Belarus rejects arresting opposition leader

Belarus rejects arresting opposition leader

2011-07-04 00:18:17 GMT+7 (ICT)

MINSK (BNO NEWS) -- Belarusian border guards on Sunday denied arresting opposition leader Stanislav Shushkevich on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, the spokesman for the Belarusian State Border Committee said.

Earlier in the day Shushkevich, who heads the opposition Social Democratic Party, told RIA Novosti that he was detained along with 12 students of the European Humanities University on the Belarusian territory after customs clearance. He said passports were taken from them.

The Belarusian State Border Committee, however, dismissed the report. "After document check Shushkevich was put back on a train," spokesman Alexander Khischrnko said. "Detention and document check should be discerned," he added.

The information on the alleged detention came ahead of a planned rally on Sunday, when Belarus celebrates its Independence Day, against President Alexander Lukashenko's economic policies. Two groups, the Revolution through Social Networks and Strategy for the Future, have been organizing protests in the past weeks. During the last protest, over 100 people were detained in the capital.

Lukashenko warned earlier that no strikes or unauthorized protests will be allowed over the recent economic measures.

On June 13, Belarus and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) began discussions for agreeing in a new program in order to achieve financial stability in the country. Belarus is seeking an IMF loan that could be granted depending on the balance of payments and other factors.

Belarus' financial crisis worsened last May when the National Bank of Belarus set the official exchange rate of the Belarusian Ruble against the U.S. dollar at Br 4,930 per $1, a devaluation of over 50 percent.

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