Watchdog

MINSK -- The former governor of Minsk Oblast, Barys Batura, says he is ready to be arrested after angering President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

On November 8, Lukashenka publicly removed Batura from his post while the two of them toured a state-owned timber plant in the city of Barysau.

Lukashenka, who was unhappy with the conditions at the plant, threatened a criminal probe against Batura unless he took over as director of the plant and rectified the situation by spring.

Batura told RFE/RL's Belarus Service on November 11 that he has no plans to work at the facility, saying, "Let them arrest me. We are not free people anyway and we feel bad about it."

Lukashenka has been criticized by human rights organizations for his authoritarian rule.

BAKU -- Azerbaijan's opposition "Yeni Musavat" (New Equality) newspaper has started a campaign to sustain its operations amid pressure from authorities.

The newspaper's chief editor and founder, Rauf Arifoglu, wrote on his Facebook account on November 11 that his periodical will begin a two-day campaign on November 12 to collect as many subscriptions as possible.

Arifoglu called on Azerbaijan's intellectuals and supporters to subscribe to his newspaper for any length of time -- two weeks, a month, six months, or a year.

He promised to deliver the newspaper promptly to subscribers' homes.

"We need your prayers, your subscriptions, and your support as the authorities have confiscated 3,000 copies of our newspaper from circulation" at kiosks and newsstands, Arifoglu wrote.

Last week, the newspaper switched temporarily to online-only operations to raise the awareness of the problems it faces.