next couple of days. 2.25. 200 brave men, who barricaded themselves in the Palace of Culture, are trying to prevent police threat through some training exercise - they clasp their hands together with full might, so that if the law-enforcers break in, the couldn't disperse them. The people are regularly brought coffee and food. Vladimir Goncharik is supposed to shortly join their ranks. POSOKHOV ADDRESSES FOUR LETTER WORDS TO OSCE The President's aide Posokhov, answering the question of "Belarusian Business Newspaper", if the authorities are ready that OSCE will not recognize the results of the ballot, used four-letter words: "Well, …, who the f… needs your OSCE? Let OSCE mind its own business, sort things out in Macedonia and so on. The thing that troubles us lest of all is what they will say". 1.55. Mass media reporters are streaming toward the Palace of Culture. Everyone is waiting for something. Vladimir Goncharik called on people to come to the Oktyabrskaya square at 10a.m., while he plans to stay in the Palace till morning. The unique candidate insists on holding the second round of voting. The electricity was cut off at the Trade Union Palace, where the members of the Vladimir Goncharik's headquarters remain. more LUKASHENKO ALREADY PLANS EXPELLING RUSSIAN CHANNEL TV-6 Touching upon the work of Russian TV channels in Belarus, Lukashenko said at the press conference held late at night on September 9 that "it is most likely that will not tolerate the presence of the channel TV-6 in our country". 23.20. OTPOR resistance activists from Yugoslavia expressed their solidarity with the protesters in central Minsk. They called right from Belgrade and expressed confidence that Belarusians would undoubtedly overcome in their struggle with dictatorship, just as it happened in their country last year. The words of their Slav brothers instilled greater hope in the hearts of the courageous people, who took to Minsk streets tonight to stand for the common victory. Member of the electoral commission of Sovietsky district of Minsk addressed the crowd, claiming that at his polling station Vladimir Goncharik won and that the results announced by CEC are but insolent lies. REAL POLL RESULTS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT 7A.M. Civil initiative "Independent Observation" will come up with results of the parallel vote tabulation Monday at 7a.m., said the initiative's coordinator Ales Belyatsky. This was caused by the regime's unprecedented steps, aimed at the disruption of work of independent observers - "IO" cell phones were disconnected, so was the e-mail. Under such tough circumstances it is extremely hard to sum up the outcomes, so the final announcement is delayed by a few hours. ELECTION FALSIFICATION REACHES MONSTROUS SIZE The regime stepped up unprecedented fabrication of election results. Nobody expected such insolent lies even from Lukashenko. CEC keeps claiming that Lukashenko collected almost 100%. CEC chairwoman announced preliminary voting results on 8.30p.m.: Gomel region (0,71% ballots counted): Gaidukevich - 3,21%, Goncharik - 10,31%, Lukashenko - 74,92%; Mogilev region (0,82%): Gaidukevich - 0,78%, Goncharik - 1,42%, Lukashenko - 96,36%; Minsk city (1,12%): Gaidukevich - 2,78%, Goncharik - 12,85%, Lukashenko - 77,41%. One can foretell with great degree of certainty that neither Europe, nor USA will recognize the elections as legitimate, which automatically turns Belarus into first European rogue state. Nor will the Belarusian nation trust these figures, for people know that they voted against Lukashenko. 20.15. Some 3 thousand people, despite the shower and cold weather, gathered at the moment on the Oktyabrskaya square in Minsk. The folks are crowding at the steps leading to the Trade Union Palace and occupy part of the square. All of them loudly shout "Long Live Belarus!" and "Goncharik!". The number of action participants keeps growing. The people are streaming in big groups to the city's central square along the Skarina prospect. POLICE HUNTS DOWN ZUBRS IN TRAINS HEADING FOR MINSK 7 ZUBR activists were taken off board the train on their way from Krichev to Minsk. In Krichev itself they apprehended 2 movement's activists, who still remain in detention. Therefore, police prevents the coming of folks from the regions to Minsk, where they plan to assemble on the Oktyabrskaya square in order to wait there for the ballot results. GRODNO KGB DETAINS OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS Seven activists of opposition were detained today by KGB agents on charges of disseminating flyers of the so-called "Belarusian liberation army", calling upon the folks to stream towards the presidential administration with weapons in hands. These flyers are but a provocation, concocted by the special services themselves, who are seeking to instill fear in hearts of those, who plan to come to the Oktyabrskaya square tonight. In reality no such liberation army exists as such. Nonetheless, Grodno KGB apprehended "Pagonya" editor-in-chief Nikolai Markevich, the newspaper reporter Pavel Mazheiko, opposition activists - Valentina Askerka, Svetlana Nekh, Evgeny Klimov and Sergei Malchik. Following a five hour long KGB interrogation they set free Malchik and Nekh. The rest remain in KGB custody. IF YOU READ OUR SITE FROM BELARUS Since our site is blocked from the Belarusian Internet users we remind you how you can receive information about the course of elections in Belarus. There are two ways for this. The first way is the following: look at http://charter97.b0x.com . There the copy of the news line is placed. Second way is to reach the site through sites-anonymizers, that conceal that you are located in Belarus. The simplest addresses are: http://anon.free.anonymizer.com/http://www.charter97.org or https://www.safeweb.com/o/_i:http://66.33.38.150 Be with us! At 20.05 we start on-line coverage from the center of Minsk, where the single democratic candidate Vladimir Goncharik will wait for the election results together with the people. LUKASHENKO LOST ELECTIONS - TURNOUT EXCEEDED 70%. WILL HE RESIGN OR OPENLY CHEAT? Belarusian CEC declared at 6.40p.m. that the voters' turnout constituted by 6p.m. 75,2% (with Minsk beating its own attendance record with 66,7%), meaning one thing - that Lukashenko had blown it. The critical mass of those, who are dissatisfied with his policy and who came to vote him out, overshadowed the stable number of Lukashenko's supporters. Many independent sociologists and experts predicted that long in advance. With the turnout being at the 70% level one can state with great degree of certainty that Lukashenko is losing to the unique candidate with 10% gap. If so, the democratic candidate will get roughly 54%, while the incumbent - only 42%. With 80% turnout Lukashenko suffers a crushing defeat, gathering only 37%. Now Lukashenko either has to confess his defeat or launch total falsification (which doesn't help much either).The unique candidate Vladimir Goncharik will come to the Oktyabrskaya square at 8.05p.m. in order to celebrate his victory together with the nation. KGB HINDERS WORK OF FOREIGN TV CHANNELS Today the Belarusian special services agents halted the operation of the mobile TV complex of the European broadcasting company. EBC sputnik satellite was installed in Minsk near the "Belarus" hotel. All foreign TV companies sought to transmit their coverage via it. At around 1p.m. KGB officers turned up there and demanded from journalists a license to operate on the Belarusian soil. EBC representatives explained that they have the proper license, but yesterday the Ministry of communication required that they submit it to them. On the weekend it is not possible to get it back from them. Referring to the absence of license, KGBists halted the operation of the TV complex until Monday. Therefore, the only way by means of which foreign correspondents may shoot reports is state-run television BT and MIR TV-company. However, they have no technical capability to transmit all signals. Therefore, the work of most foreign channels is almost paralyzed. BLAST AT THE US EMBASSY INFORMATION CENTER OCCURRED AT AROUND 17 O'CLOCK MINSK TIME. APPROXIMATELY 30 METERS AWAY FROM THE USIS BUILDING WENT OFF AN UNDETECTED DEVICE, WHOSE COMPOSITION INCLUDED REAL TROTYL. THERE FORMED A CRATER ON THE PLACE OF THE EXPLOSION. NO HUMAN CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED. SO FAR THERE HAVE BEEN NO COMMENTARIES AS TO WHO ORCHSTRATED THE CRIME. POLICE RESPECT PUBLIC ORDER IN MINSK No extreme safety measures on the streets of Minsk have been introduced so far. The police are on duty by the polling stations in full compliance with the law. No armed forces, riot police, tanks were spotted in the streets of the Belarusian capita or in the outskirts. The law-enforcing agencies understand perfectly well that the regime's days are numbered and no extreme measures can help Lukashenko to retain power. Minister of the Interior Naumov denounced the information about dispatching interior troops, armoured forces and defense forces. Naumov underlined that "not a single soldier have left the territory of the encampment". INTERNET ATTACK ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION UNDERWAY The attack on the Belarusian Internet sites continues. We can say with full certainty now that not a single site covering the Belarusian elections on-line, cannot be reached from Belarus. To the sites blocked earlier (Charter 97, Radio Freedom, Nasha Svaboda newspaper, Belarussian Business Newspaper, Belarussian Newspaper), some more sites added: the site of the civil initiative "Independent Observance", that distributes information on the mass violations of the electoral code, BelaPAN agency site, Radio Ratsya site, a site of the single democratic candidate Vladimir Goncharik. more JULIA GONCHARIK READYING TO BECOME FIRST LADY Spouse of the unique candidate from wide public coalition Julia Goncharik told the journalist that "she's ready to become the first lady" and that "she's convinced that her husband will do a lot of good for Belarus". Goncharik himself told the press at the polling station that he's in high spirits and declined to foretell the outcome of today's poll: "I don't feel like fancying right now. It is more important, however, that Belarusian residents overcome their fear and show up at the poll." Goncharik stated that tonight he'd meet with the voters near the presidential residence and wait right there for the announcement of results. The politician claims that he's aware that they deployed military contingent near Minsk and he doesn't rule out the possibility of enforced dissolution of the meeting. US PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH VOWS SUPPORT TO BELARUSIAN DEMOCRATS US President George Bush the Junior called to support the human rights and democracy struggle in Belarus: "I'm calling upon all delegates to support the people of Belarus, who are fighting for the fundamental human rights and freedoms, for which many nations had also fought in the past," - said George Bush in his address to the participants of the 3rd conference of rightwing parties of Central and Eastern Europe in Tallinn. The key topics of the conference were - cooperation in security sphere and enlargement of membership in NATO and EU. US president George Bush's address will be voiced at the September 9 conference on Sunday. RECORD NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS IN MINSK 547 foreign journalists from more than 30 countries applied for registration to cover the presidential elections, BDG informs. Records holder among them is Russia (more than 120 journalists) and the USA (more than 70 journalists). Compare with 250 journalists accredited at the 'parliament elections' in 2000 in Belarus. POSTMEN MADE TO SPREAD "SOVETSKAYA BELORUSSIYA" SPECIAL ISSUE ABOUT LUKASHENKO Postmen from the Partyzansky district of Minsk were told to deliver to people's mail-boxes special issues of the "Sovetskaya Belorussiya" dedicated to Lukashenko's propaganda. BelaPAN was told by one of the postmen, who wished to remain incognito, that September 4 and 5 50 bags of "SB" special issues (36-45 thousand) were brought into the post office alongside with ordinary correspondence. more PRESS WOULDN'T PUBLISH INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER FROM VITEBSK Friday issue of the newspaper "Vitebskiye Delovye Novosti" never saw light. The publishing house staff were looking for an excuse under which to deny publishing services to the newspaper, which paid for them in advance. At first, they would say that the press machine is overloaded. Afterwards, they offered to change the newspapers imposition. But even after they urgently re-imposed it, the workers of the publishing house would still reject to print the paper. The major materials of the issue were an article about Goncharik's pilgrimage to Vitebsk region, as well as the report by the regional coordinator of the unique candidate, in which he spoke of the secret sides of the current electoral campaign. ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
