October 16 - Day of Belarusian Solidarity

OCTOBER 16 - DAY OF BELARUSIAN SOLIDARITY, 05/10/2005

Preparation for the action of Belarusian solidarity on October 16 has started in twenty Belarusian towns. New graffiti - a number 16 in a circle, and leaflets with the same symbol, have appeared in Baranavichy, Slonim, Hrodna, Polatsk, Vitsebsk, Maladzechna, Vilejka, Barysau, Mahilyou, Homel, Babrujsk, Zaslaul, Smargon, Navagrudak, in different districts of Minsk and in other towns. Zubr activists and activists of other organizations have taken part in their dissemination.

A week ago one of the Zubr coordinators Mikita Sasim, the head of the civil initiative “we Remember” Iryna Krasouskaya and a well-known journalist Iryna Khalip called upon the Belarusians to switch off the light in their apartments for 15 minutes on October 16, at 8 p.m. and to put a burning candle to their window boards as a sign of solidarity with political prisoners and victims of political repressions.

See pictures: http://www.zubr-belarus.com/index.php?id=1499&lang=2


MIKITA SASIM: TIME OF IDLE TALK IS GONE

“October 16 is a day of solidarity with families of disappeared people, political prisoners, journalists and with all those who is fighting for Free Belarus,” – said one of Zubr coordinators Mikita Sasim During today’s press-conference. Well-known journalist Irina Khalip and chairman of civil initiative “We remember” member of council of civil initiatives Irina Krasovskaya.

According to Mikita Sasim, “we need to forget about fear. Solidarity is something that helps those who suffered from repressions not to give up and resist repressions. Time of idle talk is gone”.

“Each time I ask my friends why they did not come to protest action I can hear several replies: “I have one life and one health”, “I have a wife and a child”, “I have old parents”, “I have my business”, “there are very few of us”… But there are many of us indeed! We are majority. We just don’t have a mirror to see the truth,” – said Irina Khalip.

“You can’t hope that a person who came to gym will lift 100 kilogram weight. He needs to start from smaller ones. Let’s start from something small. We offer everybody just to sit in front of windows with candles and remember political prisoners and families of the disappeared people. Let the dark windows become a mirror. And we will see that there are really many of us in this mirror,” – said Irina Khalip.

Irina Krasovskaya thanked participants of all actions of solidarity with families of disappeared people and espessially participants of action on September 16 that turned into cruel repressions.

According to Irina Krasovskaya problem of disappeared politicians have got a new impulse in Europe recently. Convention of UN about prevention of violent disappearances is expected in March of 2006. According to the convention people who were involved in violent disappearances will be tried as well as people who are hiding the truth about this crimes.