INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 3, No. 9
February 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS--

OPPOSITION WILL BOYCOTT OCTOBER ELECTIONS
On February 22, the Consultative Council of the Belarusian Opposition Political Parties announced that they will boycott legislative elections planned for October. The coalition of nine opposition parties stressed that the boycott is a protest against the anti-democratic electoral system established by Lukashenko. "Those in power are organizing an electoral farce according to a pre-planned scenario, where the results are already known," the Council said in a statement. "Under these conditions, the major opposition parties find it futile to participate," the statement continued. According to the opposition, the electoral code minimizes the role of political parties in the election process, giving the current regime the opportunity to easily falsify the results. (Reuters, February 23)

LUKASHENKO ACCUSES WEST OF BACKING HIS OPPONENTS
On February 22, at a meeting titled "The main components of the authorities' actions in holding the 2000 Parliamentary Elections in accordance with international standards" Alexander Lukashenko accused the West of backing the Belarus opposition and ruled out again any possibility of having a dialogue with his opponents. "The West wants to create a strong opposition in Belarus, using my own hands," the Belarusian state TV broadcast him as saying. "Any attempts to destroy the current state power by revolutionary means or in an evolutionary way by demands for concessions have no chances of success," Lukashenko added.

Lukashenko also accused Western countries of interfering with the "constitutional legislative processes in Belarus," by imposing their views on elections. "Neither France nor Germany would allow anybody to meddle with their law-making the way we permitted it here." Lukashenko spoke critically of Western attempts to make Belarus hold elections using the party list system. "Such a system is faulty and contradicts the current Belarusian Constitution," he said, "members of parliament will be elected on the majoritarian principle." He repeated the words of Lydia Yermoshina, chairwoman of the official Belarusian Central Election Commission, that "almost all proposals" of the OSCE AMG in Belarus had been included into the new Electoral Code. During the meeting, Lukashenko scolded U.S. Ambassador Daniel Speckhard for calling his government a "regime." "Speckhard will be replaced because he failed to knock Lukashenko down," the Belarusian leader insinuated.

…AND PREPARES FOR DIALOGUE?
Shrugging off Western criticism, Lukashenko said he would hold a dialogue only with state officials of his own level. "Today it was Viktor Gerashchenko, yesterday Mikhail Kasyanov, the day before yesterday Vladimir Putin - I conduct negotiations with them," said Lukashenko, referring to Russia's central bank head, first deputy prime minister, and acting president, who have all visited Belarus recently. "Talks are possible only where our interests are at stake." However, he added that on March 1 the authorities would start discussions with parties which back his administration. "I am absolutely not against including any issues, even the most controversial ones, from changes to the Constitution to a change of the government," Lukashenko said. He reiterated that one of his conditions for opening talks was that participating parties would have to recognize the results of the November 1996 referendum. Yet, this demand is unlikely to be fulfilled by opposition parties because many of their members were deputies of the disbanded parliament. Lukashenko stressed that dialogue of the country's "public and political forces" should be conducted without mediation by foreign missions or diplomats. Lukashenko said that foreign diplomats have the right to observe the negotiation process but not interfere in it. On February 23, Igor Velichansky, head of the Public Associations Department of the Presidential Administration, told a news conference in Minsk that the role of the OSCE would be watered down. "The participation of the OSCE is fading into the background. This will be an internal Belarusian dialogue, the main goal of which will be civil accord," Velichansky said. He did not reveal who would represent the government at the talks. (Belapan, February 23)

U.S. CONGRESS TO HOLD HEARINGS ON BELARUS
On February 22, Semyon Sharetsky, the opposition-appointed Acting Belarusian President in exile, was invited by the U.S. Congress to participate in the hearings on Belarus, which is to take place on March 9 at the U.S. Congress Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Adrian Severin, the head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus, is also expected to testify. (Charter 97, February 23)

DEPUTY COMMENTS ON LUKASHENKO'S REMARKS
In the opinion of Anatoly Lebedko, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, Lukashenko's advisers have managed to persuade the Belarusian leader that this fall's parliamentary election will not be recognized outside Belarus without a dialogue with the opposition. Lebedko believes that the Belarusian leader was also influenced by the firm position of the international community. He believes that Lukashenko has thus far been trying to forestall the international community's reaction to events in Belarus, which will be discussed during a hearing in the U.S. Congress in March and could result in the adoption of a strategy with regard to Belarus. Lebedko considers it possible, however, that the Lukashenko regime will simply simulate talks. (Belapan, February 22)

LUKSHENKO DISSATISFIED WITH WORK OF STATE MEDIA
On February 18, at a meeting with the editors of the state media and officials responsible for ideological work, Mikhail Myasnikovich, chief of the Presidential Administration, said that "the president is deeply dissatisfied with the work of the state media and the ideological 'vertical'." "State media journalists often weakly react to the situation in society, do not have a sense for the key events and do not give the required ideological response to the opposition," Myasnikovich complained. "The newspapers, radio, and television should promote certain social trends aimed at making the public and psychological climate in the country healthier and at forming a positive public attitude toward the current government." Myasnikovich urged the state media to become "a most important mechanism of the implementation of the president's policies." (Belapan, February 19)

LUKASHENKO APPOINTS NEW PRIME MINISTER
On February 18, Alexander Lukashenko accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Sergei Ling and appointed Vladimir Yermoshin, who has been the mayor of Minsk since 1993. No reason was given for Ling's decision to quit. Ling was appointed Prime Minister in 1996. Lukashenko scheduled a parliament session for March 14 to seek confirmation for Yermoshin's appointment. Explaining his choice, Lukashenko told Russia's Interfax news agency that the Minsk mayor is "a professional industrialist and architectural engineer by training" who did a lot for the capital. The Belarusian leader, who repeatedly criticized Ling's cabinet for falling living standards, high inflation, and a poor grain harvest last year, did not mention plans to ease tight state regulation of the economy. Foreign Minister Ural Latypov, who was a deputy Prime Minister in Ling's cabinet, told Reuters that the general policy of the government will remain the same. Under Ling's premiership since 1996, the government alienated international lending institutions by putting structural reforms on hold, introducing multiple exchange rates and resorting to printing money to boost the economy. (Interfax, February 21- Reuters, February 21)

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS PROTEST DISCRIMINATION
The editors of Narodnaya Volya, Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, Belaruskaya Gazeta, Svobodnye Novosti, Belaruski Rynok, and Komsomolskaya Pravda, Belarus' six largest independent newspapers, have sent an open letter to new Belarusian Prime Minister Vladimir Yermoshin, demanding an end to the discriminatory measures that the state uses against the independent press. The editors reminded the Yermoshin that the Belarusian Postal Service has recently raised delivery rates for independent newspapers by 400-600 percent, while the state-owned publications receive distribution discounts. "The high delivery rate undermines the economic basis of non-state publications and violates freedom of the press," reads the letter. (Belapan, February 23)

NEW INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER STARTS COMING OUT IN BELARUS
On February 25, the first issue of Nasha Svaboda [Our Freedom] opposition newspaper came out. The paper is regarded as the successor of the Naviny newspaper, which had to close down on September 31 after it lost a libel suit to Victor Sheiman, secretary of the Belarusian State Security Council, and was required to pay an exorbitant fine of 15 billion old BRB (about $15,000) (See Belarus Update Vol.2, No.39). Pavel Zhuk, Naviny's editor-in-chief, considers the suit to have been politically motivated. In an interview to the Belapan information agency, Zhuk said that the Nasha Svaboda will employ Naviny's staff members, and will be printed in Minsk, and have a circulation of about 50,000 copies. It is expected to come out twice a week at first and four times a week in the future. For one month, the paper will be available at no charge for promotion purposes. It will also be sent to all former Naviny subscribers. According to Pavel Zhuk, the new paper will advocate democracy and be as sharp and uncompromising in its reports as Naviny was. (Belapan, February 24)

KLIMOV'S TRIAL CONTINUES
On February 22-24, the Leninski District Court in Minsk continued hearing the case of Andrei Klimov, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet. The judge cross-examined the witnesses and listened to the speech of Klimov's defense team. Klimov's lawyer Olga Birula stated in the court that her defendant faces persecution for his political activities. She disputed the evidence supplied by the prosecutor and demanded that the deputy be released. Klimov's mother spoke for over two hours. She is sure that her son is innocent and demanded his immediate release. Mrs. Klimov drew the attention of the judge to the inhuman conditions at the detention facility where her son is kept. (Charter 97, February 23)

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE RE-REGISTERS OPPOSITION PARTY
The Ministry of Justice has re-registered the Belarusian Popular Front "Adradzhenne," [now called BPF Adradzhenne] the most numerous opposition movement in Belarus. On February 23, a re-registration certificate was handed to BPF deputy chairman Yury Khadyka and to Yury Palchevsky, secretary of the BPF Board. BPF Chairman Vintsuk Vyachorka has issued a statement expressing gratitude to Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE AMG in Belarus, for his help in BPF's re-registration. The ministry has not yet re-registered the BPF party, which split off from the Front last year and is currently headed by the former Front Chairman, Zyanon Paznyak. (Belapan, February 24)

FOREIGN MINISTRY: VILNIUS INTERFERES IN BELARUS' INTERNAL AFFAIRS
The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes an international conference on human rights and democracy in Belarus, which was held at the Lithuanian Seimas [parliament] on February 12-13, as an unfriendly act on the part of the Lithuanian Seimas' leadership and as unacceptable interference in Belarus's internal affairs, reads the press release issued by the Belarusian Embassy in Vilnius. "The conference is an open anti-Belarusian gathering aimed against the Belarusian president and parliament, which were elected by the Belarusian people." The document states that during the conference the members of the Belarusian opposition made harsh and obscene anti-Belarus and anti-Russian comments. "The country's internal problems will be solved in Belarus by Belarusian people," reads the release. (Belapan, February 24)

PUTIN ASKED TO HELP FIND DISAPPEARED OPPOSITION LEADERS
One hundred public figures in Belarus have urged Russian acting President Vladimir Putin to use all opportunities and resources to determine the fate of Victor Gonchar and Yury Zakharenko, two disappeared opposition leaders. The appeal was signed by writers Rigor Borodulin, Nil Gilevich, Gennady Buravkin, former Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir, former parliamentary speaker Stanislav Shushkevich, and others. "It is necessary to knock at all doors to find Gonchar and Zakharenko," said Anatoly Lebedko who initiated the appeal. In his opinion, the Kremlin could help shed light on the disappearances if it wanted. "This will be a small test for the frontrunner in Russia's presidential election," Lebedko added. (Belapan, February 24)

GONCHAR'S MOTHER APPEALS TO COMPATRIOTS
Valentina Gonchar, the mother of Victor Gonchar, has appealed to Belarusian citizens. "Belarusians, wake up! People disappear in our 'free and democratic country'! That may happen to anyone and the state TV will continue broadcasting songs and dancing!" she wrote in the appeal. (Belapan, February 23)

BHC SAYS UNIFICATION WITH RUSSIA UNCONSTITUTIONAL
On February 19, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee issued a statement expressing a deep concern that integration agreements signed between Belarus and Russia are aimed at Belarus' complete incorporation into Russia. The unification of the two countries "is carried out in violation of generally-recognized international standards and of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus," says the statement. The BHC points out that international agreements signed by Belarus have no legal force because "all official executive and legislative structures are illegitimate" and the Belarusians have no opportunity "to freely discuss the proposed alliance with Russia." The BHC also issued a statement concerning this fall's parliamentary election in Belarus. The organization intends to monitor the election and register irregularities and all instances of putting pressure on Belarusian citizens in order to force them to take part in the election. (Belapan, February 20)

--AT HOME IN BELARUS--

"NATO'S COMING!"
On February 23, at the solemn reception on the occasion of the Day of Armed Forces, Lukashenko shared his concern about "the complexity and unpredictability of the political situation in the contemporary world." The following is an excerpt from his speech. "NATO has reached our western borders, which has turned the Belarusian territory into a buffer zone between the East and West. Last year's events in the Balkans showed that aggressive militarism is capable of any crime in order to secure its own interests. To do this, they cynically used false demagoguery about human rights protection. At this time, no sovereign country is guaranteed against finding itself in Yugoslavia's position in the future. This is NATO's new doctrine in action. Add terrorism, escalation of regional conflicts, and you will clearly see how real and dangerous the external threat is to the national security. Our armed forces have always been and will forever be an integral attribute of the Belarusian state, the very cornerstone of its sovereignty and territorial integrity." (BBC, February 23)

--BROTHER SLAVS--

RUSSIA, BELARUS SIGN FOREIGN POLICY COOPERATION AGREEMENT
On February 24, Belarusian Foreign Minister Ural Latypov and his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov, signed a foreign policy cooperation agreement in Minsk. Under the agreement, the two countries will coordinate their foreign policies in 2000 and 2001. They also pledged to cooperate more closely in international organizations such as the UN and the OSCE. Ivanov said both countries will continue to work toward "common approaches." He said Russia and Belarus are "sovereign independent states that have made a voluntary decision to form a union state." Ivanov also criticized the West for being unfair in its portrayal of events in Belarus. (Belapan, February 24)

--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 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

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