To: Alexander Lukashenko Republic of Belarus FAX: 011 375 172 26 06 10
cc: Oleg Bozhelko Prosecutor-General FAX: +375 172 23 43 58
Amb.Kozak FAX: +375 172 34 78 53

December 29, 1999

Dear Mr. Lukashenko,

The International League for Human Rights, an international non-governmental human rights organization with consultative status at ECOSOC UN, is writing to express serious concern about the continuing harassment of independent press in Belarus in view of the recently delivered warning to independent newspaper Nasha Slova [Our Word] and the attack on the office of independent newspaper Shag [Step]. This and other warnings in the recent past, the re-registration of media outlets, the confiscations of copies of several independent newspapers, and attacks on newspaper offices are clearly an effort to further cripple the NGO sector and independent press in Belarus, particularly related to the country's political life, monitoring and publicizing human rights violations , advocacy on behalf of victims, and, as is the case with Nasha Slova, development of the Belarusian language and culture.

On August 21, 2000, Michail Podgainy, Chair of the State Press Committee, sent a notification to all the independent media outlets in Belarus in which he reminded them that, according to Presidential Decree #11 "On Regulations of State Registration and Cessation of Commercial Subjects' Activities," such media outlets had to be registered with their local executive committee by January 1, 2001, either as a commercial or a non-profit organization. According to Mikhail Pastukhov, the head of the Legal Assistance Center, it will be almost impossible for the newspapers to get their registration certificates by that date, considering that there are currently 20 thousand companies awaiting re-registration and that Minsk City Council essentially finished accepting applications on October 1, 2000.

On September 13, 2000, policemen confiscated the special issue of Rabochy (112 thousand copies). Both Victor Ivashkevich, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, and Yuri Butko, the chief of the publishing house Magic, were detained and taken to Pervomaisky District Internal Affairs Department. Later, they were taken to Pervomaisky District Court and charged with violation of Article 167.3 of the Administrative Violations Code (violation of electoral legislation). Ivashkevich was accused of calling for boycott of the parliamentary elections, while Budzko was accused of publishing the issue. The League notes that calls for boycott are an action perfectly legal according to the Belarus Constitution and international standards for the protection of freedom of speech and the press

On November 1, 2000, the State Press Committee issued Nasha Slova a warning for "publishing information on behalf of public organizations unregistered by the state." The Committee's letter, sent to the editorial board on October 25, notes the statement published by the newspaper on September 6, 2000 of the Grodno Union of Democratic Veterans of War and Labor and addressed to the country's leadership and all people of good will. According to the letter, the newspaper has violated paragraph 9, part 1 of Article 5 of Belarus Law "On Press and Other Mass Media" since no such organization is registered by Grodno District Executive Committee. The newspaper's founding organization, Society of Belarusian Language, however, claims that this organization indeed has been registered and attributes this warning to the general effort of the authorities to clamp down on advocates of Belarusian culture. Such efforts can be understood in a context where those who promote Belarusian language and culture are perceived as an things active part of the opposition forces, thus apparently presenting a threat to the current government.

On November 5, 2000, the office of independent newspaper Shag [Step] was attacked and burglarized. Early in the morning, at 4 a.m., 5 unidentified individuals broke in the newspaper's office, severely beating and tying the security guard. The robbers took 5 computers, 2 printers, and 2 scanners. According to Voitekhovsky, the newspaper's executive director, t the attack may have been politically motivated, considering the newspaper's independent spirit and the recent expansion of its distribution area. This seems quite plausible in view of the following facts: a) computers with Shag's entire database were stolen thus effectively paralyzing the newspaper; b) the attackers took the 25-dollar device connecting the computer's local network while ignoring the several new printer cartridges worth hundreds of dollars; c) there are several much- better equipped offices in the same building, including a trading firm right next door; d) despite later having his eyes taped, the security guard caught a glimpse of one of the attackers' military pants and boots.

The League is concerned about the continuing, and recently stepped-up campaign to crack down on the freedom of press in Belarus. We are particularly concerned that these attacks follow repeated assurances by the government of Belarus that they were serious about complying with OSCE standards for elections. We note that not only access to state media, but removal of unlawful restrictions on independent media outlets are vital for the development of democracy in Belarus. We urge you to ensure that these gross violations of the basic principles of freedom of press and association are ended immediately. Thank you for your attention, we await your response.

Sincerely,
Catherine Fitzpatrick Executive Director