Maidan

March 02, 2006

Source: Khartya '97 WITH PHOTOS

10,000 Belarusian citizens have gathered today in Svaboda (Freedom) Square in Minsk to meet the candidate of united democratic forces, Alyaksandr Milinkevich. Thousands of interior troops, SWAT, riots police officers, have been drawn to the city. SWAT commander Dzmitry Paulichenka was in charge of the force operation. He is suspected of abductions and murders of Belarusian oppositionists and a journalist. Today this man in public has beaten up three persons. In the morning he beat up the presidential hopeful, ex-rector of the Belarusian State University Alyaksandr Kazulin, and in the evening he assaulted the Radio Svaboda reporter Valery Kalinouski, who wanted to make an interview with him. Besides, he hit a deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front party Viktar Ivashkevich. Paulichenka’s subordinates or some other special services’ men even fired in a car of Kazulin’s team members, who were trying to picture how law-enforcers were seizing and beating up people who had come to a police department of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk to support the arrested candidate for presidency Kazulin.

The center of Minsk was cordoned off since morning. Delegates of the so-called “all-Belarusian people’s assembly” were taken to the Palace of Republic by buses. The delegates were to support the policy of the dictatorship. October Square was fenced off by special barriers and cordoned off by policemen and policemen in mufti. Only persons with special passes were allowed to enter the square. As a result, traffic in Skaryna (Independence) Avenue has been blocked for the whole day today.

By 6 p.m. Svaboda Square, where presidential hopeful Alyaksandr Milinkevich was to meet with voters, was cordoned off as well. However, people were not stopped by that. Lenin Street, adjacent to Svaboda Square, was filled with thousands of Minsk dwellers, who wanted to meet with their candidate. People were holding portraits of Alyaksandr Milinkevich, streamers “Freedom!”, “Milinkevich!”, national white-red-white flags, blue flags with Our Lady of Minsk icon. Activsts of youth movements put up jeans shirts at flagpoles. People were chanting “Milinkevich!”, “Long Live Belarus!”, “Freedom! Truth! Justice!”

Syarhei Kalyakin, the head of Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s campaign headquarters, has called upon people to go to the Palace of Sports in Masherau Avenue. People went to the palace slowly and in an orderly way, however the way was stopped by thousands of riot policemen, SWAT and interior troops. Law-enforcers were equipped well: they had helmets, truncheons and shields. Trying to intimidate people, they were taking threatening attitudes, rattling by truncheons on their shields and shouting “Wolves!” (a battle cry of some special forces). However people were not frightened. They were laughing at them, looking in their faces closed by visors, cried “Shame!”

The single candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich stood in front of the wall of thousands of law-enforcers. He tried to appeal to conscience of each of them. He asked not to use violence against their people. After that Milinkevich and his team delivered speeches at the stairs of the sports center “labour reserves”. Milinkevich and his supporters were enclosed by policemen, but the candidate and his team still addressed the meeting.

Alyaksandr Milinkevich called upon people not to have fear, as actions of law-enforcing agencies are illegal. They are violating both Criminal and Electoral Code by preventing people to meet with the candidate for presidency. Milinkevich urged to come to Kastrychnitskaya (October) Square in Minsk on March 19, at 8 p.m., to sum up the results of the presidential elections. The single candidate took off a blue scarf and said: “Like the Zubr leader Mikita Sasim, when he was beaten up during a peaceful action on September 16, put up a jeans shirt instead of a flag, I want to put up my blue scarf and say: blue is our colour!”

The speeches of Milinkevich and his team members were accompanied by people’s chanting “Freedom!”, “Long Live Belarus!”, “Milinkevcih!” and “We shall win!”

After opposition leaders’ speeches a candidate for presidency Alyaksandr Kazulin arrived to Svaboda Square from a hospital. He was released earlier. Former rector of the Belarusian State University was released at 6 p.m. He came to Freedom Square on foot, to meet people. Kazulin also tried to talk to riot police, SWAT and interior troops. “You all are our sons! What are you doing with your fellow citizens!” the candidate said. As said by him, he saw understanding in the eyes of policemen, who “did not want to commit a crime and beat their friends, brothers and sisters”.

Today Milinkevich’s and Kazulin’s pre-recorded speeches, with some outtakes, were broadcast on Belarusian TV. People who watched TV speeches, are viewed as brilliant. Many Belarusians, participants of today’s events, say that March 2 has become the beginning of the Belarusian revolution.