Today in Warsaw, Alaksandr Milinkevich and Poland’s Prime-Minster Kazimiez Marcinkiewicz signed a declaration that an endowment program for repressed students would be created. The new foundation will be named after a Belarusian national hero, Kastus Kalinouski. Politicians discussed ways how Poland could support victims of political repressions in Belarus.
Meanwhile, the major piece of news storming Belarusian internet was a possible death of Siarhiej Atroshchanka, brutally beaten up by the riot policemen. Milinkevich’s website had notified of his decease in the 9th clinic hospital in Minsk, and the news was picked up by bloggers and such news sources as Lenta.ru and Charter97.org. Tut.by forums simmer with anger, and the argument “We need a sniper” seems to have returned to Belarusian web pages. Although, there was another theme bubbling up. Belarusian bloggers tried to fantasize where Lukashenka had disappeared. Speculations range from him being poisoned or dead to his major hard drinking session continuing for a week or so.
Wherever the president might be, it did not prevent judges from preferring charges against Alexander Kozulin for hooliganism and organization of mass violations of civil order. Maximal penalty on these charges is six years in prison.