INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 3, No. 1
January 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

- HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS -

INVESTIGATION FOR MISSING OPPOSITION LEADER SUPPOSEDLY INTENSIFIED
The government has finally launched a full-fledged investigation into the disappearance of General Yuri Zakharenko, Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Sivakov announced on December 28. Zakharenko, who was last seen in May, had a falling-out with President Lukashenko and was fired as Minister of Internal Affairs in 1996. He then became a prominent member of the opposition. Shortly before he vanished, Zakharenko had been playing an active part in organizing an unofficial presidential election staged by the opposition. On May 7, Zakharenko called his wife Olga to say he was on his way home, but he never returned. Opposition activists later quoted eyewitnesses as saying that several men forced Zakharenko into a car which then drove away. Along with Zakharenko, opposition leader Viktor Gonchar and publisher Anatoly Krasovsky have also gone missing recently. Tamara Vinnikova, a former Belarusian national bank chief who had disappeared while under house arrest and was presumed dead, resurfaced in exile earlier this month. Vinnikova said that only "a pure accident" had saved her from death at the hands of her guards. (Associated Press, December 28)

CHARGES AGAINST PROMINENT OPPOSITION LAWYER DROPPED
The criminal charges brought against Vera Stremkovskaya, a prominent Belarusian civil rights lawyer, under Article 128 of the Belarusian Criminal Code, were dropped for lack of evidence. It was initiated by Anatoly Smolentsev, chief of the investigation of a criminal case against Vasily Starovoitov, former head of the Rassvet collective farm, whom Stremkovskaya defended. (See Belarus Update Vol. 2, No. 6). Smolentsev claimed that during one of the court hearings, Stremkovskaya defamed him by asking what happened to forty bottles of French cognac confiscated during the search at Starovoitov's house, thus implying that he had taken the cognac for his own consumption. Stremkovskaya told a Belapan correspondent that she believes that her question was legitimate. (ILHR, December 28)

JAILED PROFESSOR RELEASED FROM PRETRIAL CUSTODY
On December 28, Professor Yuri Bandazhevsky, ex-rector of the Gomel State Medical Institute, was released from a pre-trial detention center where he had been held since his arrest on July 13 on charges of bribe-taking. He was released on the condition that he not leave the city without permission from the authorities. The prosecution claims Bandazhevsky took a total of $200,000 in bribes, although it has failed to produce any evidence. Bandezhevsky's supporters fear that some of the testimony from students and parents may have been forced and that the charges against Bandazhevsky are in retaliation for his outspoken criticism of the government's handling of Chernobyl issues. (Belapan, December 28)

RESTRICTIVE PRESS LAW AMENDMENTS WILL "BENEFIT" READERS
"The new legislation barring the media from spreading information on behalf of unregistered organizations will give readers a better opportunity to receive accurate information about the activities of public associations," Igor Kotlyarov, deputy chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Ethnic Relations, told Belapan on December 28. It was the Committee on Human Rights and Ethnic Relations that prepared the bill to amend the Belarusian Press Law. Kotlyarov believes that the new legislation is in harmony with Article 34 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to receive "complete, reliable and timely" information about public associations' activities. Officials of the State Press Committee declined to comment on the new amendments, explaining that they had been prepared without the committee's participation and it needs time to study them in detail. It should be noted that this was not the first time that the State Press Committee was not informed about amendments to the press law. This past summer the Belarusian National Assembly bypassed the committee and adopted changes providing harsh punishment for deliberately spreading information defaming or dishonoring the president. (Belapan, December 28)

OPPOSITION ACCUSES LUKASHENKO OF HALTING DIALOGUE
On December 29, the United Civic Party issued a statement accusing Lukashenko of halting the government-opposition negotiation process. In its statement, the UCP Political Council announced that the Belarusian authorities flagrantly violate the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's resolution on Belarus adopted in St. Petersburg last year and Paragraph 22 of the Istanbul Summit Declaration. The authors of the statement refer to the government's failure to free political prisoners Andrei Klimov and Vladimir Koudinov and to investigate the disappearances of opposition leaders Viktor Gonchar, Yury Zakharenko, as well as to the authorities' attempt to adopt electoral and parliamentary regulations without regard for the opposition's opinion. "The regime openly ignores its commitments and has embarked on a path of overt hostility," reads the statement. The UCP calls on international organizations to "take adequate countermeasures" and stresses that responsibility for the failure of the talks will lie with the government and with Alexander Lukashenko in particular. At a session held in Minsk on December 29, the UCP Political Council adopted a declaration titled "Belarus' Road to Democracy." In its authors' opinion, the current Belarusian regime is supported by a social stratum that is nostalgic for living under the government's protection and for a strong-hand policy, which impedes the building of a civil society in the country. The declaration says that it will be possible to make people change their mind through the implementation of nationwide programs, which could be done if all democratic forces were united. The UCP stresses that at present those who are discontent with the government's policies have one aim -- to ensure that free and democratic parliamentary and presidential elections are held. (Belapan, December 29)

OPPOSITION ACTIVIST BROUGHT TO COURT
On December 28, the Minsk City Court continued hearing a criminal case against Yevgeny Osinski, a 21-year-old opponent of the Lukashenko regime. Osinski was detained in connection with an unauthorized march in Minsk on June 27. He faces a charge of "malicious hooliganism" for defending himself from the assault of police officers and "participation in group actions disturbing public order." He was held in pre-trial detention for 38 days before being released on his written pledge not to flee. The accused told the court that he did not know that the demonstration had not been allowed by the city government. He said that he had kicked a police officer because he had been outraged that police started to use truncheons against the demonstrators. A police officer testified that Osinski kicked him while a crowd of demonstrators tried to push its way through a police line. The defendant's lawyer, Natalya Tarasyuk, asked the accused and witnesses a number of questions which showed procedural irregularities during the preliminary investigation into the incident. For instance, the victim confirmed that he had been shown a video of the clashes before the identification of the suspect and that a line-up identification was not organized. Tarasyuk insists that Osinski was severely beaten in revenge after he was taken to the police station. She filed a complaint in this regard but received no answer. The lawyer and the accused do not intend to raise the issue in court. The hearing is scheduled to resume on January 10. (Belapan, December 28)

YOUNG OPPOSITION ACTIVIST FINED AND EXPELLED FROM UNIVERSITY
Vadim Saranchoukov, a student of the Grodno State University and opposition activist, has been expelled by the rector "for systematic nonattendance." Members of the Grodno youth democratic NGOs believe that the administration of the university decided to teach a lesson to those students who are involved in opposition activities. [Expulsion from the university means that Saranchoukov will soon be drafted to the armed forces.] They believe that the decision is not originating from the rector, but rather from the "upper structures." A month ago Saranchoukov was arrested for having written anti-Lukashenko graffiti on a trolleybus window. He was taken to a police station and held overnight. He was not allowed to call either his family or an attorney. The police protocol reads that Saranchoukov was drunk. The court ordered him to pay a fine. (Belapan, December 25)

OPPOSITION PARTY CHANGES NAME TO COMPLY WITH LAW
The Council of the Belarusian Popular Front has changed the name of the organization bringing it into the line with a new law banning the use of the words "national" and "popular" in the names of NGOs. The BPF Council decided to use the line "the BPF Adradzhenne [Revival]" as the name for the BPF movement and party. (Belapan, December 27)

--AT HOME IN BELARUS-

BELARUS PROMISES TIGHTER BUDGET POLICY
Belarus plans to have a tighter budget next year and the government will rely less on the inflationary method of printing money to fund its spending, Finance Minister Nikolai Korbut promised on December 29. He said that the Parliament was expected to approve the budget by January 11. Its draft has already been backed by Lukashenko. According to the draft budget, the finance ministry plans to cover next year's deficit by more active borrowing on international and domestic markets rather than using the printing presses. The government plans to raise treasury bill issue volumes to 60 billion rubles from this year's 20 billion. It also wants to offer local and foreign investors $20 million in dollar-denominated papers. The government intends to offer tax exemptions for Treasury bill holders in order to revitalize a market which has been idle. The draft envisages a 2.5 percent rise in GDP compared with growth of three percent in the first 11 months of this year. The official rate of the ruble is expected to slide to 575 per dollar by the year-end from 320 at the start of 2000. The government and the central bank currently use several exchange rates, while street dealers and exchange offices offer a rate of 890,000-905,000 rubles per dollar. Three zeros will be lopped off banknotes as of January 1, 2000. Korbut said the country of 10 million was likely to face difficulties in replenishing its coffers next year after the IMF and World Bank froze loans. The two creditors have suspended their loan programs over stalled market reforms. But Korbut said that Belarus was servicing its foreign debts on time and would continue doing so next year when payments would total $130 million. Officials expect monthly inflation to average 4.5 percent, compared to 10 percent this year. (Reuters, December 30)

LUKASHENKO BLAMES ISRAEL FOR "LIMITED RELATIONS"
On December 28, Alexander Lukashenko, who is planning to visit Israel on January 4-7, blamed the Jewish state for the "limited relations between the two countries." "Although many Israelis are former Belarusian Jews and there are still 100,000 Jews remaining in Belarus, the two states have failed to build close or extensive mutual relations," Lukashenko told reporters in Minsk. "It is the Israel side that is to blame. Everyone knows what kind of policy the West is pursuing toward Belarus," Lukashenko added. He plans to meet with Israeli President Ezer Weisman, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, members of the Israeli government, and business figures. (Interfax, December 28)

BELARUS WILL ASSIST GAZPROM IN CONSTRUCTION OF BYPASS
Belarus intends to assist Gazprom in transporting Russian gas to Europe bypassing the territory of Ukraine, announced representatives of the Belarusian state-run Beltransgaz. According to the source, the gas bypass through Belarus will be about six hundred kilometers long. "The pipeline extension route has already been approved and the route of the future pipeline is currently being verified," explained representatives of the company. Earlier, representatives of Gazprom reported that, because of the frequent theft of gas in Ukraine, the company was implementing a range of projects aimed at diversification of gas delivery routes. (Segodnya, December 29)

LUKASHENKO ADMONISHES ATHLETES
On December 31, Lukashenko told Belarusian Olympic athletes that he would reward them if they perform well at the Sydney Games, and warned them not to complain. Lukashenko, who heads the country's Olympic committee, exhorted the athletes at a meeting. "Just produce the result and you'll have nice apartments and tens of thousands of dollars; plus we will provide for you for the rest of your life," he said. "I'll buy you anything you need, be it guns, boats, swimming trunks, even underwear. But God forbid if I hear any complaint or question on the eve of your departure for Sydney," Lukashenko added. (Associated Press, December 31)

-BROTHER SLAVS-

YELTSIN RESIGNS, TURNS OVER POWERS TO PRIME MINISTER PUTIN
On December 31, Russian President Boris Yeltsin shocked Russia and the world by announcing his resignation six months ahead of schedule, and handed over power to his favored successor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. As a final act to an extraordinary career, Mr. Yeltsin, 68, chose the last day of the 20th century, and the start of a four-day New Year holiday in Russia to take charge of a succession battle that will set Russia's course for the next four years. "I am leaving. I am leaving earlier than the set term," Mr. Yeltsin told a bewildered nation, in a noon-time special broadcast filmed against the backdrop of a traditional New Year's tree. "I have realized that it is necessary to do this. Russia must enter the new millennium, with new politicians, with new faces, with new smart, strong, and energetic people." Although Yeltsin has been in and out of the hospital since 1996, when he underwent heart surgery, his resignation was attributed to political, not health reasons. In the four months since he was named Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, a 47-year-old former KGB officer, has become Russia's rising political star. He is credited by most Russians as the architect of an uncompromising war in Chechnya that is seen as a belated effort to restore the battered authority of the Russian state. Mr. Putin, who came to politics in the mid-1980s through the St. Petersburg branch of Russia's liberal democratic movement, showed in parliamentary elections held December 19, 1999, that his personal popularity -- recent polls give him a 50 percent approval rating -- could be translated into political pull. (New York Times, December 31)

…AND HOPES FOR FURTHER INTEGRATION WITH BELARUS IN NEW YEAR
Before resignation, Yeltsin sent his New Year congratulations to heads of the CIS states, the Belarusian state radio reported. Congratulating Lukashenko, he said in particular: "During the year just ending we managed to move far ahead towards the development of integration processes between Belarus and Russia." Yeltsin expressed confidence that "next year, Russia and Belarus, combining their efforts, can achieve a further extension of bilateral cooperation with the formation of the Union State, an economic upturn and a steady increase in living standards of the fraternal peoples." (BBC, December 30)

RUSSIA ACCELERATES MILITARY INTEGRATION WITHIN CIS
At the recent meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS countries, defense ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan discussed issues dealing with further development of the military-technical cooperation. Among them were plans for the forthcoming year, improvement of united air defense system of the CIS, and activities of the executive body of the Council. Special attention was focused on the development of collective security systems and counter-actions to international terrorism. According to Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev, Belarus and Russia maintain particularly strong military-political contacts. "Moscow and Minsk are considering the issues of joint use of the military infrastructure and provision of military security of both countries. We have no obstacles in this path because the necessary political decisions have already been made," stressed Sergeev. According to him, the military leadership of Russia and Belarus has already formed "military bodies for collective management" of the joint group of forces being created. (Krasnaya Zvezda, December 27)

MILOSEVIC: YUGOSLAVIA MAY JOIN RUSSIA-BELARUS UNION
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, in an interview published in the Politika pro-government newspaper on December 31, welcomed the signing of the Russia-Belarus Union Treaty, referring to it as an "indicator of a possible process of the drawing of Eurasian peoples and countries closer together." He emphasized that the process might signify "the start of the establishment of a balance of forces in the world." Milosevic did not rule it out that in the short term Yugoslavia would join the Union, which, in his view, would be in the interests of Yugoslavia and "in the interests of the idea of strengthening contacts between Slavic and other peoples whose goal is to live in peace and develop freely." Milosevic spoke against attempts to isolate Yugoslavia, "as its foes, which maintain sanctions against us, insist." He stressed that Yugoslavia is open for cooperation with all countries in the world. (Itar-Tass, December 31)

LITHUANIAN, POLISH RADIO STATION TO BREAK BELARUSIAN BLOCKADE
On January 1, a new non-governmental radio station, Baltijos Bangu Radijas (Baltic Waves Radio), began broadcasting informational programs in the Belarusian language. The programs will be heard in neighboring Belarus. The Lukashenko regime has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction at the prospect. The Baltic Waves Radio along with a few non-governmental Polish and Czech stations are seeking to counter-balance radio and television content in Belarus, which is strictly controlled by the government. Another radio station headquartered in the Polish city Bialystok began transmissions in Belarusian on December 29, TV Polonia satellite service reported.

The coordinator of the Baltic Waves project and a member of parliament Rimantas Pleikys told a BNS correspondent that the radio station will only broadcast for one half hour per day and will probably expand to four hours of programming later. Eight hours per day are planned by the end of the year 2000. Transmissions from Vilnius on the medium wave at 612 kHz will be heard in Lithuania and western Belarus. Pleikys has also told BNS that foreign intelligence services are taking a special interest in the radio station's work. He declined to name which countries he had in mind, but said the address of the station's headquarters will remain unlisted for this reason. Funds from western nations for the support of free speech and the strengthening of democracy are financing the station's activities. The radio station is a combined international information channel, with rebroadcasts of programming in Belarusian from Prague, Warsaw, Bialystok, and Vilnius. The Belarusian opposition earlier voiced its satisfaction with the establishment of the new radio station. Pleikys, a journalist by training, stressed that the radio station doesn't intend to become "a mouthpiece of one party or another on this or that side of the barricade." He intends to air the official position of the Belarusian government, but, at the same time, to present the opposition's assessment of it, and to present the latter's goals and projects to the listening audience. (Baltic News Service, December 30, TV Polonia satellite service, December 29)

--INTERNATIONAL NEWS-

U.S. EVACUATES MORE THAN 350 OVER Y2K FEARS IN FORMER SOVIET UNION
The United States has evacuated more than 350 diplomats and dependents of U.S. embassies and consulate personnel from Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine over fears of possible problems from the millennium bug, the State Department announced on December 30. The four countries had all been determined to be less well-prepared for the millennium bug than other nations and therefore at higher risk for the disruption of essential services such as water and power. (Agence France Presse, December 30)

-CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS-
March 22 - Democratic Trade Unions to stage nationwide protest.
************************************************************************
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 New York-based human rights NGO in consultative status with the United Nations and ILO.

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 President 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.

Back