Opposition reserves itself for Day of Will

Belarusians celebrated the Day of Solidarity for the 18th time on March 16. Short actions in support of political prisoners and families of those who disappeared took place throughout the country. But they were all limited to posting portraits and hanging transparencies.

The youth organizations’ activists’ decision to avoid detentions and to hole up at home is understandable: March 25 is approaching. One of “Malady Front”’s activists explained to the European Radio for Belarus that the organization was getting ready for the action dated for the Day of Will.


Activist: “We are getting ready for the Day of Will, a holiday having no analogues. We will go into streets and squares on March 25 and go till Kalinouski Square”.

More searches took place in Minsk on the 18th Day of Solidarity. This time people in black visited the headquarters of “Batskaushchyna”. The head of “Batskaushchyna” council Alena Makouskaya answered our phone call when the search was already in process and the men in black were having another go.


Mіkhalai Karnyaichuk: “Do you think it is connected with March 16 or March 25”?

Alena Makouskaya: “You know, it is necessary to make conclusions when you know facts. I think it is connected. I cannot think of any other explanation. But it is probably connected with March 25”.


Interestingly: the law of solidarity worked well on March 16. According to it, if there is less solidarity in one place then there becomes more of it in some other place. March solidarity with Belarusian democrats was expressed in Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

In connection with a small amount of actions of solidarity throughout Belarus every one tried to express it in all possible ways.


Yura, programmer: “I’m somewhat lazy to go out at 6 p.m. today… But I have placed a banner on my web site!”


The majority of people are lazy or frightened – just like a Minsk programmer Yura. But is does not confuse anyone because there is less and less indifference to those whose relatives became victims of political repressions.


Mіkhalai Karneichuk, European Radio for Belarus.