INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 3, No. 10
February 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS--

BELARUS FALLS SEVERELY SHORT OF MEETING HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS
On February 25, the U.S. State Department released its annual Human Rights Practices Report, which included Belarus. The report notes numerous abuses of Belarusians' individual, political, and civil rights. In the Integrity of the Person section, all subsections but one -- Political and Other Extrajudicial Killing -- give evidence of human rights violations, such as disappearance, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, and arbitrary interference with privacy or home. In the Civil Liberties section, the greatest number of reported violations have to do with freedom of speech and press, and with freedom of peaceful assembly and association. The authors of the report conclude that the Belarusian government's human rights record worsened significantly in 1999. The full report can be found at the following web address: http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report/belarus.html

The following is an excerpt from Ambassador Speckhard's speech given at the presentation of the report at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk on February 28. "The Human Rights Report highlights that the Government of Belarus is falling severely short of meeting even minimal standards and, up to this point, has not demonstrated the political will to improve the situation. According to the report, the authorities have shown a disregard for the rights and freedoms of its citizens. Why should all Belarusians care about this? For those who perhaps don't feel the personal impact of human rights abuse, I'll make the plea to think about economic factors and problems. Because there's not only a moral argument to protect human rights, there is also an economic argument. I have met with many Belarusians over the last three years and I have been impressed by their intellectual capacity, talents, energy and their abilities. It's important that these talents be unleashed by the society so that they can work towards improving the economic and the political situation in Belarus. Each individual is important in Belarusian society and the ability of these individuals to help the country develop economically and politically needs to be allowed. Belarusians need to be allowed to tap the creative energy of all its individuals to be able to meet the significant challenges it faces as it makes the transition to a democracy and market economy.

I also want to say a few words about the development of democracy in Belarus. The way forward has been identified by Belarusians over the last six months with the help of the OSCE. Specifically, this is through free and fair elections, access to media, strengthening of checks and balances between branches of government, and creating an environment of respect for basic human rights, including ending harassment of opposition parties, independent newspapers, non- governmental organizations, and releasing political detainees. The United States is disappointed that there hasn't been more progress over the last six months in these areas. We view the recent signals from the government to resume dialogue with the help of OSCE as a welcome sign. It's important for the government to understand the urgency of this task and to begin a genuine dialogue with the good offices of the OSCE. It is important for the government to be open to accepting the criticism and observations of this report and reports of other international organizations to address human rights shortcomings in Belarus. As I said, it's up to Belarusians to solve the problems of their society. And as you tackle the challenges of promoting human rights in your country, I want you to know that the hearts and prayers of the American people are with you. (USIA, February 28)

US CONGRESS WILL HOLD HEARING ON BELARUS
On March 1, the Congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe announced a forthcoming hearing: "Belarus: Stalled at a Crossroads" for March 9, 2000, at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Scheduled to testify: Commissioner Harold Hongju Koh, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Ross Wilson, Principal Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States; Semyon Sharetsky, Speaker of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus illegally disbanded by Alyaksandr Lukashenko in 1996; Stanislav Shushkevich, past Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, independent Belarus' first Head of State; Adrian Severin, head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Working Group on Belarus and a Romanian Parliamentarian.

"Following the controversial 1996 referendum, after which he disbanded the legitimate Supreme Soviet, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has continued to suppress human rights and hinder democratic development. Meaningful dialogue between the government and opposition has yet to materialize, due to governmental intransigence, complicated by a recently approved electoral code that decreases the likelihood of free and fair parliamentary elections planned for this fall. The economic situation in Belarus continues to deteriorate, disaffection with the Lukashenko regime is growing, and the renewed Russia-Belarusian union has serious implications for Belarus' existence as an independent state," reads the news release issued by the CSCE. (CSCE, March 1)

HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER: SITUATION WORSENED SIGNIFICANTLY IN 1999
The Viasna96 Human Rights Center said that 1999 was a particularly bad year for Belarus, where several members of the opposition to Alexander Lukashenko were jailed or simply disappeared. The report by the center is distributed every year to foreign embassies. This year it highlights the end of Lukashenko's legitimate five-year term in July 1999 and his agreement with Russia to form a unified state. "Not a single opposition protest passed without arrests, persecution of the organizers or participants, or warnings or fines," the Viasna96 report said. It estimated that about 14 political prisoners were under investigation, on trial or in jail in 1999. The Belarusian authorities deny political motives behind the trials of opposition members, saying that the arrests are part of a campaign to crack down on corruption. The opposition held frequent demonstrations last year to protest against Lukashenko remaining in office as well as against the integration with Russia. (Vyasna, March 1)

AUTHORITIES PREPARE FOR DIALOGUE…WITHOUT OPPOSITION
On March 1, the Belarusian government avowed Lukashenko's readiness to open talks with the opposition. The Belarusian leader was said to have made this decision "on recommendations" from Mikhail Myasnikovich, head of the administration. Igor Velichansky, head of the Public Associations Department of the Presidential Administration, told a news conference in Minsk that a working group had been set up to organize the dialogue. According to Velichansky, who is in charge of preparations for the talks, the participants identified three subjects for discussion in the first meeting: the electoral law, public and political organizations' participation in and monitoring of this fall's parliamentary election, and the opposition's access to the media. The news had a bombshell effect in Belarus: only last week Lukashenko spoke of his firm refusal to enter into negotiations with the opposition but as it now turns out, only spokesmen for pocket parties and movements who are absolutely loyal to Lukashenko have been invited to sit down at the negotiating table with the illegitimate president. They include the Liberal-Democratic Party, the Patriotic Party led by pro-Lukashenko General Barankevich, the newly established Patriotic Youth League [organized along the lines of the Soviet Komsomol and popularly referred to as the "Lukamol"], the Fatherland Movement established a few days ago under the aegis of the Youth League, the Movement for Social Progress and Justice and other small associations. Lukashenko is going to present these parties and associations as "the opposition" to European observers. As for Lukashenko's genuine opponents, they have not been invited to the talks. (Belapan, March 1)

BELARUS: DEEPENING IMPASSE ON POLITICAL DIALOGUE
On March 1, State Department Spokesman James Rubin said that the United States hopes to see "a genuine dialogue process" between the government of Belarus and the democratic opposition.
Rubin noted that the Belarusian authorities recently announced a resumption of dialogue with the opposition, and he said the United States hopes the process "will resolve the constitutional and political crisis in Belarus and end its isolation from the democratic mainstream in East-Central Europe." The following is the text of Rubin's statement:

"The United States notes recent statements by the authorities in Belarus regarding the resumption of dialogue with the democratic opposition. We hope to see a genuine dialogue process that will
resolve the constitutional and political crisis in Belarus and end its isolation from the democratic mainstream in East Central Europe. To ensure that result, we call on the government to create the conditions for a fruitful dialogue, including an end to harassment of opposition figures, current efforts against unregistered non-governmental organizations and attempts to close independent media in the country. We also note the importance of a prominent role for the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group and for the democratic opposition in the dialogue process, in keeping with Belarus' OSCE commitments. Failure to take such steps will lead to a sham dialogue, illegitimate parliamentary elections, and further polarize Belarusian society and deepen the country's isolation from democratic Europe. We will continue to follow developments in Belarus with great concern. Through Ambassador Speckhard and the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, we will continue to work with the OSCE AMG, the democratic movement and the Belarusian authorities to advance democracy, respect for human rights, and reform in that country." (USIA, March 1)

OSCE WORRIED BY POLITICAL STAND-OFF IN BELARUS
On March 1, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Austrian Foreign Minister, expressed satisfaction with the repeated commitment of the Belarusian authorities to free, fair and internationally recognizable parliamentary elections this fall but voiced her concern about the passing of the electoral code before a substantial dialogue with the opposition. "I welcome the agreement by Alexander Lukashenko to the declaration of the OSCE summit in Istanbul, which emphasized 'that only a real political dialogue in Belarus can pave the way for free and democratic elections, through which the foundations for real democracy can be developed'," says the statement by Ferrero-Waldner. She expressed regret that in spite of numerous OSCE initiatives since 1997, it has not yet been possible to establish national consensus on the framework conditions for free and fair parliamentary elections. She called on the Belarusian government to renew a real political dialogue with the opposition in order "to overcome the constitutional controversy and the still existing discrepancies of the present version of the electoral code with OSCE standards." Ferrero-Waldner stresses that time is running out for a meaningful dialogue. (Belapan, March 1)

EUROPEAN DEPUTIES ENCOURAGE TALKS IN BELARUS
On March 1- 4, a delegation from the European Parliament visited Belarus to encourage dialogue between its authorities and the opposition. The delegation included Adrian Severin, Chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly ad hoc Working Group on Belarus, Jan Marinus Wiersma, chairman of the Belarus Subcommittee of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Pedro Marset Campus, Rapporteur of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Terry Davis, Chairman of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's Political Committee, and Wolfgang Behrendt, Rapporteur on Belarus at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's Political Committee. The parliamentarians arrived a week after the Belarusian government rejected the idea of negotiations, backed by the OSCE, between Alexander Lukashenko and his opponents. Instead, the authorities favored "broad" political talks which would exclude the opposition. "In spite of certain advances made in recent months, the situation would now appear to be in an impasse," the European Parliament's statement said. Denying an accusation voiced by Lukashenko, the European Parliament stressed that it had no intention of interfering in Belarus' internal affairs. (Reuters, March 1)

OPPOSITION: NO DIALOGUE CAN BE BASED ON DICTATE FROM ONE SIDE
On March 2, the delegates of European parliamentary troika held talks with representatives of the opposition. The sides discussed opportunities for a government-opposition dialogue and for monitoring this fall's parliamentary elections. Members of the Consultative Council of Belarusian Opposition Political Parties shared with the parliamentarians their opinion about the negotiating process. They believe that the talks have to concentrate on two major issues: the functions of the Parliament (according to the separation of powers' principle, as required by the 1994 Constitution) and electoral legislation (with minimum requirements of a mixed voting system, direct inclusion of party's representatives into electoral commissions and freedom of monitoring at every stage). "No dialogue can be based on a dictate from one side. Free exchange of opinions among representatives of various social and political backgrounds in the media, rallies and meetings should become a common practice in Belarus. If elections are held on the basis of the current Electoral Code and in the conditions of a crackdown on democratic principles, they would be regarded by the opposition as a farce. The combination of parliamentary elections in Belarus and elections to the parliament of the Russia-Belarus Union would automatically mean legitimization of an unlawful unification treaty and the opposition parties would boycott it," reads the statement issued by the Coordination Council. (Charter 97, March 3)

GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION AND NGOs HOLD ROUND-TABLE
On March 3, under continuous pressure from international organizations, representatives of the Belarusian government agreed to meet with opposition parties and NGOs. The meeting was held behind closed doors in Minsk with the participation of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, and the European Parliament. In an interview with a Belapan correspondent, Pyotr Zhushma, a member of the House of Representatives of the Belarusian National Assembly expressed his satisfaction with the results of the conference. Yury Belenky, a member of the BPF "Adradzhenne," said he had expected the discussion to be more productive. "I thought the governmental side will make concrete proposals on three main issues -- electoral legislation, the opposition's access to the public media and the authority and functions of the future parliament. However, no proposals have been made. As for the general discussion, I had an impression that the authorities, if they are ready to make concessions at all, will not go further than changes in the electoral law," Belenky said. The European Parliamentary Troika then met with Vladimir Rusakevich, first deputy chairman of the Presidential Administration. The delegation is also scheduled to meet with Alexander Lukashenko, Lydia Yermoshina, chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission, and Foreign Minister Ural Latypov. (Belapan, March 3)

U.S. OFFICIAL VISITS BELARUS
From February 28 to March 2, Patricia Davis, officer of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the U.S. Department of State, visited Belarus. During her visit, Ms. Davis held talks with Stanislav Ogourtsov, head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry's Department of Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights,. [Mr. Ogourtsov is a Belarusian diplomat who used to represent Belarus at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva and was reportedly fired by Lukashenko in 1998 for "failing to neutralize" the Belarusian opposition's reports to the Commission (see Belarus Update Vol. 2, No. 14 -16), but has somehow managed to remain in the MFA system.] They discussed the report on human rights in Belarus in 1999, which was released by the U.S. Department of State. Ms. Davis told reporters after the meeting that Ogourtsov had expressed interest in discussing the report in greater detail. Ms. Davis also met with representatives of Belarusian NGOs and political parties. (Belapan, February 28)

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE REGISTERS CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN PARTY
The Belarusian Ministry of Justice has registered the Conservative Christian Party of the Belarusian Popular Front, which was founded by supporters of Zyanon Paznyak, former chairman of the BPF. Sergei Popkov, CCP BPF deputy chairman, said at a news conference on February 29 that the Party will not participate in any talks with the regime. The party leaders believe that the government will use the dialogue as a screen for "further selling Belarus." Popkov said that the party will keep collecting signatures against unification with Russia. (Belapan, February 29)

OPPOSITION APPLIES FOR PERMISSION TO STAGE FREEDOM MARCH-2
On February 28, the opposition submitted a petition to the Minsk City Council for permission to stage the Freedom March-2 in Minsk on March 15. The application was signed by Vintsuk Vyachorka, leader of the BPF "Adradzhenne," Yury Khadyka, BPF deputy chairman, Stanislav Bogdankevich, leader of the United Civic Party, Anatoly Lebedko, UCP deputy chairman, and sixty one other opposition activists. The protest is aimed at supporting the OSCE-mediated government-opposition negotiations and the release of political prisoners. Participants will gather on Yakub Kolas Square and march along Skaryna Avenue to Independence Square, where a rally is scheduled to be held. The event would be the first in a series of demonstrations in defense of Belarus's independence scheduled by opposition forces for this spring. Anatoly Lebedko told a news conference that the OSCE AMG in Belarus had suggested that the city authorities hold a round table with the organizers to discuss the demonstration's plan and route. The Minsk government has not yet officially replied to the proposal. (Belapan, February 28)

FREEDOM MARCH-2 IN VITEBSK
The Vitebsk branches of the Belarusian Popular Front, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, and the United Civic Party have called on Vitebsk residents to take part in a local Freedom March-2 scheduled for March 15. The demonstration will be timed to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the Belarusian Constitution. The organizers plan to stage it on Vitebsk's central square. A leaflet issued by the organizers says the opposition is being denied access to the electronic media, so it views street protests as the only way to tell people the truth about the political situation in the country. (Belapan, February 28)

CASES OF FOUR FREEDOM MARCH PARTICIPANTS SENT TO COURT
Criminal cases on the four participants in the opposition-organized Freedom March held in Minsk on October 17, 1999, have been sent to the Minsk City Court, the Viasna96 Human Rights Center reported. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against several opposition activists, including Nikolai Statkevich, leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, Herman Shushkevich, Andrei Volobuyev, Gleb Dogil, and Lazarev, all members of the Malady Front. They are charged with "organizing mass disorders" (see Belarus Update Vol.2, No. 43). The cases of Shushkevich, Dogel, Volobuyev, and Lazarev were separated from the others and they were charged additionally with malicious hooliganism. If found guilty, they face sentences of up to 5 years in prison. (Viasna96, March 2)

BORISOV BRANCH OF BHC DEMANDS RELEASE OF ITS CHAIRMAN
The Borisov branch of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee addressed the local prosecutor's office, demanding the release of its chairman, Alexander Abramovich, from jail. Abramovich was sentenced to serve 35 days in jail on administrative charges for a range of pickets staged in his hometown of Borisov (Minsk region). In addition, Abramovich spent seven days in jail for protesting against criminal procedures initiated by the Lukashenko regime against Mikhail Chigir, former Prime Minister and opposition leader. "Taking into account the inhuman conditions of Belarus' prisons and the absence of medical care, we are concerned about Abramovich's health," reads the statement issued by members of the organization. The authorities appear to have heard the appeal. On February 29, after having served 15 days, Abramovich was brought home for a few hours, where he managed to take a shower and had lunch, Belapan reported. (Belapan, February 29)

TWO BPF ACTIVISTS DETAINED IN MINSK
On February 29, two activists of the Belarusian Popular Front were detained in Minsk while giving out leaflets and collecting signatures for a petition against the Russia-Belarus Union. The activists were brought to a nearby police station and released a few hours later. The leaflets and the petition were confiscated. On March 1, one of the activists was charged with illegal distribution of printed materials. He is to appear before the district disciplinary commission. (Belapan, March 1)

"LUKASHENKO, RETURN DISAPPEARED OPPOSITION LEADERS!"
On March 1, three opposition activists picketed Lukashenko's residence in Minsk, marking the first anniversary since the arrest of Victor Gonchar, the disappeared opposition leader. On March 1, 1999, Gonchar, the then chairman of the opposition Central Electoral Committee, was sentenced to ten days in jail for organizing an unauthorized meeting and went on a hunger strike for 5 days. (See Belarus Update Vol.2, No.10, 11). The picketers demanded a full investigation of his and Yury Zakharenko's abduction. However, as soon as the protesters unfolded their banners, officers of the presidential security services detained the activists along with the three journalists covering the unsanctioned picket. After an ID check, the journalists were released. The detained activists are to stand trial. (Itar-Tass, March 1)

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE TO LIQUIDATE UNREGISTERED NGOs
The Ministry of Justice will initiate liquidation proceedings against the NGOs which failed to re-register. On January 26, 1999, Alexander Lukashenko issued a decree requiring all political parties, trade unions and other NGOs to re-register with the Ministry of Justice. At the time, according to the Ministry of Justice press office, Belarus had 2,502 registered national NGOs, including 27 political parties, 42 trade unions, 1,164 national and international organizations, as well as 1,269 regional NGOs, including 9 trade unions. Applications for re-registration were filed by 19 parties, 51 trade unions, and 1,537 other NGOs. As many as 1,326 NGOs, including 17 political parties, were re-registered, and 211 organizations, including two parties -- the Common Sense Party and the Belarusian Christian Democratic Union -- were denied re- registration. Several NGOs, including the Belarusian Association of Young Politicians, filed appeals with the Supreme Court protesting the Ministry's decision to denial their requests for registration, but had their appeals dismissed. (Belapan, February 28)

CHIGIR'S LAWYERS DEMAND REMOVAL OF JUDGE
On February 29, the lawyers for former Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir, who is on trial for charges widely believed to be politically motivated, accused Judge Alexander Vasilevich of bias and demanded his removal from the case. The motion was rejected. In the previous petitions, the lawyers asked the judge to attach customs documents, which they believe to be very important to the case and examine the authenticity of a signature of a person who signed the by-laws of a company named Karuna. The prosecution attributes the signature to Chigir. The defendant insists that he never signed the documents. The judge said that it was too early to examine signatures at this stage of the trial. Chigir refused to testify, saying that he will present his arguments at the end of the process. (Belapan, February 29)

NEW NEWSPAPER, OLD TROUBLES
The Nasha Svaboda [Our Freedom] opposition newspaper, which published its first issue on February 25 (See Belarus Update Vol.3, No 9) has had difficulties in publishing its second issue. The administration of the Chyrvonaya Zvyazda [Red Star] printing house refused to print the second issue of the paper on the pretext that it didn't receive the necessary documentation concerning Nasha Svaboda's legal address from the Minsk City Council. On March 1, Pavel Zhuk, the newspaper's editor-in-chief managed to deliver the required documentation. In his opinion, this incident illustrates the true attitude of the authorities to the independent media. Nasha Svaboda 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). (Charter 97, March 1)

ANOTHER INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER STARTS COMING OUT IN BELARUS
The first issue of a new opposition newspaper called Nasha Pakhodnya [Our Torch] came out in Vitebsk. The newspaper was founded by Yan Kalinovsky, deputy chairman of a local branch of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party. The paper will have a circulation of about 300 copies and will come out twice a week. The first issue of the newspaper contains information about the activities of Social Democrats and other local NGOs, human rights violations in Belarus, and the situation in Chechnya. The paper also reprinted an open letter written by Oleg Baturin, a senior police officer, who 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). [Oleg Baturin has managed to travel to Warsaw and is now in a safe shelter, Charter 97 reported.] (Belapan, February 29 - Charter 97, March 1)

STOP WAR IN CHECHNYA
On February 29, a group of activists applied to the Minsk City Council for permission to picket the Russian Embassy in Minsk on March 17-18, demanding that military actions in Chechnya be stopped. (Charter 97, March 1)

VILLAGE RAIDER GOES ON TRIAL IN BELARUS
It has been eight months since the residents of the Belarusian village of Nikolayevka underwent a bizarre two-hour ordeal when they were dragged at gunpoint from their homes, forced to follow orders from a gang of camouflage-clad teenagers from Siberia, intimidated and even beaten (see Belarus Update Vol. 2, No. 28). Now, Anatoly Silivonchik, 43, the organizer of that "game" is on trial in the nearby town of Svetlogorsk. He is charged with aggravated hooliganism, using violence to deprive people of their freedom and resisting arrest. If found guilty, he could face up to seven years in prison, Judge Nadezhda Romanova said. Since he was arrested last summer, Silivonchik has kept saying that his actions should not be considered a serious crime. But Valery Glushko, the OMON officer who personally arrested Selivonchik, testified that the participating teenagers explained that the main reason for "touring" the village was "to get some old debts back." Silivonchik was brought to the court room on the first day of the trial, which started on February 21, but then was barred from attending for insulting and threatening the prosecutor and witnesses. "He was so impudent and rude, insulting everyone and everything around him, that we had to isolate him," Romanova said. Silivonchik can ask to be allowed back in the courtroom, "but he does not seem willing to do so," the judge added. He even threatened to find and take revenge on the witnesses when he is released, she said.

Romanova described Selivonchik's behavior during his time in pretrial detention and the first two days of the hearing as puzzling. A wealthy businessman, he has filed several dozen complaints, but never bothered to hire a lawyer and is now being represented by a court-appointed defender, she said. Romanova also said that she was surprised that other adult leaders of the Siberia-based Berkut Adventure and Survival club were never arrested. She stressed that the Belarusian police officials explained that "someone had to accompany the teenagers back to Russia." Silivonchik handed over a list of names and addresses of people who allegedly owed money to some unidentified individuals, and Glushko suggested Selivonchik and his companions were involved in extortion using the teenage club as a cover. Romanova said she has never received any such list from investigators. (The Moscow Times, March 2)

PLASTIC LUKASHENKO SKATES IN LITHUANIAN CITY SQUARE
A bright-colored sculpture of a skater with a face of Alexander Lukashenko has decorated the central square of Lithuania's southern city of Alytus. The sculpture has been made of bright orange and blue polyester by Redas Dirzys, the head of Alytus Art School, who said that the piece of art will warn the people against "the dangers of dictatorship." Dirzys branded Lukashenko as a very expressive politician who never lets the artist have a dull time. The plastic Lukashenko is an advertisement for a photography firm, which sponsored the making of the sculpture. (Baltic News Service, February 28)

--AT HOME IN BELARUS-

IMF TEAM REVIEWS BELARUS ECONOMY, NO LOAN DISCUSSED
On February 28, an IMF monitoring mission arrived in Belarus to review the country's economic performance, an IMF official said. The official stressed that no loan programs would be discussed. The IMF, which suspended loans to Belarus in 1996 and recalled its representative in 1998, believes that Belarus's current economic woes stem from slow reforms. The Fund has repeatedly urged Minsk to scrap the multiple exchange rate mechanism and introduce structural reforms, but the government has shown no intention to remove rigid state regulation of the economy. The Lukashenko government still hopes to get a total of $150-250 million under the Contingency and Compensatory Fund Facility and a stand-by loan. (Reuters, February 28)

IRAQ AND BELARUS REACH OIL-FOR-TRUCKS DEAL
Belarus and Iraq have reached an agreement for Belarus to supply Iraq with trucks and tires for transporting humanitarian aid, Nikolai Borisevich, a Belarus foreign ministry press spokesman said on March 2. He said the agreement had been reached in Baghdad late last month at a meeting of a Belarus-Russian trade and economics commission, during which Vladimir Zametalin, Belarusian deputy prime minister met Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Under the so called oil-for-food deal sponsored by the United Nations, Iraq, which is under UN sanctions, has been allowed to sell oil up to a value of $5.26 billion every six months. The money raised is paid into a UN-controlled account and can be used to buy approved humanitarian goods such as food and medicine. The trucks and tires are included in the schedule of approved items to be purchased with the oil revenues because they are used to transport humanitarian goods. (Reuters, March 2)

POST-CHERNOBYL GENETIC DISASTER IN BELARUS
Belarus has plunged into a demographic disaster, with soaring levels of infertility and genetic changes 14 years after the Chernobyl disaster in neighboring Ukraine. "Science cannot yet assess the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, but it is plain that a demographic catastrophe is going on in Belarus," Vladislav Ostapenko, head of the Belarusian Institute of Radiation Medicine, told a news conference. "It is clear that we are seeing genetic changes, especially among those who were less than six years of age when subjected to radiation. These people are now starting families." Belarus bore the brunt of the April 26, 1986 explosion and fire in the power station's fourth reactor. One quarter of its territory was subjected to severe contamination and tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes. Ostapenko said that within seven years of the accident, mortality rates were outstripping birth rates. Girls in affected areas had five times the normal rate of deformations in their reproductive systems and boys three times the norm. Thousands of cases of thyroid cancer, rare in areas not subject to high radiation levels, have been recorded in Belarus's "risk zone," where a million people still live. (Reuters, March 1)

--CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS-

March 15 - Opposition to stage the Freedom March-2
March 18 - Belarusian diaspora to picket the Belarusian and Russian Consulates in NYC
March 22 - Democratic Trade Unions to stage nationwide protest
March 25 - Belarusian diaspora to picket the Belarusian Embassy in Washington D.C.
March 25 - Opposition to mark the founding in 1918 of the Belarusian People's Republic.
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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