No need to be an expert on Belarus as long as there is enthusiasm and and inspiration. The appointment will be between summer 2010 and summer 2011 and will thus include planning for a pro-democracy movement being ready for the presidential elections in Belarus in early 2011.

Deadline for application is on June 5.

For the full call visit the IFLRY Homepage.

It is very unfortunate that this should happen on a night that should be focusing on campaigning peacefully for a free Belarus. And our hearts go out to the Russian activists that have been affected by this.

One hundred flags where hung along central streets in Minsk and created a lot of attention for the hour that they where allowed to hang there.

The activists was arrested and sentenced to heavy fines, however not for actually hanging the flags themselves (since it is not against any Belarusian law) but for “petty hooliganism”.

The exhibition is made by artists Aleksander Pushkin, Yelena Sarikas and Aleksandr Shaternik, and the first attended the opening in Oslo.

In addition to the exhibition Liberal Youth of Norway (NUV) will have serveral other activities relating to Belarus in the coming days.

Links related to Art Against Dictatorship in Oslo:

http://www.ungevenstre.no/arkiv/artikler/kunst-mot-diktatur/

http://www.amnestyfilmfestival.nl/film/2144

We had four days full of meetings and sightseeing in the country often called the “Last Dictatorship of Europe”, and had the chance to hear about and even experience a bit of what challenges the political opposition here faces.

A report, in the form of an article, will be published in Libel, in connection with the IFLRY General Assembly in the Hague, mid-November.

Rybak who was born in Belarus, but brought up in Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest this year and was initially cheered on by most of Belarusian diaspora.

However, in May Rybak went to Belarus and performed for the dictator in the Presidential palace, and has recieved great critique for not putting the violations against human rights in his birthcountry on the agenda but instead supporting the current regime.

Young Liberals of Norway critiques Rybak for posting a picture of him and Lukashenko where Rybak is smiling. With the picture a statement was also posted where Rybak is claiming: “because of him (Lukashenko) Minsk is the cleanest and most beautiful city in Europe.”

Also the Secretary General of Amnesty Norway John Peder Egenaes says in Dagbladet.no (Norwegian), that Rybak’s statement promotes the dictator despite proof of human rights violations in Belarus.

Belarus is still officially knwon as Vitryssland in Sweden, but after the victory with dictionaries there is great hope for the government to make if final.

This is the state radio in a country that allegedly promotes democracy and human rights in Belarus, and on top of all just entered their six months presidency for the EU.

According to an article in ekuriren.se Ingemar Löfgren, editor-in-chief of SR International claims that the Swedish transmissions in Belarusian can be replaced by Russian radio since the Belarusians speak and understand Russian as well.  The authors of the article deems  this statement to be very ignorant considering the importance of the Belarusian language for the opposition in Belarus.

This has led the Charter ’97 Press Center to conclude that the freedoms of the Belarusian people, on the contrary to what EU might want to think, still are repressed. It is also obvious that the writers of the article do not have the same belief in todays attempts at diplomacy as the European politicians.

There was still fighting going on after the 3 July, and on 27 July 1944 the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Belarus was signed and is thus be considered the real Independence Day by some.