INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 3, No. 17
April 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS--

AUTHORITIES SANCTION CHARNOBYLSKY SHLYAKH
Following an urgent session of the Minsk City Council with Anatoly Lebedko, the vice-speaker of the 13th Supreme Soviet and chairman of the United Civil Party, the Minsk authorities granted permission for the procession of demonstrators in the Charnolbylsky Shlyakh on April 26 to proceed from Yakub Kolas Square, located in the center of Minsk, to Bangalor Square in the outskirts of the city. The authorities had previously refused to allow the demonstration to take place along this route. See story below for more information about the previous refusal. (Charter97, April 25)

U.S. CONGRESS CONSIDERS RESOLUTION ON BELARUS
On April 13, following months of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations, the House of Representatives International Relations Committee voted to approve House Congressional Resolution 304, which was authored by Congressman Sam Gejdenson (D-CT), the senior Democrat on the Committee. With 130 original co-sponsors, the resolution now goes to the floor for consideration by the entire House.

Resolution 304 condemns the egregious violations of human rights in Belarus, calls on Lukashenko's regime to negotiate with the opposition to restore free and fair elections, and urges the Russian Federation to end financial support to the regime. Gejdenson introduced the resolution in order to raise the international profile of this issue and to place pressure on the Belarusian government to honor its pledge to hold free and fair parliamentary elections by the end of this year and presidential elections in 2001. Gejdenson noted that it was in the United States' interest to ensure a speedy return to democracy in Belarus. "We have a chance to advance American ideals and to use our moral leadership to promote democracy, respect for the rule of law, and development of a market economy in Belarus," he said. "Furthermore, Belarus occupies a strategic position in Europe, bordering NATO-member Poland in the West, Ukraine in the South, Lithuania in the North, and Russia in the East." Gejdenson stressed the importance of providing support to those who continue to suffer under the illegitimate rule of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Among other provisions, Resolution 304 calls on the U.S. Administration to report to the Congress on the state of human rights, the democratic process, free elections, independence of the media and economic liberalization in Belarus. Referring to the recent crackdown on participants in last month's Freedom March, Gejdenson commented: "Belarus has become an authoritarian police state where human rights are routinely violated and the freedom of assembly, association and information blatantly disregarded. Political opponents are either exiled, imprisoned or made to disappear." Gejdenson's resolution condemns the politically-motivated arrests of dissidents and urges their immediate release. In addition, the legislation denounces the disappearance of key opposition leaders and calls for a thorough investigation of these cases. Gejdenson also voiced concern over Lukashenko's refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue with the opposition parties in Belarus. "Lukashenko has used the tactics of delay and obfuscation in disregarding the OSCE-mediated dialogue process. Despite pledges to the contrary, the present climate of repression and fear in Belarus precludes any possibility that free and fair elections will take place later this year," he said. "Moreover," he noted, "the opposition has announced their intended boycott of the elections, citing the unfairness of the electoral code and lack of access to state-controlled media."

Gejdenson's resolution calls on President Clinton to ensure U.S. support for independent media, human rights and civil society and to strengthen U.S. contacts with the Belarusian opposition and the free flow of information to Belarus. Resolution 304 also condemns the December 1999 signing of the Union Treaty by the Russian Federation and President Lukashenko as a violation of Belarus' sovereignty. The resolution questions its legitimacy based on the fact that Alexander Lukashenko's mandate has expired, and therefore lacks the authority to sign a treaty on the country's behalf. "This treaty violates the sovereignty of Belarus and the will of the Belarusian people; it was signed by an illegitimate president and parliament," said Gejdenson. Furthermore, the resolution declares this treaty to be contrary to the spirit of the memorandum on security guarantees signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin at the December 1994 Summit of OSCE Heads of State in Budapest, Hungary. Resolution 304 also urges President Clinton to raise the issue of financial support to the Lukashenko regime provided by the Russian Federation at the highest levels of the Russian Government. Gejdenson noted that financial support from the Russian Federation, particularly in the form of reduced prices for energy supplies, enables Lukashenko's regime to maintain a large police force and state control of the economy. The resolution calls on the U.S. Administration to report to the Congress on the steps undertaken by the United States to persuade the Russian Government to end support for the Lukashenko regime as well as the status of Russian-Belarusian military integration. (Congressional Record, April 13)

BELARUS DENOUNCES U.S. FOR INTERFERENCE IN ITS AFFAIRS
The resolution on the situation in Belarus adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee provoked an extremely negative reaction from officials in Minsk. "Such a statement can only be viewed as blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country. The resolution's assessment of the political situation in Belarus is ungrounded and biased," Nikolai Borisevich, the Belarus foreign ministry press spokesman, said on April 15. According to him, "American legislators' prejudiced evaluation of the processes of the Russia-Belarus integration, which is being implemented exclusively on the basis of preserving the independence of the two countries, causes regret and incomprehension." The official focused particular attention on the fact that "the resolution calls on the U.S. executive authorities to put pressure on Belarus via the Russian Federation leadership." Borisevich said that the Belarusian authorities are ready for an open and frank discussion with representatives of the American executive and legislative branches of power of any problems with regard to bilateral relations. (Itar-Tass, April 15)

OPPOSITION WELCOMES NEW RESOLUTION ON BELARUS
The opposition welcomed the U.S. House of Representatives' International Relations Committee appeal for Russian-mediated pressure on Belarus. "At last, the democratic West has realized that the violation of human rights in the republic is not only a Belarusian problem," Vyacheslav Sivchik, deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front, told Interfax on April 15. "The Belarusian Popular Front will never accept the incorporation of Belarus into Russia because the agreement to create a union state signed by Lukashenko and [former Russian President] Boris Yeltsin was illegal," Sivchik said. (Interfax, April 15)

REVENGE?
On April 19-20, three cars of the employees of the U.S. embassy in Minsk were seriously damaged, Charter 97 reported. The wrongdoers did the same in all the three cases - broke the windows and smashed everything that was found inside the car. Nothing was stolen. Local observers believe that someone took revenge on the American embassy in connection with the House International Relations Committee congressional resolution on the situation in Belarus. (Charter 97, April 21)

AUTHORITIES PROHIBIT CHARNOBYLSKY SHLYAKH
Minsk city officials refused to grant the opposition permission to march through the capital on April 26 to mark the 14th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe, Interfax reported on April 20. The Charnobylsky Shlyakh, an annual march and a rally commemorating the April 26, 1986, nuclear disaster has become a tradition in Minsk. This year, however, city authorities refused to grant the permit required for a march along the city's major streets and a meeting set to be held at Independence Square, located in downtown Minsk. Instead, authorities suggested that the protesters hold a rally on Bangalor Square, in the outskirts of Minsk. In an interview to Interfax, Vyacheslav Sivchik, deputy chairman of the Belarusian National Front, said that by prohibiting the march, the Lukashenko regime "once again violated the Belarusian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." "Lukashenko keeps repeating his previous mistakes," Charter 97 quoted Anatoly Lebedko, the newly elected chairman of the United Civil Party, as saying. "He apologized for what happened during the Day of Freedom protest on March 25. I believe the authorities will give their permission at the very last moment," Lebedko added. European diplomats, parliamentarians, and representatives of international organizations are expected to arrive in Minsk to take part in the march. The Charnobylsky Shlyakh will be covered by journalists from many European countries. (Interfax Charter 97- April 20)

THREE BPF ACTIVISTS DETAINED IN MINSK
On April 13, Bazarov, Rudyankov, and Shprykov, all activists of the Belarusian Popular Front Adradzhenne, were detained in Minsk for pasting stickers announcing the Charnobylsky Shlyakh onto street lamp posts. The activists were brought to the Soviet district police station and accused of violating the rules of public sanitation. A protocol was filed against them. (Nasha Svaboda, April 18)

72 FREEDOM DEMONSTRATORS STOOD TRIAL IN MINSK
An unprecedented series of trials over Day of Freedom demonstrators is coming to an end. On April 11, the Sovetsky District Court of Minsk acquitted Vladimir Kuratovich. Judge Oksana Relyaeva dropped the charges against him after police witnesses Sergei Romanovsky and Yuri Volodko provided inconsistent testimony. Georgy Kishkurny was reprimanded. The trial over Sergei Malei was postponed. His case was the last of the 72 administrative cases brought against March 25 demonstrators. (Charter 97, April 18)

DEPUTY ACQUITTED
On April 21, Valery Shchukin, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet who was charged with participation in an unsanctioned rally on March 25 in Vitebsk, was acquitted. Charges of alleged participation in the Day of Freedom festivities in Vitebsk were dropped after Shchukin and his lawyers managed to prove that he had arrived in Vitebsk as a correspondent of the Narodnaya Volya independent newspaper to cover the opposition protest (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No.14, 15, and Special Issue). (Charter 97, April 21)

OPPOSITION LEADERS TO STAND TRIAL IN MINSK
On April 24, Valery Shchukin, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, and Nikolai Statkevich, chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, are to stand trial in the Minsk City Court for allegedly organizing and actively participating in mass actions violating the public order during the October 17, 1999, Freedom March in Minsk (See Belarus Update No 42), reported the Nasha Svaboda independent newspaper. Under Article 186, paragraph 3 of the Belarusian Criminal Code, the opposition leaders face up to three years of imprisonment. Statkevich is also charged with the same accusation with respect to the July 27 opposition protest in Minsk. As organizers of the Freedom March, which ended in severe clashes with the police, Shchukin and Statkevich were sued by state-run enterprises which suffered damages, and by some law-enforcement officers who suffered injuries that day. The amount requested is $2,500. Both opposition leaders plead not guilty. They will represented in the court by lawyers Tatyana Stankevich and Tatyana Vardomskaya. The case will be considered by Judge Igor Krot. (Nasha Svaboda, April 18)

OPPOSITION ACTIVIST RELEASED FROM JAIL
On April 15, Sergei Malchik, chair of the Grodno branch of the Belarusian Popular Front, was released from jail after serving 10 days of imprisonment for organizing an unsanctioned protest on March 25 (See Belarus Update Vol.3, No.13). The opposition activist declared a hunger strike in protest of the verdict. During the 10 days of his detention, Malchik slept on the floor in an overcrowded cell. He also attempted to apply for permission to stage another opposition protest on April 26, but the guards refused to provide him with paper and pencil. (Nasha Svaboda, April 18)

APARTMENT OF OPPOSITION ACTIVIST RAIDED BY POLICE
Minsk police raided the apartment of Galina Yurina, United Civic Party and Charter97 activist on April 19 without a warrant, confiscating several thousand copies of a special issue of the Nasha Svaboda independent newspaper and Chernobyl Shlyakh 2000 leaflets. They also seized banners being prepared for the demonstration, "Human rights are above all" and "Lukashenko, Don't Have Regret About Nuclear Arms, Have Regrets About Chernobyl Kids," and others. Yurina was charged with an administrative offense, taken to the police station, and released after three hours. (Charter 97, April 20)

FIRST SESSION OF ALL-BELARUSIAN CONGRESS TO BE HELD ON JUNE 17
On April 16, members of the Organizing Committee of the All-Belarusian Congress held a meeting in Minsk. They decided to carry out the Congress into two sessions. The first session will be held on June 17 and the second this fall. The Congress, planned as a gathering of supporters of Belarusian independence, is expected to adopt a resolution declaring it the successor to the All-Belarusian Congress held in 1917, a pivotal moment in the establishment of the Belarusian Popular Republic. The Committee members believe that the Lukashenko regime will do everything possible to prevent the gathering. If this proves to be the case, the Congress will be held abroad, in Poland or in Lithuania. (Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, April 19)

UNITED CIVIC PARTY ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN
On April 15, at the Congress of the United Civic Party, Anatoly Lebedko, vice speaker of the 13th Supreme Soviet and UCP's deputy chairman, was elected as the party's new chairman. His candidacy was supported by 128 delegates out of 156. Stanislav Bogdankevich, the former UCP chairman, became the honorary chairman. Alexander Dobrovolsky, Vasily Shlyndikov, Pavel Daneiko, and Yaroslav Romanchouck were elected deputy chairmen. The Congress adopted a resolution on the current political situation in Belarus and supported the initiative to organize the All-Belarusian Congress. In an interview to the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, Lebedko said that UCP's position with regard to this year's parliamentary elections has not changed: "We are preparing for the elections but a decision on whether the UCP will participate or boycott them will not be made until autumn." "The UCP will not get involved in the parliamentary elections the coming fall, if they are not likely to be free and fair," Lebedko said. In an interview to Nasha Svaboda, Anatoly Lebedko said that as a new chairman he will work on the concepts of development of a strong umbrella organization which will coordinate the activities of UCP's regional branches and other democratic NGOs. Lebedko shared with Victor Martinovich, a BDG correspondent, his idea of the UCP becoming a mediator-organization between the Belarusian and Russian democratic forces. (Nasha Svaboda, Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, April 18-19)

MALADY FRONT LEAVES ITS NEST
On April 16, the Congress of the Malady Front, the youth wing of the BPF Adradzhenne, decided to become an independent youth organization and to apply for necessary registration with the Belarusian Ministry of Justice, Pavel Severinets, leader of the Malady Front, told Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta. (Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, April 19)

BELARUS TO HAVE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION PROGRAM?
The Belarusian Council of Ministers has set up a special group to work out a national program for the protection of human rights and liberties. The group is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Zametalin. Victor Golovanov, First Deputy Minister of Justice, has been appointed deputy head of the group. The group also includes officials from various governmental agencies. In May, a draft of the national program is expected to be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval. (Belapan, April 18)

REGIME FAILS TO INFORM UN ON ZAKHARENKO'S DISAPPEARANCE
On April 14, the UN Working Group for Involuntary Disappearances presented its report to the UN Commission for Human Rights, which, among other countries, mentions Belarus. "In accordance with the procedure of urgent action, the case of Yuri Zakharenko, former Minister of Interior Affairs, who took an active part in the opposition-run presidential campaign, was introduced to the Belarus government. The authorities failed to present any information about this issue," reads the report. [General Yuri Zakharenko disappeared on May 7,1999 (See Belarus Update Vol.2, No.19)-Ed.] (UN, April 15)

NO TRACE OF MISSING OPPOSITION LEADERS IN UKRAINE
On April 18, the Ukrainian authorities announced they have no evidence suggesting that disappeared Belarusian opposition leaders Yury Zakharenko and Victor Gonchar might be in Ukraine. Last year, Alexander Lukashenko alleged that both opposition leaders were staying in Ukraine. In this regard, the Belarusian Communist Party asked the Ukrainian Communists to make inquiries. The Ministry of Internal Affairs replied that Ukraine's law enforcement agencies, medical institutions or morgues had no record of the Belarusian politicians. "Nor have they applied to Ukraine's internal affairs agencies for registration, visas or in connection with any other matters since the time of their disappearance," says the interior ministry's statement. A similar reply has been received by the Party from the Ukrainian Security Service. On April 18, Anatoly Lebedko told reporters in Minsk that some new evidence had emerged in the Gonchar case. According to Lebedko, there are witnesses who saw the first deputy chairman of the 13th Supreme Soviet being kidnapped. (Belapan, April 18)

LYNCHING OF BELARUSIAN LANGUAGE
In an interview with the Transitions Online, Vasily Bykov, a famous Belarusian writer and outspoken dissident, said that Lukashenko's rejection of the Belarusian language and adoption of a course of destroying Belarusian national culture has been nothing less than the logical continuation of communist policy, but in a more extreme, cynical form. "It's clear that the Belarusian language and national culture can only exist in Belarus under a sovereign Belarusian state. Lukashenko is openly attempting political integration with Russia in order to liquidate the sovereignty of the Belarusian state. Legally this has already been achieved; the only thing left is to unite administratively-to make Belarus a part of Russia, to turn it into a Russian province, just like Smolensk, Kalinin, or other neighboring provinces of Russia. A person who speaks in Belarusian is suspected as a potential opponent to Lukashenko's regime. If a police officer hears a couple of young people speaking Belarusian on a bus or at a bus stop, he'll take out his long rubber truncheon and start beating them," Bykov said.

In May 1995, Lukashenko held a referendum that resulted in making Russian and Belarusian the official state languages. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union until 1995, only Belarusian had been proclaimed the official language. Abruptly reversing the efforts of the 1991-1994 nationwide program to revive aspects of Belarusian culture long repressed under communism, the Lukashenko administration has closed virtually all Belarusian schools, put a chokehold on private Belarusian-language publications, causing their numbers to dwindle (some have been forced to publish abroad), altogether banned the publication of textbooks in Belarusian, and criminalized the display of national symbols. Lukashenko clarified the philosophy behind his language policies to the people of Belarus in a widely broadcast statement that "Russian and English are the only languages in the world in which one can fully express one's thoughts." (Transitions Online, April 5)

--RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN BELARUS--

CATHOLICS IN BREST PROTEST DEPORTATION OF POLISH PRIEST
On April 18, about a hundred Roman Catholics held an unsanctioned picket in front of the Brest City Council protesting against the deportation of Father Zbigniew Korolyak and demanding a meeting with the Council's chairman Vasily Dolgolev. Father Korolyak, a Polish citizen, who has been working in the country for the past nine years, has been given until April 14 to cease his activity as a parish priest in the church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Brest (See Belarus Update Vol.3, No.13, 16). On April 13, the priest was fined 20 minimal monthly wages for staying in Belarus illegally and had a deportation stamp put on his passport. Despite all obstacles, Father Korolyak continues to conduct services every day while parishioners guard the church against possible attempts to arrest him. The picketers knelt and prayed. For a short period of time, they blocked traffic on Lenin Street in Brest. Police officials promised to give Korolyak a permit to stay in Belarus for another month. On April 19, the Brest City Court issued warnings to four of the picketers for staging an unauthorized demonstration. (Belapan, April 18-19)

TAX POLICE HALT MATZO DISTRIBUTION IN MINSK
On April 18, inspectors of the Frunzensky District Department of Taxation prohibited the Central Synagogue of Minsk from distributing matzos among the members of the Jewish community of the city, in connection with one of the main Jewish religious holidays - Passover, the Baltic Interfaith Association reported. Following the Kashrut, the majority of orthodox Jewish communities in the CIS do not bake matzos themselves, but use those which are specially brought for this purpose from Israel or the U.S. Trying to partly compensate the expenses of buying and delivering of matzos, the religious communities sell matzos at a price of about 10 to 30 percent of its cost. Under the Belarusian legislation, however, in order to sell matzos, a religious community is obliged to obtain a special license, register as a tax payer, and open a store that would satisfy fire, sanitary and other requirements. If a synagogue tried to fulfill all these conditions, the price of the matzos would be exorbitant and poverty-stricken Belarusian Jews would be deprived of the possibility to celebrate the religious holiday. (Baltic Interfaith Association, April 18)

--AT HOME IN BELARUS--

LOWER HOUSE FAILS TO OVERRIDE LUKASHENKO'S VETO ON MP STATUS
On April 19, the House of Representatives of the Belarusian National Assembly failed to override Lukashenko's veto on an amendment to the law "On the Status of Members of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic [the two chambers of the Belarusian National Assembly]." The amendment entitled military servicemen, law-enforcement officers and financial investigation officers holding seats in the parliament to an automatic promotion. The promotions would be granted by an appropriate agency of the central government or, for ranks above colonel, by the president on the recommendation of the chairman of the House of Representatives or the Council of the Republic. Alexander Lukashenko vetoed the amendment as violating the equality of the parliamentarians. Deputies representing the army and police made no secret of their displeasure. (Belapan, April 19)

BELARUS TO UPGRADE IRAQ'S AIR DEFENSES
A controversial deal, which is a blatant breach of the United Nations arms embargo, has been negotiated between Baghdad and military experts in Belarus, the Daily Telegraph reported on April 17. If implemented, it will enable the Iraqis to target British and American warplanes enforcing Iraq's no-fly zone. Under the terms of the deal, details of which have been made available to the Telegraph, Beltechexport, the state-owned Belarusian military hardware company, has agreed to upgrade Iraq's air defense systems, re-equip the Iraqi air force and provide air defense training for Iraqi troops. The deal is estimated to be worth $90 million and was signed last February during a visit to Baghdad by a high-ranking Belarusian delegation. Russia's involvement in the negotiations dates back to July 1999 when the Russians brokered a meeting between Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi deputy prime minister, and Sergei Ling, the Belarusian prime minister.

In order not to antagonize Western opinion further, the Kremlin gave orders for all future arms deals with Iraq to be negotiated through friendly intermediaries. High-level delegations from Belarus and Iraq were brought together in Moscow, and an arms deal was pieced together. The main components of the deal include Belarusian technicians providing an upgrade for Iraq's SA-3 anti-aircraft missile batteries, extending their range from 12 to 18 miles. Iraq's aging anti-aircraft guns would also receive an overhaul. Iraqi air defense crews will be sent to Belarus for specialized training, where they will study the latest Russian electronic warfare systems. The Belarusian officials have also agreed to undertake a detailed overhaul of 17 Soviet-made Iraqi warplanes which have been in Belarus since the late 1980s. The Belarus military deal was negotiated by Nuri al-Wayyis, under-secretary at the Iraqi foreign ministry. Al-Wayyis is a close associate of Saddam's younger son Qusay, who is responsible for rebuilding the country's military infrastructure. On April 19, official Minsk denied media reports alleging that it co-operated with Iraq in the military field, Itar-Tass reported. (Daily Telegraph, April 17- Itar-Tass, April 19)

FORD LEAVES BELARUS
Ford Motor Co. will withdraw from its joint venture with the Belarussian government and could stop assembling minivans in Belarus as early as next month, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition, citing people close to the company. The sources said Ford is seeking urgently to find a buyer for the factory, and has held talks with buyers ranging from brewers to auto manufacturers, the sources said. The Journal cited Ford's Moscow spokeswoman, Oksana Khartonuk, as saying she is "not in a position to speculate" on the plant's future, and attributed disappointing sales of Ford Transit minivans to depressed Russian demand. Ford, which owns 51 percent of the Ford-Union assembly plant outside Minsk, has invested $19M since coming to Belarus in May 1996. It has an annual capacity of 4,000 units, had assembled 3,000 in its first two years and just 440 in 1999. (Wall Street Journal, April 18)

---BROTHER SLAVS--

PUTIN STRESSES ECONOMIC TIES IN UNION WITH LUKASHENKO
On April 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Minsk to meet with Alexander Lukashenko in order to discuss the implementation of the Russia-Belarus Union treaty, Belapan and Itar-Tass reported. Sources in the Kremlin administration alleged that Vladimir Putin's route (Minsk - London - Kiev) reflected the priorities of Russia's foreign policy in the coming years. Putin said before the meeting that economic ties should lie at the root of both countries' integration. Following the meeting, Lukashenko told the journalists that Minsk was the first capital Putin visited and said that this was symbolic. Without going into the details of his conversation with Putin, Lukashenko said that it was very constructive. Putin, on the other hand, was not that secretive about the discussion with his Belarusian counterpart. According to Putin, he and Lukashenko analyzed the state of affairs of the Union treaty, talked about forthcoming election to the Belarusian parliament, and rapport between the two states in the political, foreign, defense, and economic spheres. Putin said that certain agreements were reached on some of the issues, specifically, those related to the military-technical and economic spheres. Some documents will be signed at the sitting of the Union's Council of Ministers on April 25, and the rest will be signed by Lukashenko and Putin during their next meeting. (Belapan, Itar-Tass, April 18)

RUSSIA CUTS OIL SUPPLY TO BELARUS
In April, Russia substantially cut its oil supply to Belarussian refineries. Between April 1 and 10, Belarussian refineries received 239,000 tons of Russian oil, or 66% in comparison to April 1999. The Belarussian government explained that the reduction of the oil supply had been caused by the shortage of funds for its purchase. Independent experts associate the substantial cutting of the oil supply to the Mozyr refinery with the failure of the Belarusian party to take certain actions in response to the offers of Slavneft to upgrade the refinery. Experts note that Slavneft will not risk investing in the upgrading of the Mozyr refinery without due guarantees from the Belarusian government. (Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, April 18)

CZECHS TO CUT OFF SUPPORT TO BELARUS
An article under this title appeared in the Belarusian edition of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper on April 18. Referring to the deal that several Czech companies had reached with the Lukashenko government to provide a $60m loan to buy grain, the newspaper cited the Czech president Vaclav Havel, who said in an interview to the Respect weekly that the Czech Republic needs to abstain from rendering assistance to Belarus. "I would first of all listen to the Belarusian opposition. And they are saying we should cancel it," Havel was quoted as saying. (Komsomolskaya Pravda, April 18)

--INTERNATIONAL NEWS--

ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS DEMAND UNION WITH RUSSIA AND BELARUS
On April 21, about 10,000 demonstrators called on the Armenian Communist Party to demand a national referendum on whether Armenia should join the Russia-Belarus Union. The pro-Communist demonstrators held portraits of Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet state, and Josef Stalin, as well as flags of the former Soviet Union. The communists, with 10 seats in the 126-seat Parliament, have collected nearly a million signatures for a referendum out of an overall population of 3.5 millions. The Armenian government has repeatedly stated that Armenia would not join the Union. (Agence France Presse, April 21)

--CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS--
April 26 - Opposition to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
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The 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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