INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE

Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 2, No. 31

July 1999

IN THIS ISSUE:

-- HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS --

EXILED BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER CALLS FOR NEW VOTE

On July 26, Semen Sharetski, a political opponent of Alexander Lukashenko and the chairman of the disbanded 13th Supreme Soviet, who fled to neighboring Lithuania fearing for his safety, urged Lukashenko to honor the Constitution and enter talks on holding a new elections. On July 21, deputies of the 13th Supreme Soviet declared Sharetski acting president until new presidential elections could be called, as provided under the 1994 Belarusian Constitution in the event that the current president was legally or physically unable to perform his duties. "I am legally the head of the Belarusian parliament, and under the Constitution, I should succeed the president when his term expires, and assume his functions until new elections," Sharetski said on July 27, following a meeting with Vytautas Landsbergis, Lithuanian speaker. He told ELTA, the Lithuanian news agency, that he would remain in exile until he received assurances of his safety at home. "I do not trust Lukashenko's regime. If I go back today, tomorrow I may end up in jail under a spurious pretext," he said. On July 27, Vladimir Garkun, Belarusian ambassador to Lithuania, expressed concern by Belarusian authorities over Sharetski's presence in Vilnius, Baltic News Service reported. (Reuters, BNS, July 26-27)

LITHUANIA GIVES OFFICIAL PROTECTION TO BELARUS DISSIDENT

On July 28, Ramunas Mockevicius, Lithuanian Ministry of Interior Affairs official, said Belarusian opposition leader Semen Sharetski had been granted official protection. "Sharetski will be vigilantly guarded by all means," Mockevicius told AFP. A car and two bodyguards had been put at his disposal, he added. The request to give Sharetski official protection came from the Lithuanian parliamentary speaker Vytautas Landsbergis. "Sharetski is a high-ranking official and my counterpart," stressed Landsbergis at a briefing on July 28. (Agence France Presse, July 28)

LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT SUPPORTS BELARUSIAN COLLEAGUES

Lithuanian lawmakers will form a special committee on relations with the Belarusian 13th Supreme Soviet at its forthcoming fall session, deputies announced after meeting Sharetski on July 29. Sharetski briefed Lithuanian lawmakers Rytas Kupcinskas, Saulius Peceliunas, and Ignacas Uzdavinys on the constitutional crisis in Belarus. The Lithuanian MPs believe that the 13th Supreme Soviet disbanded by Lukashenko is the only legitimate government body of Belarus. Last May, Vytautas Bogusis, representative of the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party at the Parliament, set up a group to promote dialogue among all democratic forces of Belarus. (Baltic News Service, July 30)

LUKASHENKO CLAIMS SHARETSKI MISLEADS PEOPLE

On July 28, in an interview published in Sovetskaya Belarusiya, the state-owned newspaper, Lukashenko dismissed claims by exiled opposition leader Semen Sharetski that he could be in danger if he returns to Belarus. "He [Sharetski] suddenly announced he is being persecuted, he left for Vilnius, he roams around there, misleading people," Lukashenko said. However, the KGB security police announced last week that it would penalize those seeking power illegally or inciting violence. Commenting on the statements made by the EU leadership, the OSCE, and the U.S. State Department regarding the end of Lukashenko's legitimacy as an elected leader, Lukashenko said that "it is unacceptable to mentor a sovereign, UN-founder state." He also promised that he would guarantee democratic elections conducted according to the international standards with international observers present next year. Lukashenko added that the time had come to balance Belarus's pro-Russian stance with better Western ties. He said that the diplomatic community welcomed that position despite its criticism. He again criticized the go-slow approach adopted by the Russian government toward the union, adding that he would nevertheless continue his efforts. (Sovetskaya Belarusiya, July 28)

US AMBASSADOR URGES GOVERNMENT-OPPOSITION DIALOGUE

Relations between Belarus and the United States may improve only after the Belarusian government takes concrete steps to establish a dialogue with the opposition, Amb. Daniel Speckhard, U.S. envoy to Belarus, said in an interview published on July 23 in the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta independent newspaper. The ambassador stressed that people should stop disappearing in Belarus, that the government should stop politically motivated arrests and muffling of the independent press, and that there should be an environment in the country making it possible to criticize the government without fear. Speckhard said that he would return to Minsk only after some progress is achieved in the talks over his new residence. (Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, July 23)

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS SENTENCED FOR ANTI-LUKASHENKO DEMONSTRATION

Alexander Abramovich, leader of the Borisov branch of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, and his brother, Dmitry, were sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest, the BSDP press office told Belapan. Both were arrested after an unauthorized demonstration staged by the opposition in Borisov on July 23 to mark the expiration of the Lukashenko's five-year term of office. Alesia Yasyuk stood trial together with the Abramovich brothers and received a warning. The case of Nadezhda Grechukho, a minor, will be considered by the juvenile authorities. The Abramovich brothers are still to stand trial in Minsk for participation in the anti-Lukashenko demonstration in Minsk on July 21. (Belapan, July 27)

OPPOSITION MEMBERS FINED IN GRODNO

Several opposition activists have been fined in Grodno for participation in an unauthorized demonstration staged on July 21 to mark the end of Lukashenko's five-year presidency. Nikolai Markevich, editor of the Pahonya independent newspaper, and Sergei Malchik, leader of the local branch of the Belarusian Popular Front, were fined 70 million BR (about $265) each. Mikhola Voran was fined 50 million BR (about $170) for the use of "unregistered symbols" -- he had displayed a white-red-white national flag. (Belapan, July 23)

INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED INTO BEATING OF OPPOSITION LEADER

The Prosecutor's Office of the Moskovsky District in Minsk has launched an inquiry into the beating of Oleg Volchek, ex-member of the Minsk City Council and Chairman of the Independent Commission on the Disappearance of ex-Interior Minister Yury Zakharenko. On July 21, during an anti-Lukashenko’s demonstration in Minsk, Volchek was detained and beaten along with two other members of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party. Volchek believes he was beaten in revenge for his criticism of the police officers' behavior at opposition demonstrations while serving as a Minsk City Council member. In his request, Volchek demanded that prosecutors charge the police officers responsible for his beating with abuse of power, illegal detention or at least failure to respond. (Belapan, July 27)

OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS FROM BREST MISTREATED BY MINSK POLICE

Vasily Androsyuk, opposition activist from Brest, has filed a complaint with the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, claiming that he was mistreated by police during the July 21 anti-Lukashenko demonstration in Minsk. Androsyuk, together with others activists from Brest, was arrested at a railroad station in Minsk and taken to a nearby police station. Police then filed reports on them as persons who had travelled to Minsk to take part in anti-Lukashenko protests, and released them. Later that day, they were detained again and pushed into a train departing for Brest. (Belapan, July 28)

OPPOSITION STAGES PROTEST ON INDEPENDENCE DAY

About 4,000 demonstrators marched through Minsk on July 27 to mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Sovereignty adopted by the Supreme Soviet of Belarus in 1990, in protest against Lukashenko's regime. Belarus used to celebrate their independence on July 27 but after the 1996 referendum staged by Lukashenko, who discourages nationalism and favors strong ties with Russia, the date was changed to July 3, the day when Soviet troops liberated Minsk from the Nazis in 1944. Shouting anti-Lukashenko slogans, the demonstrators left the route which they had been authorized to follow and headed for the center of the city, blocking traffic. On the way, they were collecting signatures for the release of ex-Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir. At the intersection of Yanka Kupala St. and Internatsionalnaya St., they clashed with riot police, but failed to break through the cordons. A few demonstrators were arrested. Afterward they attempted to get to the city center, but the road was also barred by policemen, who threatened the use of force. Nikolai Statkevich, Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and the organizer of the rally, halted the march and read out an appeal to the authorities urging them to release political prisoners, ensure freedom of expression and start talks between the regime and opposition, monitored by international institutions. After a ten-minute confrontation, the column turned around and headed for Victory Square, where demonstrators dispersed. (Charter 97, Reuters, AP, July 28) For more up-to-the-minute reports, see Charter 97's website, www.charter97.org/)

POLICE SAY 19 PEOPLE WERE DETAINED DURING JULY 27 PROTEST

The Main Directorate of the Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Council has reported that 19 people, including Social Democratic leader Nikolai Statkevich, were detained during the July 27 opposition protest in Minsk. A Belapan correspondent reported that police detained about 30 people, who were brought to the police department of the Sovetsky District in Minsk. Some people were released later. Among them were poet Slavamir Adamovich, Viktor Korzun, a correspondent of Nasha Niva, and journalists Tatiana Snitko and Tina Klykovskaya. Police demanded that they bring editors' confirmation that they were covering the demonstration. (Belapan, July 28)

SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN SENTENCED TO 10 DAYS

On July 27, at a news conference in Minsk, Sergei Solonets, deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the Internal Affairs Minsk of the Minsk City Council, announced that demonstrators, including Nikolai Statkevich, "acted in flagrant violation of the law." "On July 28, all material collected by police in connection with those violations was submitted to the Prosecutor's Office for a legal assessment and possibly for instituting criminal proceedings," Solonets said. On July 28, Nikolai Statkevich, chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, was sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention for organizing an unauthorized demonstration. Judge Inna Sheiko of the Sovetsky District Court also imposed fines of 20m BR (about $75) on five other demonstrators. Six protesters received warnings. Criminal proceedings were instituted against Yevgeny Asinovsky for alleged resistance to police. Witnesses say that police beat Asinovsky, then handcuffed him and kept him separate from other detainees. (Belapan, July 28-29)

OPPOSITION DEMONSTRATES IN VITEBSK

On July 27, opposition activists in Vitebsk staged an authorized demonstration to mark the 9th anniversary of adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty. Demonstrators made an appeal to the 13th Supreme Soviet, calling it for more resolute action after the expiration of Lukashenko's 5-year presidential term. (Belapan, July 26)

UNITED CIVIC PARTY ACTIVIST SENTENCED TO 3 DAYS IN PRISON IN BREST

On July 29, Gennady Samoilenko, an activist of the United Civic Party, was arrested in Brest while passing out leaflets calling on Brest residents to take part in an anti-Lukashenko demonstration in a city park on July 30, and attending a meeting with Victor Gonchar, deputy chairman of the 13th Supreme Soviet, UCP Chairman Stanislav Bogdankevich, and Sergei Antonchyk, chairman of the Alternative Employment Exchange Foundation. Samoilenko and some passers-by were taken to a local police station. Samoilenko stood trial on the same day, was found guilty of violating street demonstration regulations and sentenced to 3 days in prison. (Belapan, July 29)

CHIGIR’S DETENTION EXTENDED

The Belarusian Prosecutor General's Office has extended the detention of Mikhail Chigir, ex- Prime Minister, until September 30. Asked what happened to Yuri Zakharenko, former Belarusian Interior Minister, Bozhelko said that "the former minister proved to be very good at disappearing without a trace. However, Zakharenko may have fled with money from the Belarusian Union of Officers." (Interfax July 30)

AI CONDEMNES MASS ARRESTS IN BELARUS

In a statement issued on July 23, Amnesty International condemned the arrest of Irina Khalip, editor of the Imya, Belarusian independent newspaper. Law enforcement officials arrested Irina on July 22, following peaceful protests in Minsk marking the official end of President Lukashenko's term in office, but was conditionally released. She was arrested on the charge that Imya had slandered the Belarusian Prosecutor General, Oleg Bozhelko, in an article on July 15, 1999. "Amnesty International is concerned that her sudden arrest and the confiscation of her travel documents may have been timed to coincide with her trip to the United States to attend meetings with fellow journalists, to prevent her from talking about the political situation in Belarus. The government of Belarus must immediately stop its harassment of Irina Khalip and allow her freedom of movement," reads the statement. AI demanded immediate and unconditional release of all the people arrested on July 21 for their peaceful protests against Lukashenko’s extended term in office. "Those demonstrators who have been detained for their peaceful protests are considered prisoners of conscience and include Valery Shchukin, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet." (AI, July 23)

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS RETURNED TO INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER EDITOR

On July 23, at the Oktyabrsky District Office of the Public Prosecutor, independent journalist Irina Khalip got back her travel documents and a plane ticket for a July 24 flight to the United States. Police confiscated her passport and ticket during a search of her apartment related to a criminal investigation involving an article she had published. The following day Irina Khalip left for the U.S. to participate in a three-week training program sponsored by the USIA. (Charter97, July 26)

ANTI-LUKASHENKO MARCHERS ACQUITTED

On July 26, another group of protesters in the July 21 anti-Lukashenko demonstration stood trial at the Moskovsky District Court in Minsk, Charter 97 reported. Boris Mussky, Lyubov Abramenko, and Ludmila Sevastyanchik, all members of the Belarusian Popular Front, were acquitted after Judge Elena Troinich did not find any evidence of criminal behavior. On July 27, Aleksey Lapnitsky, who was charged with a "disobedience of lawful police orders," was also acquitted. Three police officers testified in court that Lapnitsky had offered active resistance and even punched one of them in the chest and they had had to use tear gas and handcuff him. Later, two of the officers retracted their testimony. Lapnitsky testified that two police officers had grabbed him suddenly from behind, dragged him to the car, and beat him at the police station. A physical examination confirmed his testimony. Lapnitsky has filed a complaint against the police with the local prosecutor. (Charter 97, July 26 - Belapan, July 28)

PRESS ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTS COUNTERPARTS IN BELARUS

Reporters sans frontièrs, a Paris-based international organization, has expressed its support for freedom of the press in Belarus. A statement issued by the organization expresses concerns over the arrests of journalists during recent opposition demonstrations in Minsk. According to RSF, such arrests illustrate that authorities are striving to extend their control over the independent media. RSF demanded that the government "allow reporters to work freely". The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists wrote in a letter released July 29 that they were "deeply troubled by the alarming number of recent defamation cases filed against independent newspapers in Belarus, and by the ongoing harassment of journalists there." (RSF, July 26; CPJ, July 29. Visit www.ifex.org for complete texts.)

BELARUSIAN GAY LEADER BEATEN UNCONSCIOUS

On July 25, journalist Eduard Tarletsky, Chair of the Belarusian League for Freedom of Sexual Minorities, was beaten unconscious by a dozen teenagers in the park located near Lukashenko’s residence. After several blows, Tarletsky lost consciousness. When he recovered, Tarletsky saw policemen standing nearby, who did not respond to the attack but merely asked if he was able to get home on his own. Commenting upon the incident, Tarletsky said that his assailants had acted rather freely, given that the park is located next to the Presidential Administration. (Belapan, July 26) ("Sexual minorities" is the term many gay movements have adopted in the CIS in their struggle to win recognition for equal rights--ILHR.)

YOUTH FRONT ACTIVIST RELEASED FROM CUSTODY

On July 22, Vladimir Antonov, a 20-year-old activist of Malady [Youth] Front, was released from police custody. Antonov was charged with malicious hooliganism under Article 201 of the Belarusian Criminal Code for graffiti calling on Lukashenko to remember the expiration of his term. He said that police officers who arrested him beat him with truncheons. Upon arrival at the police station, they tortured him in an attempt to force him to admit his guilt. Antonov spent five days in detention. No charge was officially brought against him. The Belarusian Code of Criminal Practice provides that police may detain a person suspected of a crime for three days without a warrant. Antonov was also denied access to a lawyer. (Belapan, July 23)

ONE MORE DEATH ROW INMATE EXECUTED IN MINSK

Anton Bondarenko, a 19 year-old death row inmate, has been executed in Minsk. On June 22, 1998, he was sentenced to death by the Minsk Regional Court for premeditated murder.

Amnesty International has called on the Belarusian Clemency Commission and President

Lukashenko to grant clemency to Bondarenko and all other death row inmates in Belarus.

On July 14, his mother Natalya Shedko held an unsanctioned picket near the Presidential Administration Building. She believes that her son pleaded guilty to someone else’s crime under pressure. Bondarenko’s case was included in a list of cases contested by international experts. (Charter 97, July 28)

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER FACES STIFF FINE

On July 23, a Minsk Court ordered Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, to pay 2.1 billion BRB (about $7,900) to Judge Nadezhda Chmara for allegedly defaming her. Chmara accused the newspaper of biased coverage of the trial of Vasily Starovoitov, at which she presided. The newspaper alleged that the decision on Starovoitov’s case announced by Chmara was not written by her but by someone whose "political order" she was executing. Under the current economic situation in Belarus, such a fine is "astronomical" and, if imposed, will most likely result in the closure of the newspaper. The newspaper plans to appeal the ruling. (RFE/RL, July 27)

OPPOSITION MEETS HEAD OF OSCE AMG IN BELARUS

On July 28, representatives of the eight Belarusian opposition parties held a meeting with Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus. The meeting was part of the so-called Bucharest process aimed at establishing a dialogue between the government and the opposition. (Belapan, July 28)

MINSK AUTHORITIES BAN OPPOSITION YOUTH ROCK CONCERTS

For the fifth time, the administration of the Minsk Zavodskoi District has banned a rock concert of Belarusian-language bands, which was to be staged on August 1 by the Belarusian Musical Alternative and the Malady Front. The organizers believe that the ban was politically motivated, as "the authorities are suspicious of all things national." They intend to file a court complain and have also applied to the Minsk City Executive Committee for permission to stage a concert at the end of August. (Belapan, July 29)

EXHIBITION ABOUT POLITICAL REPRESSIONS HELD IN ZASLAVL

An exhibition of documents and material about political oppression in Belarus in the 20th century ran until July 26 in the town of Zaslavl (Minsk region). It was organized by the Belarusian Association of Victims of Political Repressions and the Belarusian Women's League

with the assistance of the U.S. Embassy in Belarus. Leonid Volchok, vice president of the Association of Victims, believes that a memorial should be erected in Minsk to commemorate the victims of political oppression. (Belapan, July 26)

--AT HOME IN BELARUS--

LUKASHENKO TIGHTS UP LABOR DISCIPLINE

On July 27, a Presidential Decree, "On Additional Measures to Improve Labor Relations, Tighten up Workers and Management Discipline" was published in the state-controlled media. The measures indicates that workers and employees will face increased responsibility for violating disciplinary regulations. The decree gives authorities an enormous means of pressure upon workers. Provisions of the decree state that each staff member will have to sign a personal contract, which may be rescinded for various reasons. The decree also envisages penalties for those who commit certain managerial mistakes. (Charter 97, July 26)

TRADE UNIONS: LUKASHENKO'S DECREE IS DISCRIMINATION

"The new decree on labor discipline curtails the rights of employees," reads a resolution adopted by the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus on July 29. In the opinion of the FTUB, the decree increases the government's ability to fire employees, violating national and international labor agreements. The FTUB urges the government to respect labor legislation currently in force, saying that the decree should be revised according to ILO standards. The Coordinating Council of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions has issued a statement calling on workers to reject employment contracts introduced by the new decree on labor discipline. The BCDTU also called on the unions to stage mass protests against it. (Belapan, July 28-29)

--BELARUSIAN ECONOMY—

IMF: NO MONEY TO BELARUS

On July 27, the IMF board of directors met in Washington to review the situation in Belarus, but did not make any decisions on allocating loans to the republic or to send an IMF mission there, a source in the IMF office in Minsk told Interfax. The board agreed with the conclusions reached by the IMF mission in Belarus at the end of May, which said that the economic situation had become even more difficult. IMF experts noted that Belarus would have to toughen its monetary and financial policy to lower inflation. (Interfax, July 28)

--BROTHER SLAVS—

LUKASHENKO LEAPS TO REASSURE YELTSIN

On July 9, in an interview to a correspondent of Die Woche, a German weekly, Lukashenko sharply criticized the Russian leadership's approach to unification with Belarus. He said a Russia-Belarus Union should not be a vehicle for Yeltsin to remain in power when his term expires next year. "Yeltsin's entourage miscalculates, if they think that Lukashenko would act as a Trojan Horse, on whose shoulders some politicians could extend their political longevity," Lukashenko was quoted as saying. "I did propose to Boris Yeltsin that he become president of the Union, while I agree to assume the vice presidential post. But I have no intention of becoming Yeltsin's errand boy." Apparently worried that the interview was going to sour his relationship with Boris Yeltsin, on July 26, during a meeting with the governor of Russia's Kaliningrad region, Lukashenko hurried to deny his statements. In comments carried on Russian television, he said that his proposals offering the union's presidency to Yeltsin "remain in force." (The Moscow Times, July 28)

…AND URGES "RADICAL FORM" OF UNIFICATION WITH RUSSIA

On July 30, Lukashenko said that he wants a radical form of unification with Russia and that trans-national institutions, such as a union president and vice-president elected by popular vote, a union parliament and a union cabinet, should be introduced. Lukashenko stressed that there was no point in talking about a union-state unless the two sides agreed on significant changes to the existing proposal. (Interfax, July 30)

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Belarus Update is a regular news bulletin of the Belarus Human Rights Support Project of the International League for Human Rights. The League, now in its 58th year, is a New York-based human rights NGO in consultative status with the United Nations and ILO.

The Belarus project is a part of Human Rights Defenders' Project, originally launched in 1982 to defend individuals and groups who suffer reprisals for promoting human rights in their societies. Among those the League defended were Andrei Sakharov, Kim Dae Jung and Jaime Castillo Velasco.

The Belarus project was established to support Belarusian citizens in making their cases before the U.S. government and public and international fora and intergovernmental organizations regarding Alexander Lukashenko's wholesale assault on human rights and the rule of law in Belarus.

For more information e-mail belarus@ilhr.org or call (212) 684-1221 or fax (212) 684-1696 or visit our web site at www.ilhr.org.