Vol. 2, No. 8

February 1999

BELARUSIAN JUDGE PRESSURED BY HIGHER-UPS SEEKS ASYLUM

Yury Sushkov, judge of the Leninky District Court in the city of Bobruisk, has applied to several European countries for political asylum. At a February 19 press conference organized by the Spring 96 Human Rights Center in Minsk, Judge Shushkov announced that he made this unprecedented decision after experiencing extreme pressure from the local authorities regarding a case on his docket. Two Bobruisk customs officers, whose last names are Drozd and Potarykin, allegedly committed a series of criminal offenses at the Bobruisk Hydrolytic Factory. After studying the materials of the case, Judge Sushkov sincerely doubted that the defendants were guilty and was inclined to acquit them. However, various representatives of the local law enforcement agencies – prosecutors on the case, KGB agents, and the chief judge of his court – continued to harass Sushkov for several months. "At the time," noted Judge Sushkov, "I was unable to acquit them as the law and justice required; that’s why I think it is necessary to talk about it now." Under pressure from superiors, Judge Sushkov reported that he had"sentenced the accused to 2.5 and 4.5 years of imprisonment". In his petition for retirement, the judge wrote: "I can no longer go against my conscience, against my principles. It is impossible to guard the rule of law in the totalitarian state ruled by dictator Lukashenko." Sushkov sent his long letter listing various arbitrary acts of the local authorities and the judiciary to the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Mission in Belarus, the Presidential Administration, and human rights organizations. "For obvious reasons, I am now forced to seek asylum in a democratic country." (Charter 97, February 19)

PROTESTERS DEMAND FREEDOM FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS

United Civic Party activists once again staged a rally in support of political prisoners, to protest continued human rights violations in Minsk. About 20 picketers demanded freedom for Andrei Klimov and Vladimir Koudinov, deputies of the 13^th Supreme Soviet; Alyaksey Shydlouski, a member of the Malady Front; and Vladimir Pleshchanko, leader of the Vitebsk branch of the Belarusian Popular Front. Among the protesters were wives of Andrei Klimov and Vladimir Koudinov and other relatives. Many passers-by expressed indignation at the authorities' actions, and expressed sympathy with the prisoners' relatives. (Belapan, February 11)

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF KLIMOV'S IMPRISONMENT.

February 11 marks the first anniversary since the arrest of Andrei Klimov, a parliamentarian believed to be jailed on false charges in reprisal for his signature on the impeachment order against President Lukashenko. Klimov’s children have repeatedly demonstrated on their father’s behalf and continue to hold out hope that he will one day be released. This time, they stood behind afence of barbed wire constructed for the occasion and held up a poster: "We’ll Never Forget How They Tormented Our Daddy". (Charter 97, February 12)

KOUDINOV’S WIFE PLANS NEW PICKET

On February 18, Zoya Koudinova, wife of deputy Vladimir Koudinov, applied for a permission to hold a picket in front of Labor Colony UZ-15/1 on Opanskaya Street in Minsk, where her husband is serving his term. The action is planned on March 9. (Charter 97, February 18)

EUROPEANS SUPPORT CHARTER 97

On February 11, Charter 97 received a letter from Elisabeth Schrodter, member of the European Parliament, on the occasion of the Russian National Unity’s attack on Charter activists. "We were shocked to hear about that brutal aggression . I want to express again my full support of the Charter 97 activities. You and all those who struggle for a free and democratic Belarus enjoy the deepest respect and sympathy of me and my colleagues in the European Parliament," the letter reads. Another letter was received on February 10 from Anders Johnson, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. "I would like to let you know how appalled I am at the attack which was carried out against you…. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope that this attack will not remain unpunished," he wrote. (Charter 97, February 12)

CHARTER 97 ACTIVIST TESTIFIES ABOUT ASSAULT

On February 15, Oleg Bebenin, press secretary of Charter 97, was subpoenaed to the Partisansky District Police Station in Minsk to testify about the February 5 assault by members of the fascist Russian National Unity on Charter 97 activists. The police have instituted criminal proceedings and officially registered Bebenin as a victim. Before visiting the detectives, Oleg Bebenin was discharged from the hospital where he had been treated for bruises. Andrei Sannikov, who had been beaten most severely, suffering three broken ribs and a fractured nose, was also officially registered by police as a victim of an assult (Charter 97, February 17)

MALADY FRONT ACTIVISTS ARRESTED

On February 14, police rounded up and detained about 20 people taking part in an unsanctioned march delivering messages to foreign embassies urging ambassadors not to recognize Lukashenko's government after July 1999. The action was organized by Malady Front, a youth organization associated with the Belarusian Popular Front. After visiting the embassies of the United Kingdom and Italy, the protesters were surrounded by police forces who outnumbered them. The policemen prevented the marchers from walking away; some protesters were seized and a few were badly beaten by plainclothes agents. According to witnesses, Malady Front member Ales Petckevich was severely beaten and detained. On February 15, the activists of the Malady Front detained after the march were brought to court. Evgeny Skochko and Victor Antonov were sentenced to 10 and 5 days of arrest, respectively. According to the Spring 96 Human Rights Center, other demonstrators were fined or received formal warnings. A number of minors were arrested; under the law, they are not usually supposed to stand trial and should be released after a short registration procedure at a police station. Ales Petckevich, Andrei Lyakh, Sergei Prasyanoi, and Sergei Pashkevich received warnings. Banel Iliash, 51, and Kouchun Kazimir, 46, who attempted to defend the youth during the arrests, were fined. (Spring 96, February 17)

TWO PEOPLE IN GOMEL CHARGED WITH ORGANIZING UNSANCTIONED RALLY

Vladimir Shitikov and Alexey Zaranok were detained by the Gomel police under Art. 167 of the Administrative Code for organizing an unsanctioned rally. Victor Gonchar, Chairman of the Opposition Central Electoral Committee, also attended the gathering; he had come to Gomel to evaluate the preparation for the May presidential elections. Ivan Smolikov, head of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Gomel City Council, and Alexander Solovyov, deputy head of the Gomel Municipal Department of Internal Affairs, also attended. After the meeting was over, several plain-clothes people detained Shitikov and Zaranok and took them to a police department. Two police reports were filed on administrative offenses (Radio 101.2, February 12)

PRESIDENT LUKASHENKO: "NO PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN 1999!"

On February 10, during a visit to Syktyvkar in northern Russia, Lukashenko expressed surprise at a suggestion apparently made earlier by Amb. Jessica Pearce, the British envoy to Belarus, that presidential elections should be held this year. "What have our elections to do with you? We are not telling the British when to elect [sic] a monarch or government. Nor we are we inspecting Clinton's clothes," he replied. "There is only one reason for the ever mounting pressure on Belarus: the West does not like the firm policy of the Belarusian leadership regarding close integration with Russia," Lukashenko added. (Interfax, February 10)

KGB GEARS UP ITS "ELECTION CAMPAIGN"

On February 13, the Belarusian KGB announced that it viewed opposition attempts to organize a presidential election as a "conspiracy to overthrow the government." "The organization of these elections is a pure anti-state conspiracy, with its ultimate goal to seize power, and thus belongs to an especially dangerous class of crime," Fyodor Kotov, KGB spokesman, told Reuters. Such crimes are punishable by 12 years in prison or by the death penalty, he added. Kotov stressed that Victor Gonchar, the former head of the official Central Electoral Committee and now head of the Opposition Electoral Committee, had been repeatedly warned of the possible consequences of his activities. "He is violating the law and destabilizing the social and political climate in the republic." Boris Gyunter, Secretary of the Opposition Central Electoral Committee, told Reuters that the opposition will continue its preparations regardless of official pressure. "We aren't afraid of pressure from the authorities," he said, adding that the Committee had protested to the government about the KGB warnings. "Elections are the inalienable right of the people to choose their government, both under the country's constitution and its numerous international treaties" (Reuters, February 16)

SECOND WARNING FROM KGB

The Vitebsk Region KGB office issued an official warning to Iosif Naumchik, deputy chairman of the Opposition Central Electoral Committee in Vitebsk Region, pointing out the "illegal nature of his activities". "Such actions lead to the social and political destabilization in the country. They conflict with the current legislation and can result in the criminal charge of a coup d'etat under Art. 61 of the Belarusian Criminal Code," the warning says. (Radio 101.2, February 17)

SIX INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS THREATENED WITH CLOSURE

At a press conference on February 15, Mikhail Podgainy, Chairman of the Belarusian Press Committee, announced that the Committee had issued official warnings to six opposition newspapers. He named five of them: Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, Svobodnye Novosti, Naviny, Narodnaya Volya, and Pahonya. The warning was prompted by the newspapers’ publication of the Opposition Central Electoral Committee’s announcement concerning the May presidential elections. Irina Khalip, Editor-in-Chief of the weekly Imya, said in the interview to the Charter 97 Press Center that her newspaper is the sixth victim. Unlike the other newspapers, the warning to Imya was provoked by Khalip’s article "Election: Dangerous Zone", published on February 4. In the view of the Press Committee, the article also contained calls for overthrowing the state. However, the opposition and human rights advocates characterize this as another effort by the Belarusian authorities to impede the Opposition Electoral Committee. According to a letter from the Ministry of Justice cited by the Press Committee, publications of the announcement amount to violation of several articles of the Constitution and Art. 5 of the Law on Press, which forbids any calls for forcible overthrow of the government. Under the Press Law, the authorities may close a newspaper after issuing a second warning. (Charter 97, February 17)

…BUT ARE DETERMINED TO PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION

Leading independent newspaper editors-in-chief vowed to resist the government’s threats and continue publishing, they announced at a February 17 news conference. Iosif Seredich, editor-in-chief of Narodnaya Volya, Pavel Zhuk of Naviny, Peter Martsev of Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, and Alexander Tomkovich of the Svobodnye Novosti newspaper, announced their joint position regarding recent official warnings, characterizing them as an attempt to strangle the freedom of the press at the very moment that public activity is dramatically increasing. "The Press Committee’s warnings will be appealed in court, although we have no illusion about the outcome of the appeal. We realize that if the command to close opposition newspapers was already given, they will be closed. The publication of the Opposition Central Electoral Committee’s notices is only a pretext," the editors said. However, they will continue to publish all the information about the Opposition Central Electoral Committee: "Our professional duty is to deliver full information to the reader. If the newspapers are closed, will use other methods to fulfill it". The editors urged citizens of Belarus and journalists all over the world to support press freedom in Belarus. (Charter 97, February 17)

BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS SEEK SUPPORT IN UKRAINE

On February 18, a large group of editors and publishers of Belarusian independent newspapers travelled to Kiev, the capital of neighboring Ukraine. The Belarusians will meet their Ukrainian counterparts to discuss plans of assistance to Belarusian newspapers in case of their closure by the government. (Charter 97, February 18)

"BOSNIAN OPTION" IN BELARUS

On February 17, the Opposition Central Electoral Committee applied to the OSCE AGM in Belarus for technical assistance in holding the presidential elections. In essence, the request asks for carrying out the so-called "Bosnian option" for election registration. This method was implemented for the first time in 1993 during the general elections in Bosnia. At that time the OSCE provided the country with identification equipment. A voter enters a car and pushes a button, and his or her fingerprint is collected and stored in a single database, thus preventing anyone from voting twice. Given past OSCE experience, this feature could play a very important role in carrying out the presidential elections. The Law on the Presidential Elections permits voting to start ten days before the scheduled date. This makes it possible for the government to send people around the country for several days, who can vote repeatedly without any record in a number of regions. (RFE/RL, February 17)

BNF ACTIVIST DENIED AIR TIME

Lyavon Barscheuski, deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front , requested Oleg Bozhelko, Belarusian Prosecutor-General, to bring criminal charges against the Belarus National Radio and Television Company. Barscheuski stated in his complaint that on February 11, he filed a written request to Gregory Kisel, the Company chairman, requesting air-time for BPF leaders under Art. 5 of Belarus Constitution. "35 days have passed since then; Kisel has failed to respond, which is a clear violation of the Constitution and other laws," Barscheuski wrote. (Radio 101.2, February 19)

COMMUNISTS PROTEST AGAINST POLISH PARLIAMENT'S MESSAGE

On February 11, Belarusian communists picketed the building of the Polish embassy in Minsk. About 50 representatives of the Movement of Working People of Belarus for Democracy, Social Progress and Justice, and the Belarusian Patriotic Party protested against the message to Belarusians, adopted by the Polish Sejm last January. The protestors carried banners: "As long as Lukashenko is in power, the sun shines in our windows", and "Pani from the Polish Sejm, do not spit into the faces of those who liberated you from fascist occupation". Ambassador Mariusz Maszkiewicz accepted a statement to the Polish nation from the Belarusian Patriotic Party, which says that by adopting its message, the Polish Sejm obsequiously fulfilled its orders from its Western masters. (BBC, February 13)

BELARUS WILL SUPPLY WEAPONRY TO ANGOLA AND CHINA

While the UN peacekeeping mission winds up its activities in Angola, it has become common knowledge that not only Russia but also its strategic ally, Belarus, have begun to develop military-technical contacts with official Luanda. The financial and economic crisis in Belarus forces the authorities to search for any means of getting foreign currency. Attention has again been turned to the army arsenals. Belarus recently signed a contract with Angola under which seven BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles were dispatched to Luanda on an Ukrainian Air Force military aircraft from the Machulishchi Aerodrome. Further, by the end of February, Belarus will supply Angola with several Grad or Smerch multiple rocket launchers and several types of ammunition for artillery and small-arms weapons. In addition to the Angolan contract, Belarus has now begun dispatching to China two field army pipelines including about 300 km of corrosion-resistant pipes of various size, vehicles for their transportation based on the Kraz chassis, diesel pumping stations, mobile power stations, special tanks for fuel and lubricant residue, and installation equipment. (BBC, February 17)

LUKASHENKO DENIES SUPPLYING ARMS TO IRAQ

On February 17, Lukashenko denied alleged arms supplies to Iraq which would have side-stepped UN sanctions. Lukashenko told journalists that he is in charge of the arms trade in Belarus. "I have not signed a single contract for any delivery of weapons to Iraq," he said. However, military cooperation with the Persian Gulf nations represents good opportunities, he said. The Foreign Ministry is drawing up a concept paper for Belarusian relations with the Arab world, he said. Lukashenko backs Arab nations in the Middle East settlement process. (Interfax, February 17)

IMF QUOTA TO BE RAISED TO 532.5M DOLLARS

Belarus intends to raise its quota in the IMF from $143m to $532.5m. Theoretically, this will enable Belarus to count on increased assistance from the IMF because the overall amount of the fund's credits is in direct proportion to the borrower country's quota. According to a source in the Belarusian Council of Ministers, the increase will be guaranteed by government bonds. (Belapan, February 19)

UKRAINE READY TO JOIN RUSSIA- BELARUS ECONOMIC PROGRAMS

Ukraine is ready to join some of the economic programs that are to be implemented within the framework of the Russia-Belarus Union, Lukashenko told press in Minsk on February 17. Lukashenko referred to his February 15 telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Leonid Kuchma, but did not provide any details of their discussion. (Interfax, February 17)

SECURITY CHIEF REJECTS BELARUSIAN ACCUSATION OF ESPIONAGE

On February 12, Mecys Laurinkus, director of the Lithuanian State Security Department, said that Lukashenko's allegations concerning electronic spying on his country by Lithuania were groundless. "Lithuania is not performing any hostile electronic reconnaissance against other countries," Laurinkus told BNS. (Baltic News Service , February 12)

BALTIC WAVES RADIO SHOULDN'T RUIN TIES WITH BELARUS