CHIGIR - PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE

Amnesty International (AI) announced on April 15 that it believes that Mikhail Chigir, Belarusian ex-prime minister, has been imprisoned for his active role in the forthcoming opposition presidential elections. "He appears to have been targeted by the authorities solely because of his political beliefs and peaceful opposition activities. Accordingly, AI considers him a prisoner of conscience and is greatly concerned about the pattern of ill-treatment and imprisonment of opposition members," the statement said, adding that the authorities have not responded to the repeated inquires, which AI has made. (Reuters, April 16)

CHIGIR'S WIFE KEEPS DEMANDING HER HUSBAND’S RELEASE

On April 13, Julia Chigir met her husband at the pre-trial detention center, where he is being held. According to Mrs. Chigir, the investigation has come almost to a halt, and the investigators have made no inquiries into the Canadian company, which allegedly stole money with Chigir’s help. She also believes that the investigators are now looking into the Chigirs' summer house near Minsk. She has stressed that the house was built on her husband's savings, that no loans were involved, and that previous inspections failed to reveal any illegal actions in the construction.

On April 13, she filed another petition that her husband be released until the trial, this time with the Minsk City Court. "The investigators have no direct or indirect evidence that my husband committed the crime he is charged with," reads Mrs. Chigir's new petition. According to her, the Minsk Tsentralny District Court refused to release Mikhail Chigir until trial because of the severity of the charges. In her opinion, the investigators have no grounds to fear that her husband would flee if released. "Before his arrest, my husband was repeatedly warned that he could be arrested, but chose to stay in Belarus." (Belapan, April 13)

…WHILE CANADIAN FIRM READY TO PROVE CHIGIR'S INNOCENCE

Canada's Lawrence Avenue Group Ltd. is ready to provide evidence that will refute charges brought against Mikhail Chigir, his wife Julia told Belapan on April 13. According to her, on April 12 the head of Lawrence Avenue Group Ltd. told her over the phone that he had sent notarized copies of some documents proving Chigir's innocence to Moscow. (Belapan, April 13)

OPPOSITION LEADER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 1999 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

The prospects of the opposition presidential elections scheduled for May 16, 1999, are "not as bad as they seem to some," Semyon Sharetsky, chairman of the 13^th Supreme Soviet, told Belapan on April 12. According to him, 180 territorial election commissions have been established throughout Belarus, as planned. Zyanon Paznyak, chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front, and ex-Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir have collected the required number of signatures, and both have been registered by the opposition Central Electoral Commission (CEC) as presidential candidates. The opposition CEC and its local branches are now reviewing lists of lower election commission members. All this has been done despite strong pressure from the government, Sharetsky stressed. (Belapan, April 12)

VICTOR GONCHAR RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD

Victor Gonchar, chairman of the opposition CEC, was awarded the international Philip Orlick Prize for his commitment to democratic ideas and civic values, the opposition CEC press center reported on April 9. The presentation ceremony will be held in Kiev in May. Gonchar may not be able to personally attend due to a criminal investigation that has been launched against him in connection with his role in the organization of the opposition presidential elections. (Charter 97, April 12)

NO FREEDOM OF SPEECH FOR OPPOSITION

Victor Gonchar postponed a news conference, which was scheduled for April 15. According to the press center of the opposition CEC, the police sealed off the building where the news conference was supposed to be held. The electrical supply to the building was cut off ostensibly for power grid repairs. The opposition CEC will try to hold the conference on April 21. (Belapan, April 15)

NEW WAVE OF REPRESSION AGAINST PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ACTIVISTS

On April 9, the opposition CEC press center reported on a new wave of repression against members of both the opposition central and local electoral commissions. Khensky, a member of the local electoral commission in Novopolotsk (Vitebsk region), was summoned to the local prosecutor’s office, but was hospitalized on the eve of the interrogation with a heart attack.

Nikolai Sharagsh, the chairman of the opposition electoral commission in Polotsk (Vitebsk region), was officially warned against the "illegal establishment of an electoral commission in violation of the Law on Presidential Elections."

In Mogilev, the police searched the apartments of members of the local opposition electoral commission. The searches were conducted after police received several anonymous phone calls informing them of drugs and weapons, which were allegedly hidden in these apartments. As a result of the search, the police confiscated documents and materials related to the election campaign.

Lilia Sazanovets, a member of the opposition electoral commission in Lida (Grodno region), was interrogated in a district police station as part of the criminal investigation launched against Victor Gonchar. After the uninterrupted 10-hour interrogation, Sazanovets was hospitalized with hypertension. (Charter 97, April 12)

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

On April 12, addressing the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva during the session devoted to civil and political rights, Frank Loy, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Affairs, pointed out that there are still countries where governments are subjecting their citizens to indignities. He said that "in Belarus, President Lukashenko is imprisoning opposition leaders trying to hold a presidential election in accordance with the constitution he arbitrarily threw out two years ago. The recent local elections made a mockery of democracy and were based on a new law that flouts the OSCE standards." Belarusian representative Stanislav Ogourtsov responded by pointing out that now is a difficult period in Belarusian history because the country has just begun "shaping a democratic society and conducting market reforms." "Despite all the difficulties, the Belarusian authorities are determined to maintain a political dialogue with foreign countries and international organizations. While trying to preserve social stability, the Belarusian government respects the rule of law, fundamental human rights and freedoms, and political pluralism," he said. (Belapan, M2 PRESSWIRE, April 12)

BELARUSIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE CRITISIZES LOCAL ELECTIONS

On April 15, the monitoring service of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) reported serious irregularities during the April 4 local elections in Belarus, stressing that "for the first time since the demise of the former USSR, elections in Belarus were phony in nature…In order to hang on to power, the ruling regime is resorting to such actions as staging quasi-elections and hindering a free and legitimate election to be held in May," reads the statement. The BHC pointed out that there was only one candidate per seat in many constituencies, claimed that election commissions denied registration to anti-Lukashenko candidates under dubious pretexts, and insisted that the executive authorities exerted pressure on the administration of business enterprises, public organizations, and higher educational institutions to ensure a high voter turnout. Most of the candidates all over the country were virtually picked by the executive authorities. Undesirable candidates were denied any access to the mass media. (Belapan, April 15)

… WHILE ITS RE-REGISTRATION SUSPENDED

On April 6, the BHC received an order from the Ministry of Justice to alter its charter within one month. "The General Prosecutor's office has repeatedly drawn the attention of the Ministry of Justice to a discrepancy between a clause in the BHC's charter, which outlines the limits of its human rights activities, and Article 22 of the Law on Public Associations, under which NGOs have the right to represent only the interests of their members in governmental, economic, and public entities. Other citizens’ interests should be defended in accordance with the procedure provided for by legislation," reads the letter from the Ministry. According to the BHC monitoring service, the BHC sent several dozens of petitions to the General Prosecutor's office in 1998, asking it to review certain court rulings. This year, the number of citizens’ appeals to the BHC has risen. The Ministry of Justice has issued 2 warnings to the BHC (on March 10 and on March 12, 1999), one of which was written. The warnings may be used as a pretext to shut down the organization. On April 13, the BHC issued a statement pointing out that it will continue its human rights activities despite the authorities' campaign against the organization…" (Belapan, April 14)

INDEPENDENT OBSERVERS UNCOVER 228 VIOLATIONS AT LOCAL ELECTIONS

On April 13, Vladimir Gudeyev, chairman of the All-Belarusian Club of Voters told journalists that the local elections were aimed to completely subordinate local councils to the central executive branch. According to him, the authorities wanted to squeeze members of the opposition from the local councils, despite the modest role the councils play in today's Belarus. "Trying to achieve this objective, the authorities directly violated voters' rights," Gudeyev said. According to him, during the first round, as many as 228 irregularities at 115 voting centers have been reported to the Club's Minsk office. (Belapan, April 14)

VINIKOVA'S SON DOES NOT BELIEVE HIS MOTHER ESCAPED

Vadim Vinikov, son of Tamara Vinikova, who allegedly escaped from her house arrest on April 8, does not believe that his mother's disappearance from her Minsk apartment, where police officers were constantly present, was an escape. "She would never run or hide," he said in an interview to the independent newspaper Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta. According to Vinikov, who now lives in London with his wife and is studying for a MBA degree, his mother "is the type of person who never give up what she begins. Accused of something that she did not do, she would never try to escape." As Vadim Vinikov said, when he last spoke to his mother over the phone, she did not sound anxious and just complained about her heart because she needed urgent surgery. "I am inclined to think that something horrible happened to her," said Vinikov. (Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, April 14)

EX-MINISTER WILL BE TRIED IN MAY

On April 15, after an extensive investigation by the Belarusian General Prosecutor's Office, the criminal case of Vasily Leonov, the former Belarusian Minister of Agriculture, was submitted to the Supreme Court. Leonov is charged with large-scale embezzlement, large-scale bribery, abuse of office, and illegal possession of ammunition. He has been detained at a pre-trial detention center of the Ministry of the Interior since November 11, 1997. The trial will probably begin in May. (Belapan, April 15)

STREMKOVSKAYA CHARGED UNDER CRIMINAL CODE ARTICLE…

A criminal charge has been brought against Vera Stremkovskaya, a prominent civil rights attorney, under Article 128 of the Belarusian Criminal Code. If convicted, she may spend up to three years in prison or two years of hard labor. According to Anatoly Kabernik, prosecutor in the city of Kirovsk (Mogilev region), the case was initiated by Anatoly Smolentsev, chief of the investigation of a criminal case against Starovoitov, whom Stremkovskaya is defending. Smolentsev claims that during a recent court hearing, Stremkovskaya defamed him by asking what happened to 40 bottles of French cognac confiscated during the search at Starovoitov’s house. Stremkovskaya told a Belapan correspondent that she believes that her question was lawful. She also stated that Smolentsev himself was not present during the court session when the question was raised. (Belapan, April 15)

SO IS ZAKHARENKO

A criminal investigation was launched against Yuri Zakharenko, the former Minister of Internal Affiars, who was accused of interfering in the activities of state officials (Article 188-2 of the Belarusian Criminal Code). Charges against Zakharenko were launched on the basis of complaints from three officials at the Gomel department of interior affairs. According to them, Zakharenko called and reminded them "about the honor and duties of an officer," which they all interpreted as a personal threat. Zakharenko explained that he called the Gomel police officials after that announced a search for his car, which was not stolen. Zakharenko believes the action was part of an effort to harass him for his opposition activities. He is member of the election team of Mikhail Chigir and an organizer of the Union of Belarusian Officers (Belapan, 16 April).

ENTREPRENEURS STRIKE AGAIN

Entrepreneurs who work at the Dinamo stadium in Minsk carried out a strike on April 16. Some 5,000 retail traders protested against pressure from tax collection authorities, which raided the stadium, looking for traders selling uncertified goods. As leaders of the "Solidarity" trade union explained, it can take several months to receive all the proper certification, enough to drive traders out of business. (Charter 97, April 16)

FREE TRADE UNIONS BANED FROM MARCHING AGAINST POVERTY

The Minsk City authorities refused to permit the Belarusian Free Trade Union and the Free Trade Union of Steelworkers to hold a demonstration march against declining living standards. The decision made by the Minsk City Council on April 9 allowed workers only to hold a meeting near the Belarusian Theatre of Opera and Ballet, but prohibited them from marching from large Minsk enterprises to the place of the demonstration. Plans to hold pickets at the entrance gates of factories and plants to inform workers of the place and date of the demonstration were found inappropriate as well. In his interview with the press center of Charter 97, Victor Ivashkevich, Vice-president of the Congress of Democratic Forces of Belarus, said that "the authorities are merely afraid of the anger the workers feel towards them." (Charter 97, April 12)

ORGANIZERS OF ANTI-FASCIST MARCH IN MINSK FINED

On April 16, Dmitry Bondarenko and Valery Kostko, organizers of the Anti-fascist march on February 27 in Minsk, stood trial. They were found guilty of a public disorder violation and fined 80 million Belarusian rubles (about US$222) and 75 million Belarusian rubles (about US$208) respectively. (Charter 97, April 15)

MINSK SYNAGOGUE SET ON FIRE

On April 11, unidentified persons set fire to the main synagogue in Minsk. The building also houses the office of the Belarusian Association of Jewish Organizations. According to Yury Dorn, the president of the Association, a night guard saw smoke pouring into the synagogue through the entrance door. He could not open the burning door and called firemen, who had no difficulty putting out the fire. The arsonists left an inscription on the wall, "Kill Jews, Save Russia!" A can of paint spray was found near the building. Police seized the can as evidence and took pictures of the damage caused by the fire as well as the inscription on the wall. According to Dorn, the entrance door burned down completely and the paint on the ground floor was scorched. "This arson is a sort of echo from the spread of fascist ideology among some Belarusian youths. I think those were teenagers from the Russian National Unity who did this," Dorn said. (Belapan, April 12)

BPF CALLS ON CITIZENS TO CONFRONT RISING FASCISM

On April 15, the Belarusian Popular Front issued a statement calling on all Belarusian residents to "confront fascism moving in from the East…The sacred place of our Jewish countrymen became a target of an attack by Russian fascist forces. The act was especially cynical because it was organized on Holocaust Commemoration Day." (Radio 101.2, April 15)

PARLIAMENT STIFFENS PUNISHMENT FOR OBSTRUCTIONS OF "JUSTICE"

On April 14 the House of Representatives of the Belarusian National Assembly approved amendments to the Belarusian Code of Administrative Offences, which will provide harsher penalties for hindering the KGB's activities. Those who deny access to business enterprises or public organizations, or try to evade interrogations when state security issues are involved will be fined up to 30 minimum monthly wages (MMW). Resisting inspections or denying access to data bases can also be punished by a fine not exceeding 30 MMW. Illegal entry into facilities guarded by the KGB would entail a jail sentence of up to 15 days or a fine of five MMW, or both. The lower house approved the bill, recommending that it be supplemented with a clause requiring KGB inspectors to have a written warrant for access to data bases in order to avoid power abuse. (Belapan, April 14)

SECOND ROUND OF LOCAL ELECTIONS HELD.

The turnout at the second round of local elections to regional and city councils was 33.5% and 32.5% respectively. This exceeded the official minimum turnout of 25%. Belarusian opposition parties boycotted the voting, noting the undemocratic nature of the election law. (16 April, Belarusian TV).

LUKASHENKO VOWS TO DOUBLE BELARUS’S MILITARY POTENTIAL

"The military potential of Belarus should be doubled in the next two years. As soon as tomorrow, the most up-to-date arms will be purchased to modernize the air forces and air defense systems of the country," President Lukashenko declared to the RIA News Agency. Lukashenko explained that "if the Balkans are lost, Belarus will be next object of NATO aggression." (RIA Novosti, 16 April).

MILITARY PILOTS HOLD STRIKE IN PROTEST AGAINST INCREASED RETIREMENT AGE

From April 6 to April 9, the pilots of two squadrons at the Baranavichy military air force base were on strike, protesting against the government's Resolution No.13, which increased the maximum age of retirement for servicemen. At the moment, they must be 40 years old as opposed to the previous age of 30. No measures have yet been taken against the strikers. According to some reports, the Baranavichy pilots may be supported by their colleagues from other air force bases. (BBC, April 14)

"WE ALL ARE CHILDREN OF GORBACHEV"

Lukashenko said these words during his meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, the first and last president of the USSR, in Minsk on April 15. Lukashenko expressed regret that this prominent politician was not involved in resolving the Kosovo crisis, because "this conflict needs heavy weight politicians". Gorbachev expressed certainty that Lukashenko's visit to Belgrade will contribute to the peaceful settlement of the Balkans conflict. He pointed out that the international community has devoted insufficient attention to Belarus’s problems and has underestimated the country’s potential. The former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR promised to initiate a Minsk-based international conference on Belarus’s pressing economic and political problems. (Belapan, April 16)

BELARUS WILL BOYCOTT NATO'S 50^TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVITIES

At a press conference on April 15, Ural Latypov, Belarusian Foreign Minister, announced that Belarus will not take part in the April 23-25 festivities in Washington, D.C., for NATO's 50^th anniversary. Latypov reiterated that Belarus had broken off all contacts with NATO at the beginning of the Alliance’s operations against Yugoslavia. "Aggression and anniversary festivities are incompatible," said Latypov. (Belapan, April 15)

BELARUSIAN LARGEST TRADE UNION CALLS ON UNIONS IN NATO STATES

On April 15 the Trade Union of Automobile and Agricultural Equipment Manufacturers, the largest trade union in Belarus, called on the ILO and unions in the NATO member states to stage mass protests against NATO's military operation in Yugoslavia. "Ethnic and religious conflicts cannot be resolved with the help of military interference. Wars and hostilities play into the hands of business magnates and dictators, they destroy international solidarity of workers, weaken the struggle for their rights, deal a heavy blow to trade unions, and lead to cutting and reducing social programs and a decline in living standards," reads the statement. (Belapan, April 15)

LUKASHENKA TO PUNISH FARMERS NOT MEETING QUOTAS
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenko has signed a decree "on the responsibility for [those] failing to fulfill contracts for supplying agricultural products to the state," Belarusian Television reported on 8 April. Under the decree, collective farm managers who refuse to sign contracts with the state on agricultural supplies or fail to fulfill such contracts may be disciplined for a "gross violation of labor obligations." In particular, those who avoid signing such contracts may be fined up to 200 minimum monthly wages. Pre-paid state contracts for agricultural supplies--which usually set prices for agricultural products below their production cost--are the principal method of running the state- sponsored agricultural sector in Belarus. (RFE/RL, April 12)

NATO INTENSIFIES BOMBING AS LUKASHENKO VISITS BELGRADE

On April 14 Lukashenko met with Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade. The Belarusian president was the first foreign head of state to visit Belgrade since the start of NATO's bombing campaign three weeks earlier. Prior to his talks with Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, Lukashenko said that he was not seeking the role of a peacemaker, but would like to contribute to stopping the war. The Belarusian leader stressed that he had come to Belgrade as the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Russia -Belarus Union. [On April 12, the Yugoslav parliament voted unanimously to join Russia-Belarus Union]. (Agence France Presse, April 14)

Upon his return to Minsk, Lukashenko complained that NATO did not halt the bombings during his visit and did not allow his plane to attain the proper altitude in its flight. "Whatever their attitude to Lukashenko, he is a state leader, and to bomb during his visit is a violation of international law," he said. The Belarusian leader added that he and Yeltsin would discuss ways to help Belgrade, but said military help would come only in extreme circumstances. "I am very limited in my actions without Russia’s backing," he confessed. Yeltsin, who is facing possible impeachment hearings and is anxious to appease the opposition-dominated parliament which supports the idea of providing immediate military assistance to Yugoslavia, has said that he favors Yugoslavia’s joining the Russia-Belarus Union. On April 16, the Russian State Duma backed the decision of the Yugoslavian parliament to join the Russia-Belarus Union. (Interfax, April 16)

…TO BOOST HIS POPULARITY

Commenting on Lukashenko's recent trip to Belgrade, the independent newspaper Naviny, ran a front-page article titled "Something to Tell His Grandchildren." The article read, "Lukashenko has made another populist step in order to demonstrate to the entire world that he is the most consistent champion of the Slavs. What can possibly yield more political dividend in the eye of the Slavic patriots in Belarus, Russia, and Serbia than a trip to a country in a state of war?" (Naviny, April 16)

DUMA SUPPORTS YUGOSLAVIA APPLICATION…

The Russian State Duma voted overwhelmingly to approve Yugoslavia’s application to join the Union of Russia and Belarus. Out of 450 deputies, 293 voted in favor of the initiative, while only 54, all members of the Yabloko faction, voted against. (Russian National News Service, 17 April)

… WHILE MONTENEGRO REFUSES TO JOIN UNION

Montenegro has sharply rejected Belgrade's plan to join a Slavic alliance with Russia and Belarus, saying the move could spark the end of the Yugoslav Federation between Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro has sharply rejected Belgrade's plan to join a Slavic alliance with Russia and Belarus, saying the move could spark the end of the Yugoslav Federation between Serbia and Montenegro. Since the pro-Western government of President Milo Djukanovic took power in Montenegro last year, the republic has been distancing itself from the Belgrade regime. (BBC, 13 April)