MINSK -- Minsk city authorities have officially allowed Belarusian opposition groups to hold a "Chornobyl Path" march on April 26.
The annual march has been held in the Belarusian capital since 1988 to commemorate the victims of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986 in neighboring Ukraine, which contaminated large parts of Belarusian territory.
The march's organizers say that this year they intend to protest the Belarusian government’s plan to build the country’s first nuclear power plant in the western town of Astravets near the Lithuanian border.
Russia has allocated 10 billion rubles (nearly $340 million) for the project that is to be built by the Russian Atomstroiexport company.
The "Chornobyl Path" march has been marred by clashes between activists and police in previous years.
The annual march has been held in the Belarusian capital since 1988 to commemorate the victims of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986 in neighboring Ukraine, which contaminated large parts of Belarusian territory.
The march's organizers say that this year they intend to protest the Belarusian government’s plan to build the country’s first nuclear power plant in the western town of Astravets near the Lithuanian border.
Russia has allocated 10 billion rubles (nearly $340 million) for the project that is to be built by the Russian Atomstroiexport company.
The "Chornobyl Path" march has been marred by clashes between activists and police in previous years.
!["[The local authorities] don't look favorably on me. I know all these people's tricks," says Bulgarian journalist Ivan Atanasov. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-3538-08db25627f77_cx0_cy6_cw0_w100_r1.jpg)
!["[The local authorities] don't look favorably on me. I know all these people's tricks," says Bulgarian journalist Ivan Atanasov. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-3538-08db25627f77_cx0_cy6_cw0_w33_r1.jpg)
