INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 3, No. 8
February 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS--

NEW ELECTORAL CODE SIGNED INTO LAW
A new Electoral Code had been signed into law by Alexander Lukashenko into the law, the press office of the House of Representatives told Belapan. The Code was passed by the Belarusian National Assembly in January. The Belarusian leader said that the new law should satisfy everyone and he "sees no reasons not to sign it into the law promptly." He assessed the West's criticism of the new code as a manifestation of its "double standard" policy toward Belarus. (Belapan, February 16)

EUROPEAN DEPUTIES VOICE CONCERN ABOUT NEW ELECTORAL CODE
On February 17, Wolfgang Behrendt, Rapporteur for Belarus of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, told RFE/RL's Belarusian Service that he is very disappointed that Lukashenko signed the new Electoral Code, which was adopted without consultations with the opposition. Behrendt stressed that Belarus would neither be accepted as a member of the Council of Europe nor given EU's economic support if it holds parliamentary elections under the new code. Elisabeth Schrodter, head of the European Parliament group for Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine, said that Lukashenko's signing of the Code signals "an end of attempts by European organizations to bring Belarus back to democracy in a peaceful way." Schrodter noted that the elections held under that Code might result in Belarus' complete isolation. (RFE/RL, February 18)

OPPOSITION CONSIDERS NEW ELECTORAL CODE UNDEMOCRATIC
The Consultative Council of the Belarusian Opposition Political Parties considers the new Electoral Code undemocratic. The signing into law of the Code will have negative consequences for Belarus, said Nikolai Statkevich, leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party. Statkevich believes that the Belarusian authorities are well aware that the signing of the code will exacerbate the conflict with the West. The BSDP leader believes that the version of the Electoral Code signed by Lukashenko could still be amended if the authorities are ready for negotiations with the opposition. However, Sergei Gaidukevich, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, thinks that "by signing the Code, Alexander Lukashenko has burned all bridges leading to a dialogue with the opposition." He admits that there is still an opportunity to make some changes in the code, but they cannot be of a conceptual nature. Gaidukevich added that Belarusian political parties now have to make what is probably their most crucial decision -- to participate or boycott this fall's parliamentary election. (Belapan, February 16)

LUKASHENKO'S OFFICIAL: NEW ELECTORAL CODE "QUITE DEMOCRATIC"
On February 17, Lydia Yermoshina, chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission, told journalists in Minsk that the new Electoral Code is "quite democratic." She claimed that the Code was positively assessed by the Council of Europe's Venetian Commission and includes "almost all" of the proposals made by the OSCE. Yermoshina believes that Europe will recognize this year's parliamentary elections as legitimate. (RFE/RL, February 18)

OPPOSITION ACCUSED OF PUSHING FOR SPECKHARD'S RESIGNATION
On February 10, at the session of the Council of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Lukashenko said that U.S. Ambassador Daniel Speckhard will soon be replaced due to the numerous complaints voiced by the Belarusian opposition. Commenting on Lukashenko's statement, Vyacheslav Sivchik, deputy chairman of the BPF "Adradzhenne," said that "the opposition's goal is the resignation of Lukashenko, not of US ambassadors." "The opposition had never discussed the possibility of pressing for Speckhard's resignation," Sivchik added. Stanislav Bogdankevich, chairman of the United Civic Party, told Belapan that he and his party think highly of Speckhard's activities in Belarus. "Speckhard's position has been firmer and more uncompromising that the position of diplomats from many other countries," the UCP leader stressed. On February 18, Speckhard told journalists in Minsk that American ambassadors are usually appointed for 3 years. He was named as ambassador to Belarus in the summer of 1997. The procedure of replacing an ambassador takes considerable time. Therefore it is not unusual that a request to confirm the government's consent to receive a new ambassador has been sent to Minsk. (Belapan, February 15; Charter 97, February 18)

OSCE CANCELS ROUND TABLE WITH AUTHORITIES
On the basis of the recommendation of the OSCE's Vienna headquarters, the OSCE AMG in Belarus has canceled round tables in Minsk on media, electoral regulations, and parliamentary powers. The meetings were supposed to take place from March 2 - 3 with the participation of international officials. Their cancellation is regarded as the OSCE's first reaction to the news that Lukashenko has approved the new Electoral Code, which was drafted without regard for the opposition's opinion. Adrian Severin, head of the OSCE PA Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus, and Wolfgang Behrendt, Rapporteur for Belarus of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, have not, however, canceled their visit to Belarus scheduled for March 2-3. They will hold separate meetings with government officials, opposition leaders, and representatives of Belarusian NGOs. (Belapan, February 17)

OPPOSITION LEADER PROPOSES INTERNATIONAL ROUND TABLE ON BELARUS
Anatoly Lebedko, chairman of the 13th Supreme Soviet's Commission on Foreign Affairs and deputy chairman of the United Civil Party, proposed that an international round table on the political situation in Belarus be held in Minsk under the aegis of the OSCE. The opposition leader has sent letters to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian State Duma, inviting them to take part in such a meeting. Lebedko suggested that the round table be held in the first half of March. It would thus coincide with the arrival of Adrian Severin and Wolfgang Behrendt. (Belapan, February 15)

LUKASHENKO'S RULE A MIX OF BOLSHEVISM AND FASCISM
The Lukashenko regime can be characterized as a mix of Fascism and Bolshevism, Semyon Sharetski, the opposition-appointed Acting Belarusian President in exile, told an international conference on "Human Rights and Democracy in the Republic of Belarus" in Vilnius on February 12. The opposition leader, who has been living in neighboring Lithuania since last summer, said that the only way out of the political impasse is through government-opposition negotiations. "The legitimacy of the 13th Supreme Soviet disbanded by Lukashenko in 1996 as the legislative and supreme representative body can be ended only with the formation of a new legitimate legislature as a result of holding free and democratic elections in the country. If such elections fail to be held, the 13th Supreme Soviet will continue functioning," stressed Sharetski. (Baltic News Service, February 14)

ASSOCIATION TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY IN BELARUS FOUND
Fourteen parliamentarians from Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland have founded the International Union of Parliamentary Solidarity for Support of Democracy in Belarus, a new interparliamentary organization. The Union will be headed by Saulius Peceliunas, the leader of the Lithuanian parliamentary group for relations with the Belarusian 13th Supreme Soviet. The Union expressed support for the jailed Belarusian deputies Andrei Klimov and Vladimir Koudinov. In a statement, the founders stressed that the obstacles posed to Anatoly Lebedko's travels abroad run counter to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally recognized human rights standards. The Union urged the Lukashenko regime to stop persecution of political opponents. (Belapan, February 12)

YOUTH MARCH IN MINSK
About two hundred young opposition activists took part in the Valentine's Day March staged by the Malady Front on February 14 in Minsk. The crowd set off from the Yakub Kolas Square and marched along Krasnaya and Kommunisticheskaya streets. A meeting was held near the Belarusian Theatre of Opera and Ballet. No clashes with the police were reported. A similar action took place in Mogilev. (Charter 97, February 15)

TEENAGE GIRL FINED FOR BURNING NATIONAL FLAG
On February 14, 18-year-old Nadezhda Grechukha, resident of Borisov, was fined 22,000 BRB (about $25) for allegedly burning a Soviet-style Belarusian flag during a demonstration in Minsk on July 21, 1999. Judge Valery Komisarov found her guilty of desecrating state symbols under the Article 186-2 of the Belarusian Criminal Code. Grechukha did not deny having burned the flag. She said she felt no regret for what she had done and hoped Belarus would soon regain its true national symbol, the white-red-white flag. The historically national white-red-white flag was used as the Belarusian state flag in the period between the breakup of the USSR and the ascendance of Lukashenko. A referendum initiated by Lukashenko in 1995 resulted in the introduction of Soviet-style state symbols to replace the historic ones, and the white-red-white flag became a symbol of opposition to the Lukashenko government and a symbol of street protests in the country. (Belapan, February 14)

LOCAL OPPOSITION ACTIVIST ACQUITTED
The Brest Regional Court reversed the decision of a Brest District Court, which had earlier imposed a fine on Gennady Samoilenko, a resident of the city of Zhabinka, Brest region, for distributing leaflets criticizing the unification with Russia on December 8. Samoilenko managed to prove in court that at the time in question he was in police custody for his participation in yet another protest earlier in the day. The Regional Court also overturned a 10-day jail term to which Samoilenko was sentenced for his participation in the December 8 protest. (Belapan, February 17)

POLICE OFFICER FIRED AFTER WRITING LETTER ABOUT CLASHES
On February 18, General Radoukevich, head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, told journalists in Minsk that Oleg Baturin, a senior police officer, was fired for absenteeism. In an open letter published on February 10 by the Narodnaya Volya opposition newspaper, Baturin wrote that the police had orders to provoke demonstrators into clashes during the opposition-organized Freedom March demonstration in Minsk on October 17 (See Belarus Update Vol.3, No.7). (Charter 97, February 18)

KLIMOV FACES NINE YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT
On February 18, Prosecutor Galina Radkevich asked the judge to sentence Andrei Klimov, deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, to 9 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. Earlier, judge Vera Tupik turned down the defense's petitions to release Klimov on a written pledge not to flee and to call for additional investigation into the case. Klimov commented on the denial of these requests in the following way: "It proves once more that the authorities want to take me out of the game for as long as possible." Judge Tupik is supposed to deliver her decision on February 21. (Charter 97, February 18)

CHIGIR'S TRIAL POSTPONED AGAIN
On January 17, Judge Alexander Vasilevich ruled in favor of the petition of defendant former Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir that his lawyer Sergei Lepesh be replaced by Alexander Pylchenko, who once represented Tamara Vinnikova, former chairwoman of the Belarusian National Bank. The judge also agreed to postpone proceedings until February 28 to give the new lawyer time to study the case. The judge refused to allow Chigir, who was released from detention on his written pledge not to flee, to travel to Moscow. (Belapan, February 17)

AUTHORITIES DELAY RE-REGISTERING BPF FOR POLITICAL MOTIVES
In violation of the existing regulations, the authorities delayed the re-registration of the Belarusian Popular Front for purely political motives, said BPF leader Vintsuk Vyachorka at a news conference held in Minsk on February 15. On February 14, the Belarusian Ministry of Justice informed the BPF that its registration will be postponed indefinitely. The opposition organization has filed a complaint with Gennady Vorontsov, Belarusian Minister of Justice. "The Lukashenko regime is trying to remove a fundamental element of the country's democratic forces from active political life, Vyachorka said. According to him, it also shows that the government wants to turn this fall's parliamentary election into a farce by preventing the leading political parties from taking part in it. (Belapan, February 16)

VENDORS SEEK NEGOTIATIONS WITH GOVERNMENT
Valery Levonevsky, a member of the Council of the Free Trade Union of Entrepreneurs and the leader of the Strike Committee of outdoor market vendors, said that the free trade union of outdoor market vendors will seek full-fledged negotiations with the government over trading regulations. He said that if the government refuses to participate in the negotiations, the Union will urge vendors to take part in the Freedom March-2 scheduled by the opposition for March 15. (Belapan, February 17)

LUKASHENKO PROMISES HELP TO SMALL BUSINESSES
"The president views the problem of small businesses as an issue of state importance," Lukashenko's press service announced in a statement on February 15, adding that the Belarusian leader had not been forced into offering the vendors an olive branch by their protest. "It should be resolved in a way that finds a balance between the demands of the state and the possibilities of business, so that it (business) can develop," the statement said. Lukashenko also ordered the government to lower and simplify taxes. Trade unions have said that about 90,000 traders out of more than 100,000 registered participated in the strike calling on the government to simplify the tax system, cut the VAT and end bribe-taking by officials. (Reuters, February 16)

POLAND-BELARUS RELATIONS DETERIORATE
Relations between Poland and Belarus have turned increasingly tense after 47 Belarusian citizens were detained on February 13 by border guards and police in Gizycko, northeastern Poland. The Belarusians were accused of engaging in illegal commercial activities in Poland. Ten of them were held for over 12 hours. On February 15, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry protested to Mariusz Maszkiewicz, Poland's Ambassador in Minsk, charging that Warsaw did not handle the issues in the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect. On the other hand, Pavel Dobrowolski, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman, believes that Belarus "over-reacted" to the matter, because it was an administrative decision of Poland with no political motivations. Last August, Poland expelled 25 Belarusians for the same reason. According to Dobrowolski, deportation procedures were also initiated against two Lithuanians and two Russians who were in the group detained by the border guards. (PAP news agency, February 16)

SAFELY ABROAD, LUKASHENKO'S OPPONENTS TAKE TO AIRWAVES
As Lukashenko stays in power, having already overstayed his term as president, Vilnius is turning into a sort of unofficial Belarusian opposition capital. It is a natural outpost for opposition, just 160 kilometers from Minsk. Somewhere in the vast apartment complexes of Vilnius - the address is secret - is the apartment where the Radio Baltic Waves is set up. Sergei Shupa, editor-in-chief of the Radio Baltic Waves, has teams of editors in Vilnius and correspondents who call in from Belarus. Their goal, he says, is to "influence the situation in Belarus." Over a small network of home computers and transmitters in Vilnius, Shupa and his colleagues mix their correspondents' work with transmissions from the Radio Free Europe. A contract with the Radio Vatican's Russian-language service is in the works as well. "Whether 10, 100 or 1,000 listeners in Belarus get better information, this is success," says Rimantas Pleikys, Shupa's partner and an old hand at this game as a former Lithuanian minister of communications and founder of the Radio Free Tibet. Funding comes from private sources in the United States and Britain. George Soros' Open Society Foundation, which agrees with Pleikys that Lukashenko's official journalism is "old-fashioned propaganda," has also promised some funding. Belarus occasionally grumbles about the situation through its embassy in Vilnius, but not much. There is a diplomatic catch: the Radio Baltic Waves is licensed as a station only for Belarusians living in Lithuania. "That radio-waves do not stop at the border is a happy coincidence," Pleikys says. But a previous effort to open a Belarusian opposition station in Poland actually did fail when diplomats got in the way. If there is any diplomatic stir, the men from the Radio Baltic Waves say, it should regard Lukashenko's unconstitutional refusal to resign. Pleikys calls the European Union "naïve" for trying to work with the regime. Now with Radio Baltic Waves, the opposition reaches not only to Belarus, but to Western friends for aid. The quiet clash between the Belarusian government and the West just grew a bit louder. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, February 18)

--AT HOME IN BELARUS --

BIATHLON COACH UNDER INVESTIGATION
Alexander Popov, the Belarusian biathlon head coach, is under investigation after claiming that $40,000 had been stolen from him. On February 15, he received $40,000 in cash from the Sports Ministry to cover his team's expenses at the biathlon world championships in Norway, but then he said the money was stolen. A Minsk police spokesman said Popov had submitted a claim for stolen cash in unexplained circumstances and the case was being investigated. Popov, 36, won the Olympic gold medal in Calgary in 1988 as well as six world titles in the 1980s for the former Soviet Union. He was scheduled to leave for Norway later on February 15 to join his team. "It's a normal practice in our country that the delegation head gets all the money in cash for his team's needs," the Sports Ministry official told Reuters. (Reuters, February 16)

--BROTHER SLAVS--

BELARUS, RUSSIA MERGE WEAPONS COMPANIES
On February 12, Russia and Belarus signed an agreement to set up an industrial group merging their defense contractors. Ivan Znatkevich, Belarus's government spokesman told Reuters that the document was signed by Leonid Kozik, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister, and Ilya Klebanov, Russian Deputy Prime Minister. "Our defense contractors will work together, we will reform our armies together and produce and sell weapons together," Klebanov told Belarusian TV before the signing. Znatkevich said that seventeen Russian and two Belarussian military companies, which specializes in air defense equipment, would form a group called Oboronitelnye Sistemy (Defense Systems). Alexander Lukashenko recently said that the two countries would form a joint military force of hundreds of thousands to defend their western frontier from NATO. Belarus also wants to merge the two states' air defense systems. (Reuters, February 12)

RUSSIAN OFFICIAL CALLS FOR SPEEDIER UNION
On February 16, Mikhail Kasyanov, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister, said he was seeking ways to speed up his country's integration with Belarus. "Different opinions among members of the government about forming a union state have disappeared, despite hitches and doubts during preparation of the union agreement," Kasyanov said during a visit to Minsk. "The agreement is signed - now we have to take announced steps as quickly as possible," he said, speaking on the Belarusian state TV. Lukashenko has complained publicly about Russian foot-dragging on implementing the agreement and delays caused by political upheaval in his large eastern neighbor. Belarusian TV quoted Lukashenko as saying that he had asked a group of political scientists and members of the government to speed up development of the organs of joint rule envisaged under the union. (Reuters, February 17)

WHO WILL JOIN RUSSIA AND BELARUS?
Russia and Belarus have not determined the conditions of their own union yet, but other states are already wishing to join them. This theme has already been discussed in Yugoslavia and Armenia. Now Kazakhstan is among the hopefuls too. Slavic groups in Kazakhstan intend to call on Nursultan Nazarbayev to hold a referendum on joining the Russia-Belarus union, the Moscovsky Komsomolets Russian newspaper wrote on February 18. However, the Kazakh President is not rushing into the union, but rather believes that Kazakhstan should develop as an independent state. Strangely, the Kazakh Communist Party does not consider unification to be reasonable. Perhaps Russia itself has lost the confidence of communists. (Moscovsky Komsomolets, February 18)

--CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS--

March 15 - Opposition to stage the Freedom March-2
March 22 - Democratic Trade Unions to stage nationwide protest
March 25 - Opposition to mark the founding in 1918 of the Belarusian People's Republic, crushed by the Bolsheviks
April 26 - Opposition to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster

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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 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 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

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