Following this electoral campaign, even from overseas, is tough. This is emotional, personal and stressful. Today two of my best friends received “their due” from the regime. Luda Asipenka was expelled from a university, and Vital Brouka was arrested and judged to seven days behind bars. Both were very active in this campaign, Luda even wrote to me that her schedule had been planned until March 19, and after that date there was nothing in it, as she did not know what to expect…
Among today’s roll of arrestees, I should mention Anatol Labedzka, Chairman of the National Committee that worked out Milinkevich’s political platform. The trial is scheduled for tomorrow. There is no doubt he will be held in a prison cell well until the elections are over. Speaking to Zhodzina voters, Milinkevich said that the elections had been turning into a farce, his campaign manager Siarhiej Kalakin was being hunted, and he also said that he himself could be imprisoned on the 19th. Still the candidate expressed his belief in the victory of democracy. Meanwhile his website keeps counting the victims of this total neutralization before March 19. Here is today’s victim list. Note it represents only those of the Milinkevich’s team. There were arrests of Kazulin’s activists, as well.
The author of “the jeans revolution” and one of leaders of Bison, Mikola Sasim, imprisoned a bit earlier, had a fit of appendicitis, and was taken to the clinic where he was operated today, and then shackled by a cop to his hospital bed.
Television crew of Channel 5, Ukraine, was not allowed by Belarus border control to enter the country. A few Polish OSCE observers were not let in, likewise.
Naviny.by reported that many Minsk internet users had connection problems today, and RTVI, funded by the EU to broadcast free-of-state-propaganda TV programs to Belarus, was blocked for subscribers of Minsk cable operator Cosmos TV.
The Day X is approaching… Will Belarusians be able to take the bull by the horns?