Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Belarus

Lukashenka Tightens Security In Run-Up To Elections

Belarusian police inspect a minibus carrying members of a Swedish political party earlier this month (RFE/RL)

21 February 2006 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka today called on law-enforcement agencies to step up security measures to ensure stability in the run-up to next month's presidential election.

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February 21, 2006

Lukashenka accused Western nations of seeking to interfere in the country's internal affairs. He urged police to work "preemptively" to ensure stability ahead of the 19 March vote. He didn't go into details.

Lukashenka is seeking a third term in office in an election that the United States, the European Union, and Belarus's opposition say is not likely to be fair.

(AP)

Video Roundtable On Belarus/Ukraine

On December 8, 2005, RFE/RL and the Policy Association for an Open Society (PASOS) jointly conducted a roundtable discussion on issues relating to Belarus's post-Soviet transition. To view video of the roundtable, click here.

Can Belarus's Opposition Unite To Challenge Lukashenka?

Belarus: The Slow-Boiling Dictatorship

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

'Police Detain Stuffed Animals' In Minsk Toy Protest

Belarusian youth activists say police have "detained" some stuffed animals used in an antigovernment protest in Minsk, in an echo of similar recent protests in Russia. More

There are frequent reports in the Bulgarian and Ukrainian media about Romanian “pirates” robbing passing transport ships on the Danube. (file photo)

Reports Of 'Pirates Of The Danube' Get The Old Heave-Ho

An attack last month on a Ukrainian barge on the Romanian sector of the Danube River has caused a diplomatic tussle between Bucharest and Kyiv, sparking media reports of possible acts of piracy on Europe's second-largest river. But do “Danube pirates” actually exist? More