Vol. 2, No. 9

February 1999

IN THIS ISSUE:

16 MEMBERS OF OPPOSITION ELECTORIAL COMMITTEE DETAINED

On February 24, sixteen members of the Opposition Electoral Committee on Presidential Elections including its chairman Victor Gonchar were arrested in Minsk. Police detained them in a café, where they were holding a meeting discussing reports from local election commissions. All detainees were brought to the Leninski district police station and 5 of them were tried immediately on the spot by a judge who was brought over by the police for that purpose [sic]. Others were issued summons to appear in court on March 1. Activists were charged with "staging an unauthorized assembly" under Article 167, paragraph 1 of the Belarusian Administrative Code. By the evening of February 25, all members of the Committee and the chairman were released. (Charter 97, February 26)

KGB WARNS OPPOSITION FIGURE AGAINST ELECTION ACTIVITIES

On February 22 the KGB office of the Mogilev Region issued an official warning to Sergei Abadowski, member of the Opposition Electoral Committee. Abadowski, who is also a legal adviser to the Mogilev branch of the Belarusian Free Trade Union and a member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, endeavored to set up several commissions throughout the region to organize presidential elections. He also toured the region, disseminating local executive officials’ resolutions signed by Victor Gonchar. The KGB warned Abadowski that his activities are regarded as the purposeful destabilization of the socio-political situation and may result in the criminal charge of staging a coup d'etat under Article 61 of the Belarusian Criminal Code," (Belapan, February 22)

13^th SUPREME SOVIET HOLDS WORKING SESSION

On February 20, the deputies of the 13^th Supreme Soviet held its regular working session in Minsk, with 23 MPs being present. The participants enacted the Decree "On the Necessity of Establishing Electoral Committees and the Local Authorities’ Liability for Impediments". The deputies had to enact such a decree after local officials restricted the formation of local electoral committees in three regions of the country. The decree refers to the Law on Elections, which establish criminal liability and imprisonment of five years for disrupting an election campaign. The members of the 13^th Supreme Soviet decided to open up its own press centers in Moscow, Kiev, and Warsaw to disseminate objective information on the current political and electoral developments. (Charter 97, February 22)

OSCE PESSIMISTIC ABOUT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN 1999

On February 20, Hans-Peter Kleiner, deputy head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus, after attending the working session of the 13^th Supreme Soviet, said that while the plans to hold the presidential election this May was attracting public attention to the growing political crisis in Belarus, it would probably not be possible to carry out a recognized elections. He reiterated that the OSCE is willing to arbitrate the conflict between Lukashenko and the opposition. (Interfax, February 21)

OSCE SEMINAR ON ELECTIONS MONITORING IN VITEBSK

Last week on the premises of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Michael Rivaliers, consultant of the OSCE AMG in Belarus, and Vladimir Tsetsiukha, chairman of Vitebsk Regional Electoral Commission [official], conducted a seminar on monitoring and evaluation of local elections. The seminar was also attended by representatives of the Opposition Electoral Committee. During the seminar OSCE representatives deliberately avoided any political discussion. (Radio 101.2, February 22)

ALEKSEY SHYDLOUSKI RELEASED FROM PRISON

On February 23, Aleksey Shydlouski, political prisoner of the Lukashenko regime, was released. This came after a year and a half of imprisonment. Shydlouski and his friend Aleksey Labkovich were sentenced for drawing anti-presidential graffiti on walls of buildings in Stolbtsy. Shydlouski was pardoned [sic] just a few days before his official term expired. In his first interview at the press center of Charter 97 he said that the conditions of imprisonment were horrible. The administration did everything it could to insult him. He was deprived of everything he was eligible for under the law: mail, parcels, meetings with parents. He added that he would continue to work in the Malady Front, which elected him its deputy chairman. He would also like to continue his university studies. (Before the imprisonment Shydlouski studied journalism at the Belarusian State University). "If I am not able to find a place in a Belarusian university, I will have to move to Poland. But I don’t want to, my motherland is Belarus," he said. (Charter 97, February 23)

BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION SETS UP COORDINATION BODY

Under a resolution passed by the Congress of Democratic Forces last month, the Belarusian opposition formed a Consultative and Coordination Council of Democratic Forces to unify all democratic opposition organizations. The council will include Gennady Karpenko, Congress organizer, and representatives of Belarus's six most influential opposition organizations: the Belarusian Popular Front, the United Civic Party, the Narodnaya Hramada (Social Democratic Party of Belarus), the Free Trade Union, the Assembly of Belarusian NGOs, and Charter 97. (RFE/RL, February 22)

…AND NAMES MEMBERS OF CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL

The names of five members of the seven-member consultative and coordinating council of Belarusian democratic forces, which was set up last week, were made public on February 24. In particular, the United Civic Party and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party will be represented by their leaders, Stanislav Bogdankevich and Nikolai Statkevich. The Assembly of Belarusian NGOs will be represented by Mikhail Pastukhov, and Charter 97 by Andrei Sannikov. Gennady Karpenko, the head of the organizing committee of the Congress of Democratic Forces, will be an ex oficio member of the council. The Belarusian Popular Front and Free Trade Union have not yet decided who will represent them. Representatives of the Republican Strike Committee have expressed willingness to join the council. The next session of the council, which is scheduled for March 9, will consider their application. In early March, the council's representatives are going to Prague to meet members of the Czech government and parliament. (Belapan, February 24)

OPPOSITION PREPARES ANTI-FASCIST MARCH

On February 22, Charter 97, the Spring 97 Human Rights Center, and the Minsk branch of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee received permission from the Minsk City Council to hold an anti-fascist march on February 27. All the democratic parties, public organizations, and the Free Trade Union have already confirmed their participation in the action. The demonstrators will demand the resignations of Sheiman, head of the Security Council, Tarletsky, chief of the Minsk Interior Department, and Ermoshyn, Mayor of Minsk, who have closed their eyes to fascists on the streets of Minsk. (Charter 97, February 22- 23)

RUSSIAN NEO-NAZIS ACTIVE IN 10 BELARUSIAN CITIES

Branches of the Russian radical right-wing Russian National Unity are established in ten Belarusian cities, with a membership numbering in the hundreds, Pavel Severinets, leader of the Malady Front, said on February 24 at a news conference in Minsk. The RNU members are "Belarusian lads who have been duped" by "experienced men from neighboring Russian regions where the black shirts with RNU insignia came from," he said. "It would have been impossible to set up a pro-fascist organization in Belarus without the support of the authorities," Severinets added. "The KGB could investigate RNU followers in the country within days," he said. The theme of fascism "is employed by the authorities to frighten the opposition." (Interfax, February 25)

TWO WORKERS SENTENCED IN GOMEL FOR UNSANCTIONED MARCH

On February 20, police arrested Pavel Klimovich and Ruslan Belanov, Gomel members of the Free Trade Union, for holding an unsanctioned march, but the men’s colleagues said that they simply had been carrying banners home to wash. "Two or three were returning from a disco late in the evening and waving banners. There wasn’t anything provocative on the banners, but rules must be followed," Andrei Garkov, police chief in the Gomel region, told Reuters. The two, both 19 years old, were sentenced by the court to three days of administrative arrest. (Reuters, February 25)

BPF ACTIVIST DETAINED IN MINSK

On February 20, activists of Frunzensky district branch of the BPF held a picket on Zhudro Street in Minsk. During the action Vera Polonnikova, one of the picketers, was detained while passing out bulletins of Charter 97 and materials of the Congress of Democratic Forces. The police drew up a protocol for "distributing press materials urging the violation of state and public order". (Charter 97, February 22)

RUSSIAN DEMOCRATS CONCERNED WITH LUKASHENKO’S AMBITIONS

The Federal Conference of the Democratic Russia Party made a statement with regard to the situation in Belarus. "We express our grave concern with the present political situation in Belarus. We have taken a position of solidarity with Belarus democratic forces, and support the 13^th Supreme Soviet of Belarus, the legitimate parliament of the country. We are objecting to the anti-constitutional actions of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, which aim to hinder presidential elections, set on 16 May 1999, as required by the 1994 Constitution. While supporting the Russia-Belarus integration, we nevertheless see a certain danger in Lukashenko’s imperialistic ambitions, which are favored by Communist leaders and Russian nationalists." (Radio 101.2, February 24)

LUKASHENKO CALLS FOR AN ANTI-NATO BLOC

In an interview with Iranian television on February 22, Lukashenko said that Russia, Iran, India, and China should join forces to counterbalance the United States. He described NATO's eastward enlargement as aggressive and said it presented an equal threat to his country and the Middle East. "I favor creating a powerful center of military, political, and economic cooperation, which will prevent NATO's further expansion," he said. "Both NATO and the United States will have to deal with this center." He predicted that Iran will become a "superpower", and said that Belarus wanted closer ties with this country. "I would like Iran to more rapidly expand its trading potential with our country, and ... not only in trade and economic cooperation but in other spheres," Lukashenko told journalists. He bemoaned the collapse of the Soviet empire, saying it has created a "huge imbalance" and gave the United States dominance in world politics. During the Cold War, "Americans couldn’t even dream about acting the way they do now," Lukashenko said. He criticized the United States for the bombings of Iraq, the threat of NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia, and U.S. efforts to block leaks of weapons technology to Iran. The television interview was given on the eve of a visit to Belarus by a large group of ambassadors from Gulf and Arab states accredited in Moscow. (Associated Press, February 22)

…AND CLOSER TIES WITH ARAB WORLD

On February 23 the delegation of 14 Arab ambassadors and heads of the Arab League mission in Moscow arrived in Minsk. First, they met Prime Minister Sergei Ling; the next day diplomats had talks with Lukashenko, who invited Arab states to "open diplomatic missions in Belarus in order to improve economic and political cooperation". "If you have positive intentions to make investment in our state, we will guarantee your safety," Lukashenko promised. He also thanked the Arab world for supporting his country last year when Belarus joined the Non-Aligned Movement. During the meeting with ambassadors Lukashenko again stressed the need to create a political and military block uniting the Arab world and countries of the former Soviet Union to prevent increasing NATO influence in the "unipolar world". (Reuters, February 25)

EU DROPS VISA BAN ON BELARUS OFFICIALS

On February 22, the European Union repealed a visa ban on Belarusian officials. A meeting of EU foreign ministers voted to lift the ban, which was imposed last July in retaliation for the EU ambassadors being forced to quit their diplomatic residences in Drozdy complex last June. "This means positive steps by the West and Belarus toward each other, which should lead to better understanding," Vladimir Skvortsov, head of the information department at the presidential administration, told Reuters. (Reuters, February 23-24)

LUKASHENKO’S UNHAPPY WITH COMPENSATION ASKED BY WESTERN ENVOYS

On February 19, Lukashenko denounced the ambassadors’ demands for compensation for damages incurred as a result of their forced departure from the Drozdy compound. "How can representatives of great powers bring financial claims against a country which suffered from the Chernobyl catastrophe?" he asked. (Interfax, February 19)

BIG STEP TOWARD FREE EDUCATION

Alexander Lukashenko signed the Decree "On Some Measures Directed at Improving the Structure and Activity of the Belarusian State University". The document specifies that the President of the Belarusian State University will from now on be appointed and dismissed from his post by the President of Belarus, his position and salary are equated to those of ministers, and he is given a seat at the Council of Ministers. The University is also granted a number of tax exemptions. (Radio 101.2, February 25)

COLLAPSE?

The population of Belarus, heavily dependent on its giant neighbor, is suffering from poverty and shortages as a result of the financial and economic crisis in Russia. But while Lukashenko pins the blame squarely on Moscow, others think the situation in Belarus was inevitable, given the government’s Soviet-style management. "The Russian crisis was only a catalyst," said former Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir, attributing the causes of Belarus’s woes to the country’s self -isolation and inappropriate economic policy. Chigir warned that only an explosion of social unrest was likely to change the situation. Statistics are reminiscent of Germany in the 1920s as wages in industry are around 10 million Belarusian rubles a month, in education six million and in agriculture three million. But in terms of hard currency they are virtually worthless, as the annual inflation is more than 300 per cent. Only the heavily controlled and subsidized prices of bread and milk are still within bounds, while such items as sugar and dairy products are in short supply. Out of 2,000 collective farms, 640 are bankrupt, and the average yield of a cow has fallen to just one liter a day, according to official figures. (Agence France Presse, February 23)

RISKY BUSINESS IN BELARUS

Lukashenko, who makes no secret of his admiration for Stalin, does not merely persecute independent politicians, journalists, and human rights activists. He also crushes entrepreneurs, who are Belarus's only hope to escape poverty. Thousands of Belarusians have run afoul of a web of arbitrary, obscure, retroactive decrees and laws regulating taxes, exchange rates, and other aspects of business. Many are in jail.

Belarusian president has kept 85 percent of Belarus’s industry and 90 percent of its agriculture in state hands, which has allowed him to reward loyalists and direct much of the profits to an off-budget fund he controls himself. The network of laws on business also provides him with a handy club against critics or independent thinkers, especially those who have money. Several dozen well-known independent politicians are now charged with business-related crimes. Vasily Starovoitov, a leading critic of government-controlled agriculture, is on trial for alleged embezzlement of state property. Some of the other victims of these laws were members of Belarus's freely elected parliament, which Mr. Lukashenko disbanded in 1996.

Foreign investment and business development in Belarus have declined steadily and a recent crackdown on small business has been especially harsh. Lukashenko's philosophy is a puzzling one for a country whose economy has essentially collapsed. But what matters to him is not prosperity, but absolute control. (New York Times, February 22)

LUKASHENKO CALLS REMOVAL OF NUKES FROM BELARUS A MISTAKE

On February 25, upon his arrival in Moscow to attend a session of the leaders of the Custom Union (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) Lukashenko told Interfax that he still considers the removal of Russian nuclear weapons from Belarus "a serious mistake." Belarus held 81 SS-25 strategic missiles when it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. All of them were transferred to Russia by November 1996. In Lukashenko’s opinion, nuclear weapons in the current geopolitical situation should be re-located back to Belarus. He said that this is becoming increasingly important given NATO’s expansion toward the Belarusian and Russian borders, and the positions of such CIS countries as Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan, which intend to withdraw from the collective security treaty. Commenting on Georgian President Edward Shevardnadze’s statement that Georgia may withdraw from the collective security treaty and possibly from the CIS, Lukashenko said that he personally had not heard this statement and learned about it only through the mass media. But, he said, "such an experienced politician as Shevardnadze should handle such statements with care, since they have to do with Russia’s security as well," he said. Lukashenko said that he favors the idea of a Moscow-Beijing-Delhi strategic alliance. "I think we will not tolerate the current situation and will evolve into a powerful center. The Arab world will not sit back and watch, either," he added. (Itar-Tass, February 25)

RUSSIA MAY CONSIDER DEPLOYING NUCLEAR ARMS IN BELARUS

The Russia-Belarus Union allows for the possibility of Russia deploying nuclear weapons in Belarus, Roman Popkovich, Russian State Duma Defense Committee Chairman told Interfax on February 24. "When NATO violates the UN’s rules or the UN Security Council’s resolutions, envisioning a role for the alliance as a worldwide gendarme, Russia should react accordingly," Popkovich said. "However, the recent removal of Russian weapons from Belarus was not a mistake. It is an issue of international security, the movement for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons." he added. (Interfax, February 25)

LUKASHENKO SPEAKS AGAINST USE OF FORCE IN KOSOVO

On February 20, Lukashenko made a statement on the developments in Kosovo. "Any attempts to apply external pressure, to dictate terms or, worst of all, to make threats of military strikes seem impermissible and utterly counterproductive. The use of military power against Yugoslavia would affect the settlement in a detrimental or possibly even ruinous way and would result in the further aggravation of the crisis. It is extremely important to ensure that the UN Charter and the role of the UN Security Council are honored while ways to solve the problem are being sought…The settlement should be based exclusively on political and diplomatic means," the statement reads. (BBC February 24)

RUSSIAN AND BELARUS MPs VOW TO HELP YUGOSLAVIA IF ATTACKED BY NATO

On February 19, Momir Bulatovic, Prime Minister of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, received a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Russia-Belarus Union, headed by the deputy Speaker Alexander Kozyr. Kozyr said the goal of the visit to Yugoslavia was to strengthen the ties between the Parliamentary Assembly and the Yugoslavian Assembly, which was given a status of permanent observer at the last session of the Parliamentary Assembly. The representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Russia-Belarus Union voiced sharp opposition to the NATO plans to arrive on Yugoslavian territory and emphasized that their support to Serbia and Yugoslavia "would not be only verbal". "We will perceive any attempt to deploy troops on the territory of Yugoslavia as an occupation," Alexander Kozyr said. Yury Kuznetskov, representative of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, which is headed by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, said that NATO, in case of an attack on Serbia and Yugoslavia, would "meet with a Russian response" adding that "numerous Russian patriots would come to Serbia as volunteers". (BBC, February 22)

BELARUS AMONG COUNTRIES WITH HIGHEST IMPRISONMENT RATE

According to a report published by the British Home Office on February 19, eight million people are held in prisons around the world. Russia has the highest incarceration rate at 685 per 100,000 inhabitants; not far behind at 645 is the US, which with 1.7 million people behind bars also has the highest prison population in the world. The World Prison Population List disclosed that other countries with a high proportion of their population in prison included Belarus with 505 and Kazakhstan with 495. In Europe the highest scoring country was Portugal with an imprisonment rate of 145 per 100,000. Britain was second with 125 per 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest rate of incarceration in the world was Indonesia, which jails 20 out of every 100,000 people, making a total prison population of 41,699.