INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 3, No. 14
March 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

DAY OF FREEDOM MARCHERS STAND TRIAL IN MINSK
On March 27, court proceedings against Day of Freedom marchers began in the Sovietsky District Court of Minsk. About forty detainees were brought to the courthouse to be tried on charges of violating street demonstration regulations. All of them were arrested on March 25 during the Day of Freedom demonstration in Minsk. The defendants, who had been in detention for two days, received court subpoenas at the Sovietsky police station. The police needed four vans to bring all the defendants to the courthouse. While the court was making its way through individual cases, the rest of the detainees were locked up in the vans. Four judges handled the proceedings, but they still failed to hear all the cases. As a result, some of the defendants spent more than ten hours in the vans, with no food or fresh air, and were then taken back to the detention center. Many other cases had to be postponed as well. Some defendants demanded access to counsel.

Anatoly Lebedko, deputy chairman of the United Civic party, was arrested by plainclothes police during the demonstration, kept in detention, and reportedly beaten over the course of two days. He spent most of March 27 in a police van outside the courthouse awaiting trial, but was released at 5:00 p.m. His trial has been re-scheduled for April 4. The trial over Yury Belenky, acting chairman of the BPF Christian Democratic Party, has been postponed because of apparent errors in drawing up the charges. Numerous mistakes were found in the charge sheets of other defendants as well. Ales Pogartsev, a member of the Belarusian Popular Front, was sentenced to three days' imprisonment. About fifteen people were reprimanded for their involvement "in an unsanctioned rally. A warning was issued to Maya Klyashtornaya, whose father, a well-known Belarusian writer, served time under Stalin. Despite the mild sentence, Klyashtornaya intends to appeal to the court decision.

On March 28, the Sovetsky District court of Minsk issued warnings to Angelina Masuta, Sergei Pyanych, and Alexander Goman, all opposition activists. Yuri Barok, a priest of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Byalnichi and Shklov also received a warning. Sergei Ptitsyn was fined 50,000 BRB (about $55). Alexander Aleshko, who spent two days in a pre-trial detention center, and Leonid Valui were acquitted. Sixty people appeared in court within two days after the March 25 demonstration, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Approximately 50 people were brought to the courthouse directly from the detention center on Okrestina Street. The others appeared in the court on the basis of summons. Most of the trials were postponed to later dates. Detainees were released after judges set the date for the hearings of their cases. Most of the accused were charged with violating street demonstration regulations. Judge Ruslan Kozodaev filed a complaint with the Minsk police that two police officers who participated in the trials as witnesses for the prosecution gave evidence conflicting with their written reports.

On March 28, the police in Minsk arrested Nikolai Statkevich, chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, and accused him of organizing an illegal demonstration on March 25. Statkevich was brought to the Sovietsky District Court of Minsk, where he demanded the presence of his lawyer during the trial. The trial was rescheduled for March 29. When Statkevich walked out of the courtroom, he was attacked by the police, forced into a police car and placed into custody, pending trial. Statkevich faces criminal charges in connection with the organization of unauthorized protests on July 27 and October 17,1999, which ended in violent clashes with police. On March 29, Statkevich and two other opposition activists Vladimir Feoktistov, and Petr Potapenko were fined 44,000 BRB (about $50) each for violating street demonstration regulations, which is punishable under Article 167-1 of the Administrative Offenses Code. Statkevich's lawyer Tatyana Stankevich tried to argue that there had been no march; rather, people simply moved along sidewalks toward Bangalore Square. Vladimir Kovalevsky and Grigory Gitlits were acquitted.

On March 30, Vyacheslav Sivchik, deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front, was sentenced to 10 days in jail. Judge Inna Sheiko found Sivchik guilty of organizing an unauthorized march from Yakub Kolas Square to Bangalore Square in Minsk on March 25. The defendant denied the accusation, saying that he had joined demonstrators moving
toward Bangalore Square after they had already left Yakub Kolas Square. Nikolai Statkevich, gave testimony in favor of Sivchik. However, the judge based her ruling on the testimonies given by police officers. Sivchik was arrested on March 28 and held in detention for 28 hours. Pyotr Nebyshinets was fined 44 million rubles ($47). Sergei Selezen and Sergei Savchits received warnings, although they said that they had nothing to do with the demonstration. They intend to appeal the court decision. Sergei Pyanykh was acquitted. Sergei Vergeichik and Alexander Medvedev were reprimanded. The cases of five other people are to be heard on April 4.

Defense lawyers and human rights observers note that police officers testified at several hearings and gave the same testimony each time, as if they had memorized the text of their statement. For instance, Lieutenants Alexander Romanovsky and Valentin Shimansky testified against some 10 people, whom they allegedly arrested on Yakub Kolas Square. The defendants said, however, that they had been arrested by different police officers. Observers saw a plainclothes officer attending all the trials and giving instructions to policemen, who were testifying as witnesses for the prosecution. Human rights observers believe that police officers might have given false evidence and intend to file a lawsuit on those grounds. As of March 29, 138 citizens, who suffered from police ill-treatment on March 25, have filed complaints with the Viasna Human Rights Center. (Charter 97; Viasna; Belapan, March 27-31)

…AND IN VITEBSK AND GRODNO
On March 27, Valery Shchukin, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, and Vladimir Pleshschenko, chairman of the Vitebsk Rada of the Conservative Christian Party of the Belarusian Popular Front, were sentenced by a Vitebsk court to ten days in jail. Before his trial, Shchukin had spent two days in the pre-trial detention center of the Vitebsk regional police department. The deputy was arrested on March 25 after he arrived in town as a correspondent of the Narodnaya Volya independent newspaper to cover an opposition rally marking the founding of the Belarusian National Republic in 1918. Shchukin and Pleshschenko apparently went to Sovietskaya square, the place mentioned in the leaflets distributed by the opposition, to inform arriving demonstrators that the meeting would be held at another place authorized by the Vitebsk City Council. Roman Solovyan, another activist of the BPF Conservative Christian Party, received a 5-day sentence. Dmitry Pimenov, the official organizer of the Day of Freedom March in Vitebsk, and two other activists were sentenced to three days in jail. All of them were arrested on their way to the officially sanctioned site of the demonstration. They were not displaying any flags or banners nor were they shouting any slogans. The Vitebsk branch of the BPF Conservative Christian Party has appealed these decisions to the Vitebsk Regional Court. On March 30, Adolph Zatsepin, one of the organizers of the Day of Freedom in Grodno was fined 152,000 BRB (about $150) for organizing an unsanctioned march. (Charter 97- Vyasna -Belapan, March 27-31)

LUKASHENKO CALLS MARCH 25 ARRESTS OF JOURNALISTS "MISTAKE"
Arresting journalists in Minsk on March 25 was a "mistake," Lukashenko told reporters on March 31. "I am beginning to wonder who orchestrated these arrests, why armored personnel carriers were used," he asked, trying to look aghast. The Belarusian leader pointed out that the incident happened while he was out of the country. He added that he would personally investigate the March 25 events. (Belapan, March 31)

MINSK MAYOR DISSOCIATES HIMSELF FROM ARRESTS OF JOURNALISTS
"What happened to the journalists was outrageous," Mikhail Pavlov, the newly appointed Minsk mayor told reporters on March 28 in connection with the arrests of nearly 50 journalists in Minsk on March 25. According to Pavlov, the decision to bring in troops and armored vehicles had been made by law-enforcement authorities, and the Minsk City Council had only imposed restrictions on the place and time of the demonstration. (Belapan, March 28)

MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS TO INVESTIGATE ARRESTS OF JOURNALISTS
The press office of the Belarusian Interior Ministry has reported that the ministry has launched an internal inquiry into the detention of journalists who covered an opposition demonstration in Minsk on March 25. "While police were trying to prevent the participants from committing unlawful acts and violating public order, journalists from Belarusian, Russian and foreign mass media turned up right in the middle of the disobedient crowd. No specific command to detain the journalists or confiscate video materials was given. Illegal detention of mass media representatives came as a result of the overall tension, the nervousness of the interior ministry police forces, and attacks by hooligans," reads a statement released on March 29 by the press service of the Interior Ministry. (Belapan, March 27)

U.S. CONDEMNS BRUTAL ATTACK ON PEACEFUL MARCH
On March 28, Deputy State Department Spokesman James Foley sharply criticized the brutal and unjustified attack on peaceful marchers in Minsk on March 25. "The Lukashenko regime's suppression of this demonstration makes clear its disinterest in dialogue. We call on the authorities in Minsk to release immediately all those arrested and to show respect for freedom of expression and assembly," said Foley. (USIA, March 28)

SUPPRESSION OF PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS IN BELARUS
On March 29, Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), said that
the suppression of the March 25 demonstration is yet another illustration of the Lukashenko regime's disregard for fundamental human rights, including freedom of assembly, association, and information. "It is another among a long list of outrageous acts perpetrated by Lukashenko upon the people of Belarus. It is yet another in a pattern of violations of human
rights commitments, which Belarus freely undertook when it joined the OSCE in 1992," Congressman Smith added. (U.S. Department of State, March 29)

BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES VIOLATE FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION, ASSEMBLY
On March 30, Helsinki Commission Co-chairman Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) released a statement, which points out that the harsh overreaction by the authorities to the peaceful demonstration represents a clear violation of the freedom of association, assembly, and information guaranteed both by the Belarusian constitution and OSCE agreements. "Unfortunately, the suppression by the Belarusian authorities of peaceful protest, along with the sentencing last week of a prominent member of the opposition [Andrei Klimov], does nothing to encourage a constructive dialogue with the democratic opposition that can lead Belarus out of its continuing constitutional impasse and end its self-imposed international isolation," said Senator Campbell. He called upon the Government of Belarus to thoroughly investigate reports of police brutality during the course of the demonstration and subsequent detentions and take measures to ensure that citizens are guaranteed their rights to engage in peaceful protests, keeping with that country's OSCE commitments. (USIA, March 31)

US CONGRESSMAN CONDEMNS ANTI-DEMOCRACY VIOLENCE IN BELARUS
U.S. Congressman Sam Gejdenson (D-CT) has denounced the beatings and arrests of the Day of Freedom demonstrators. "President Lukashenko's regime has once again displayed its
repressive colors," said Gejdenson in a statement issued on March 27. "The authorities' harsh reaction to this demonstration was unprovoked." Gejdenson believes that gratuitous use of force,
arbitrary arrests, and the detention of journalists violated the constitutional rights of the Belarusian citizens. Congressman Gejdenson, who visited Belarus in May 1999, is the author of a Congressional Resolution which calls for a dialogue between the Belarusian authorities and the opposition and the restoration of a civilian, democratically elected government in Belarus, based on the rule of law and an independent judiciary. (USIA, March 27)

U.S. OFFICIAL: DEMOCRACY INCLUDES RIGHT TO PEACEFUL OPPOSITION RALLY The U.N. Commission for Human Rights strongly condemned the disregard for human rights in Belarus and the crackdown on peaceful dissent on March 25. Harold Hongju Koh, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, told the Commission meeting in Geneva on March 30 that to reaffirm these principles, the United States will introduce resolutions this year with respect to human rights policies in China and political dissent rights in Cuba. Secretary Koh also reiterated the U.S. concern over reports of human rights challenges in Chechnya, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Angola. "In Belarus, the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko, whose legal term as president ended last July, has increased repression against the democratic opposition and independent media over the past year. Two prominent opposition figures disappeared in 1999, and the government has shown no signs of investigating the disappearances in any serious way. The farcical trial of former Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir continues. Only last Saturday, March 25, the Lukashenko regime brutally broke up a peaceful opposition rally, arresting 300-500 people, many of whom were beaten. The regime has also avoided meaningful dialogue with the opposition and has made no real progress toward resolving the political and constitutional crisis in Belarus," the U.S official said. (U.S. Department of State, March 31)

LUKASHENKO'S OFFICIAL: LESS WORDS, MORE DEEDS IN HUMAN RIGHTS FIELD
On March 23, speaking at the 56th session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Ural Latypov, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the protection of human rights is the responsibility of each country and the world community as a whole He said that the use of human rights rhetoric as a tool of promoting political and economic interests contradicted the human rights concept itself. Latypov invited the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers to Belarus to investigate issues under his mandate. "This would contribute to the judicial reform underway in the country," he said. In Latypov's opinion, unilateral measures taken towards a sovereign country would discredit the principle of participation of the international community in ensuring the observation of human rights. The Belarusian official also expressed his concern about international terrorism. He urged the international community to act upon the Vienna Declaration and the Program of Action in order to take steps against terrorism. He also recommended the establishment of a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council on the issue. (M2 Presswire, March 24)

U.S. AMBASSADOR CALLS OSCE REPORT ON PRESS FREEDOM SOBERING
On March 30, in Vienna, David T. Johnson, head of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, said that the presentation to the Permanent Council of the OSCE by Freimut Duve, the organization's representative on freedom of the media, was "a sobering report" on press freedom in the OSCE area. "The list of problems is long and the positive notes are much more rare than we would like, he said in a statement. Johnson's statement included comments about specific incidents in
Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Yugoslavia, Russia, and Ukraine. "The arrests in Belarus of journalists covering the March 25 demonstration in Minsk and the illegal searches and seizure of their equipment shock one's conscience. With such actions, Belarusian authorities continue to violate their OSCE commitments and undermine the prospects for a dialogue," Amb. Johnson said. (U.S. Department of State, March 30)

US LIKELY TO INTRODUCE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST BELARUS
The Belarusian Ambassador to the U.S. Valery Tsepkalo was summoned two days ago to the U.S. Department of State. He was notified that in connection with the recent crackdown on peaceful dissent on March 25 the U.S. plans to deprive Belarus of its MPN status. (Charter 97, March 30)

OSCE CHAIR DEPLORES POLICE ATTACK ON MARCHERS IN BELARUS
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, chairperson-in-office of the OSCE, said in a March 27 statement that
she was alarmed to learn of the police attack on marchers in Minsk on March 25. She termed the attack on the march, organized to commemorate Belarusian independence, an "unprovoked, unjustified and exaggerated show of police force." Ferrero-Waldner said that the incident threatens the OSCE-Belarus dialogue, facilitated by the Belarusian government and scheduled to
start on March 29. "This dialogue, facilitated by the Belarusian government, scheduled to start on March 29, cannot be fostered in a climate of violent repression. The OSCE Chairmanship therefore urges the Government of Belarus to release all persons still in custody, who were arrested on March 25, and to respect its international commitments," Benita Ferrero-Waldner added. (USIA, March 28)

ILHR CONDEMNS ARRESTS OF PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS AND JOURNALISTS
On March 27, in an open letter to Alexander Lukashenko, the International League for Human Rights condemned the Belarusian authorities' crackdown on a demonstration in Minsk on March 25 in commemoration of Freedom Day. "Your government's handling of the demonstration, in which over 500 people were arrested, including over 30 journalists, makes a mockery of international standards for freedom of the press and association, violates Belarusian laws, and blatantly breaks the promise of the Belarusian delegation to 'permit freedom of peaceful assembly' made to the UN's Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in August 1999," wrote Executive Director Catherine Fitzpatrick in the letter. The League called on the Belarusian leader to exercise oversight of the police and judiciary and ensure that: 1) those still in detention are released and charges are dropped against those who face trial for participating in an unsanctioned demonstration; 2) a thorough investigation is made into reports of police brutality during the course of the demonstration and subsequent detentions; 3) immediate legal action is taken against those who may have engaged in police brutality; 4) measures are taken to ensure that citizens are guaranteed their constitutional and internationally-recognized right to engage in peaceful protest actions in the future. (ILHR, March 27)

AI: JOURNALISTS DETAINED IN ATTEMPT TO SILENCE DISSENT
By detaining about 30 journalists covering a peaceful demonstration in Minsk on March 25, the Belarusian government again attempted to stem international criticism of its intolerance of dissent, Amnesty International said on March 27. "This clumsy attempt to silence local and foreign journalists adds to the Belarusian government's already embarrassing record on human rights," Amnesty International added. The majority of the journalists detained work for Belarus' independent newspapers. They have been very vocal in their opposition to Lukashenko's increasingly unpopular rule and the poor human rights situation in the country. "AI has frequently criticised the Belarusian government for its harassment of independent journalists and periodic clamp-downs on the free press. On Saturday it showed the world that its intolerance of independent thought has reached new levels," Amnesty International said in a statement. "By suppressing the right of Belarusians to peacefully exercise their right of assembly on Saturday and the right of journalists to report it, the authorities violated basic human rights." (AI, March 27)

IFJ PROTESTS MASS ARRESTS OF JOURNALISTS IN MINSK
The International Federation of Journalists, which represents 450,000 journalists in more than 100 countries, has expressed deep concern over the mass arrests of Belarusian and foreign journalists in Minsk on March 25. "None of the arrested journalists has received any explanations about the reasons for their detention. Law enforcers destroyed video and audio tapes taken into custody," said the IFJ in a statement. The IFJ sited the Article 39 of the Law on Press and Other Mass Media which gives journalists the right to be present during meetings and demonstrations or other publicly important events. (IFJ, March 27)

REPORTERS SANS FRONTIERS PROTEST DETENTION OF JOURNALISTS
In their letter to the Belarusian Minister of Justice Gennady Vorontsov, the international journalists' organization Reporters Sans Frontiers protested the detention of journalists in the course of the March 25 protest in Minsk. "We call upon you to do everything in your power to put an end to the exercise of violence against the press," - said the Secretary General of the RSF. He reminded the minister that Belarus is part to the International Convention for Civic and Political Rights, article 19 of which guarantees the freedom of speech and information. (Charter 97, March 28)

LITHUANIAN AND RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS CONDEMN POLICE CRACKDOWN
The Union of Journalists of Lithuania has condemned the use of force against the press and the arrests of journalists in Minsk. "Lithuanian journalists genuinely wish to see progress and
political conciliation in Belarus and call on the government of Belarus to realize the role of the press at last and to stop harassing reporters," says a letter addressed by the Union to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The authors of the letter stress that the reporters detained on March 25 were only doing their job. A similar message has been received by BAJ from the Glasnost Foundation, a Moscow-based NGO. "The international community has received more proof that freedom of speech is detested by the Lukashenko regime," reads the letter. (Belapan, March 27)

MOSCOW DID NOT CARE ABOUT ARRESTS OF RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS IN MINSK
The Moscovsky Komsomolets Russian newspaper wrote that Moscow was unusually calm about the incident, despite the fact that Russian TV journalists were detained and their cameras damaged. The presidential press service had claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin did intervene by calling Alexander Lukashenko, who was visiting the United Arab Emirates. The Russian journalists were subsequently released. But the newspaper refuted this version of events. They claim that Putin did talk to Lukashenko, but several hours before the arrests. If Russian journalists had been arrested and handcuffed in Poland or Latvia, for instance, the Russian Foreign Ministry would have protested swiftly and resolutely. But with Belarus, this is not the case, especially after Lukashenko wished Putin victory in the presidential election, the paper pointed out. (Moscovsky Komsomolets, March 27)

LUKASHENKO-INITIATED "BROAD CIVIC DIALOGUE" STARTS IN MINSK
On March 29, representatives of more than 90 Belarusian NGOs, most of them loyal to Lukashenko, met in a dance hall in Minsk to start the Lukashenko-initiated "broad civic dialogue." In an opening speech, Vladimir Rusakevich, deputy chief of the Presidential Administration, said that the dialogue was the first step to civic consent in society. Rusakevich said that there were no limitations on the issues that can be discussed within the dialogue, which he said should be based on the constitution currently in force. He stressed that the dialogue is open for other organizations to join.

The March 25 events in Minsk overshadowed the discussion of the dialogue agenda. After Rusakevich's speech, the Francisk Skaryna Belarusian Language Society suspended its participation in the dialogue until the government investigates the circumstances of arbitrary arrests and beatings of people in Minsk on March 25. BLS Chairman Oleg Trusov said that the government must make those responsible accountable for their actions. The Belarusian Association "Yabloko" and the Belarusian Party of Communists also raised this point. Other participants also demanded that they be given an official explanation for the manhunt on Minsk streets. Rusakevich said that no repression had taken place on March 25 and refused to discuss the issue. No decisions were made during the session. The next stage of the "dialogue" will be held in two weeks. (Charter 97, Belapan, March 30)

WOMEN CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF GOVERNMENT-INITIATED DIALOGUE
The Adradzhenne Aichyny [Revival of the Fatherland], the Belarusian Women's League, the Belarusian Organization of Working Women, the Belarusian Association of Female Lawyers, the St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk Foundation, the Children of Chernobyl fund and the Women's Information Coordinating Center, seven Belarusian women's organizations have called on Belarusian NGOs to boycott the government-initiated broad civic dialogue until those responsible for the police violence on March 25 are punished. "The March 25 events made the continuation of this dialogue absolutely impossible. Dozens of women - members of our NGOs - were beaten up. Hundreds of innocent victims were arrested and convicted. We cannot remain blindfolded to the official arbitrariness and violations of rights of Belarus citizens. It is impossible to hold a dialogue under fire from water cannons and police truncheons," said a statement from the leaders of several womens' organizations. "Today there are military vehicles and soldiers on the streets of Minsk, tomorrow there will be concentration camp prisoners. We call on public organizations to refuse dialogue until those who ordered the beatings are held accountable," reads the statement. (Belapan, March 30)

AFTER MARCH 25 DEMOCRATIC PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION IMPOSSIBLE
On March 29, the Consultative Council of Opposition Political Parties said in a statement that a democratic parliamentary election this fall is impossible after arbitrary arrests and the dispersal of pro-democracy demonstrators in Minsk on March 25. They pointed out that cynical reprisals against peaceful citizens in Minsk has shown Belarusian society and the international community that the Lukashenko regime does not intend to create a climate of trust in society or negotiate a peaceful transition to democracy. The Consultative Council urged the government to form a commission, including representatives of opposition parties and NGOs, to investigate the March 25 events and bring to account those responsible for the violence and unjustified arrests. (Belapan, March 30)

REGULATIONS INTRODUCED FOR AUTUMN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION
The Central Commission for Elections and National Referenda has drafted regulations for access to the government media in the run-up to this fall's parliamentary election, head of the commission Lydia Yarmoshyna, told reporters on March 23. The regulations are based on the newly adopted Electoral Code, which entitles candidates to free time on the state radio and television and to free space in state newspapers, Yarmoshyna said. According to her, the national television channel will only be available to candidates representing the city of Minsk or the Minsk region. The rest will be offered broadcasting time on regional television channels. The role of the press will be limited to publishing candidates' platforms. Yarmoshyna stressed that independent newspapers were banned from electioneering, and violations might entail disqualification for candidates and sanctions for newspapers. The Electoral Code entitles each candidate to a sum (the equivalent of about $125), and candidates are not supposed to spend any money beyond that. (Belapan, March 24)

FOUR BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS SEEK ASYLUM IN POLAND
Four members of the Malady Front facing criminal charges have managed to flee to Poland, where they have applied for political asylum. German Sushkevich, Gleb Dogel, Anton Lazarev and Andrei Volobuyev, all aged between 18 and 20, were charged with "organizing mass disorders" and "malicious hooliganism" after the Freedom March in Minsk on October 17, 1999 (see Belarus Update Vol.2, No. 43). The police allege that they threw stones at police officers during clashes. If found guilty, the opposition activists would face sentences of up to 5 years in prison. Their trial was scheduled for March 30. German Sushkevich and Gleb Dogel were arrested and severely beaten immediately after the demonstration. Anton Lazarev was arrested a few days later. They spent several days in jail before being released on their written pledge not to flee from prosecution. Andrei Volobuyev also signed such a pledge. (Belapan, March 28)

--CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS--
April 2 - Opposition to stage protest on the Day of Union of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus
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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