FROM THE PUBLISHER
Uladzimier (Uladzia) Katkouski worked in Prague as the Web-editor for RFE/RL Belarus Broadcast Service, and as the Internet Monitor for this publication.
A year ago, he and his wife were the victims of a horrendous accident in Prague, when a speeding fire engine, in order to avoid a street car, ran onto the sidewalk, injuring a number of people. His wife suffered grave injuries, Uladzia never came out of a deep coma. He passed away on May 26.
Still in his twenties, he was a dominant figure in Belarusian cyberspace. He was one of the creators of the website that listed all Belarusians who were repressed or killed by the Stalinist regime, the website www.svaboda.org was recognized as the best at RFE/RL, he initiated the creation of Belarusian-language Google. His website www.br23.net won the Grand Prix in 2006 among all Belarusian entries.
Nearly hundred bloggers paid tribute to Uladzimier in their diaries on the day of his passing. It was a tragic blow for the Belarusian nation.
Also in May, we lost another colleague. Alex Silwanowicz handled a number of administrative tasks for our publication. He passed on at 70, after a lengthy illness.
Alex was active in many areas of Belarusian-American community’s life. He was the co-Chairman of the Coalition in Defense of Democracy and Human rights in Belarus, participating in many of diaspora’s many official delegations. He very effectively aided the CityHope charitable organization in the distribution of millions dollars worth of medicines to those suffering in Belarus from the effects of the Chernobyl disaster. Alex served practically his whole life in a number of capacities in the Belarusian Autocephalic Orthodox Church, starting out as an altar boy and concluding as a lay leader.
His extensive computer skills and advice will be missed by many whom he selflessly helped out to become computer literate.
This article appeared in
Belarusian Review, Vol. 19, No.2
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