Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Belarus

Milinkevich Released From Jail In Belarus

Milinkevich (left) at the April 26 rally in Minsk (RFE/RL)

May 12, 2006 -- Belarusian opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich was released from prison today after serving a 15-day sentence.

TEXT SIZE - +

May 12, 2006

Milinkevich had been sentenced to jail for taking part in an unauthorized antigovernment protest on April 26, the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

Milinkevich ran against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in elections in March condemned as fraudulent by the opposition and Western governments.

Lukashenka's reelection triggered unprecedented protests in Belarus. Hundreds of opposition supporters were jailed for taking part in the protests.

Two other opposition politicians, Alyaksandr Bukhvostau and Zmitser Dashkevich, were also released today. They had been jailed for taking part in the same protest rally two weeks ago.

(Belapan, AFP, AP)

Belarus Votes 2006

Click on the image to view a dedicated page with news, analysis, and background information about the Belarusian presidential ballot.

MEET THE CANDIDATES: Read brief biographies of the four candidates in the March 19 election.

Syarhey Haydukevich

Alyaksandr Kazulin

Alyaksandr Lukashenka

Alyaksandr Milinkevich

Click on the image to view RFE/RL's coverage of the election campaign in Belarusian and to listen to RFE/RL's Belarusian Service.

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