INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 3, No. 19
May 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS--

U.S. CONGRESS CONDEMNS BELARUS HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD
On May 3, the House of Representatives passed a resolution (H. Con. Res. 304) sponsored by Congressman Sam Gejdenson (D-CT), the ranking Democrat member on the Committee of International Relations, condemning the continued egregious violations of human rights in Belarus, the lack of progress toward the establishment of democracy and the rule of law in the country, and the conviction and sentencing of Andrei Klimov, Vasily Leonov, and Vladimir Koudinov on politically motivated charges. The Congress called for immediate dialogue between the regime and the opposition and the restoration of a democratically elected government in Belarus, and urged the Russian Federation to respect the sovereignty of Belarus. The U.S. Congress supported the appeal by the Consultative Council of Belarusian Opposition Parties to the Government of the Russian Federation, the State Duma, and the Federation Council, calling for a cessation of support to the Lukashenko regime. Congress called on the international community to assist the opposition in Belarus by recognizing 13th Supreme Soviet, the only legitimate parliament of Belarus. They urged the President of the United States to ensure assistance to and cooperation with Belarusian opposition figures; to raise the issue of financial support provided by the Russian Federation to the Lukashenko regime with the Russian Government; to prepare and transmit to Congress a report on: (i) the human rights situation, democratic process, elections, independence of the media, and the Lukashenko regime's control of the economy in Belarus ; (ii) the steps undertaken by the United States to persuade the Russian Federation Government to end support to the Lukashenko regime in Belarus. The full text of the resolution can be found at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c106:3:./temp/~c106t4QnDL::

REGIME DENOUNCES U.S. FOR INTERFERENCE IN ITS AFFAIRS
The resolution on the situation in Belarus adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives provoked a negative reaction from the Belarusian authorities. "The resolution's assessment of the political situation in Belarus is ungrounded and biased," Nikolai Borisevich, the Belarus Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on May 5. According to him, "the attention given by the U.S. legislative branch to Belarus has become a habit." "The Belarusian issue seems to be used on an increasing scale in foreign policy discussions at the decisive stage of the presidential race in the United States," the official said. "The resolution misrepresents the broad civil dialogue now underway in Belarusian society and alleges without any good reason that it is not constructive. It also fails to mention the efforts made by the authorities to keep the opposition march in Minsk on April 26 peaceful," he said. "The call made by U.S. lawmakers on the executive branch to put pressure on Belarus through Russia's leadership can be considered a flagrant interference into the internal affairs and relations between two sovereign countries," Borisevich said. (Interfax, May 5)

OSCE DELEGATION ARRIVES IN BELARUS
On May 4, a delegation of the OSCE headed by Walter Siegl, an official of Austria's Foreign Ministry, and also including directors of political departments of the Foreign Ministries of Norway and Romania, arrived in Belarus on a two-day visit to monitor the democratic efforts of the government and opposition ahead of the October parliamentary election. Upon arrival, the OSCE delegation met with representatives of the Belarusian government and the Presidential administration. "Constructive interaction with the OSCE is one of the most important directions of our foreign policy," Vladimir Rusakevich, deputy chief of the Presidential Administration, said at a meeting with an OSCE delegation on May 4. He stressed that the Belarusian authorities maintained permanent contacts with representatives of the OSCE AMG in Minsk and noted the positive role Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE AMG in Belarus, played in facilitating an understanding between different political and social forces in the country. On May 5, the delegation met with the Consultative Council of Belarusian Opposition Parties, which includes the leaders of the opposition and human rights organizations. At the meeting, Vintsuk Vyachorka, chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front, stressed that so-called "nationwide dialogue" orchestrated by Lukashenko is an effort to legitimize the current regime and strip Belarus of its independence. At a follow-up press conference, Walter Siegl told journalists in Minsk that the lack of confidence between the authorities and opposition remains the main obstacle to the political process in Belarus. He urged the Belarusian authorities to intensify the search for missing opposition politicians, provide the opposition with access to the state-controlled media and ensure that judicial proceedings are conducted in accordance with the law. Siegl also called on Belarus to modify its governing structures. "The country should broaden the powers of parliament and put the government under its control. In addition, it should limit legislative powers granted to the president and include opposition representatives into the Central Electoral Commission," he said. If these demands are not met, not only will OSCE observers refrain from monitoring the October parliamentary election, but the results of the election will not be recognized by Europe, Siegl concluded. (Itar-Tass, BPF Press center, May 4-5)

CZECH PARLIAMENT TO ADOPT RESOLUTION ON BELARUS
Mikhail Zhantovsky, chairman of the Committee for International Relations, Defense and Security of the Czech Senate, and Jan Ruml, another senator who visited Belarus recently and took part in the opposition-staged Charnobylsky Shlyakh 2000 in Minsk on April 26, plan to submit a draft resolution on violations of human rights in Belarus. "There is no doubt that human rights are massively violated in Belarus," Zhantovsky told journalists in Prague on May 2. The senators condemned in the strongest terms the persecution of the Lukashenko regime's opponents. They expressed deep concern at the disappearance of political opponents in the country, and said that the exercise of freedom of expression, assembly and association is severely restricted and that neither the independence of the judiciary nor of the legal profession is guaranteed. Zhantovsky and Ruml stressed that the Belarusian government institutions' legitimacy can only be restored through political dialogue between the authorities and the opposition culminating in democratic elections. They voiced doubts whether the Czech Republic should export corn to Belarus. [Last year, the Czech National Fund of Market Regulation in Agriculture signed contracts for the delivery of 320,000 tons of wheat to Belarus.] (CTK, May 2)

TRIAL OF OPPOSITION LEADERS CONTINUES IN MINSK
On May 3-4, the trial over Valery Shchukin, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, and Nikolai Statkevich, chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, continued in the Minsk City Court. They are charged with organizing and actively participating in mass actions which violated public order during the October 17, 1999, Freedom March in Minsk (See Belarus Update Vol. 2, No. 42), Charter 97 reported. The opposition leaders face up to three years imprisonment under Article 186, paragraph 3 of the Belarusian Criminal Code. Statkevich is also charged with the same offense with respect to the July 27,1999 opposition protest in Minsk. The video tapes, filmed by the police, KGB and Russian TV channels during the Freedom March, showed how the opposition leaders did their best to prevent the bloodshed. Judge Igor Krot interrogated two policemen, who received injuries during the clashes. Out of 54 police victims over a half have been summoned to court to give testimony. Four of them insist on monetary compensation. The judge granted the request of the defense to summon Yuri Khashchevatsky, a well-known Belarusian film director and member of the Charter 97 nationwide civic movement, and Dmitry Markushevsky, a member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, and others to court as witnesses. The next court hearing is scheduled for May 11. (Charter 97, May 5)

TRIAL OF MIKHAIL CHIGIR POSTPONED UNTIL MAY 10
The trial over Mikhail Chigir, former Belarusian Prime Minister and opposition leader, who faces five years imprisonment (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 18), has been postponed until May 10. On May 2, Chigir's civil defenders Boris Gunter and Garry Pogonyailo reminded the court that a legal action against Chigir was brought immediately after he had decided to participate in the opposition-staged presidential elections. The case against Chigir includes an evaluation of his activities as the Prime Minister by the State Security Council which serves as the basis of the investigation. Drawing the court's attention to the fact that the accusations have been studied by numerous state controlling bodies, which found no corpus delicti in the Chigir's actions, the defense demanded full acquittal for Chigir. (Charter 97, May 3)

LOCAL OPPOSITION ACTIVIST ACCUSED OF STAGING UNAUTHORIZED MEETING
On May 2, Anatoly Fedorov, chairman of the Mogilev branch of the BPF Adradzhenne, stood trial in the Mogilev Central District Court. On April 26, Fedorov was detained by the police for alleged violations of the "Law on Mass Meetings, Demonstrations and Gatherings" after he took part in a picket marking anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. The opposition activist has already been reprimanded for organizing the Day of Freedom demonstration on March 25. His case has been forwarded to the prosecutor's office. (Belapan, May 3)

NO MASS MAY DAY CELEBRATIONS IN MINSK
For the first time since 1917, no mass May 1 celebrations were held in Minsk. To mark the holiday, which was called the International Day of the Solidarity of Workers in the Soviet era, the Belarusian Federation of Trade Unions organized several so-called "mayovki" [outdoor May 1 celebrations] in city parks, while representatives of the Belarusian Communist Party laid flowers at a monument to Lenin. (Belapan, May 2)

JOURNALIST BEATEN BY POLICE DURING MAY 1 CELEBRATIONS IN MOGILEV
About three thousand people marched through Lenin Square in downtown Mogilev, holding the state flag and pictures of Alexander Lukashenko during an official May 1 demonstration. The police detained about twenty opposition activists and journalists from independent media, who took part in an alternative rally organized by the local branches of the United Civil Party, BPF Adradzhenne, Malady Front, and the Independent Trade Union, the Nasha Svaboda independent newspaper reported. Early in the morning Lenin Square was cordoned off by the police. Some people were arrested prior to the demonstration. Igor Irkho, a journalist of the De Facto independent newspaper was beaten up, and his camera was damaged. Alexander Alexandrovich, correspondent of the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, was also arrested. All detainees were brought to the Central and Leninski Police Districts and released a few hours later after charges were brought against them. Irkho, who returned to the police precinct to obtain a referral for a medical examination, was detained for additional three hours. The trial over the opposition activists has been postponed until May 11, Charter 97 reported. (Nasha Svaboda, May 3; Charter 97, May 4)

HEADQUARTERS OF BPF GRODNO BRANCH ATTACKED BY NEO-FASCISTS
The headquarters of the Grodno branch of the BPF Adradzhenne was attacked at night by teenage members of the Russian National Unity (RNU), the branch chairman Sergei Malchik told Belapan. The attackers broke the windows, tried to tear down the sign at the door, and smashed the office computers and equipment with stones. Three of the hooligans, including one girl, have been detained by the police and identified. Malchik said that local human rights activists will try to take the case to trial. [The Belarusian branch of the Russian National Unity party has grown more active in Belarus in recent years. The self-proclaimed fascist movement has found a warm reception in Belarus, where such extremist manifestations have been tolerated under Lukashenko, known for publicly expressing his admiration of Hitler. - Ed.] (Belapan, May 3)

TWO OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS FACE TRIAL IN GOMEL
Yevgeny Murashko, chairman of the Gomel branch of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, and his wife Galina Artyomenko are charged under Article 167, Part 2 of the Belarusian Administrative Code for staging an unauthorized picket in the Park of Pioneers in downtown Gomel on April 26. The activists blamed the Lukashenko regime for failing to help those still suffering from consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Murashko was detained two days later. On May 2, charges were filed against them. Last autumn, Murashko received a one-year suspended sentence for organizing a meeting on February 14, 1999, during the opposition-staged presidential election campaign, in which Victor Gonchar, who disappeared in September 1999, took part. It is possible that the court may consider the current case as a violation of the conditions of the sentence, and Murashko may be taken into custody. (Belapan, May 3)

TRADE UNIONS WARN BELARUSIAN LEADER
The Belarusian Federation of Trade Unions officially suspended its participation in the "nationwide civil dialogue" initiated by Lukashenko until the government treats the Federation with due respect and meet its representatives to discuss the situation in the Belarusian economy. "The state-owned media has launched a campaign to discredit trade unions and their leaders, which is explicitly inspired from the top. It is not consistent with repeatedly voiced official statements about dialogue and cooperation with trade unions in solving the county's economic problems," reads a statement issued by the Federation. Speaking to a Belapan correspondent, Valentina Polevikova, secretary of the Federation's Executive Council, said that the organization's leadership is not satisfied with the current format of the dialogue. "We believe that socio-economic issues should be discussed by professionals rather than by representatives of various public organizations," she said. Polevikova added that the Federation insists on a meeting with Lukashenko because he is the "only person, who has the power to solve the most important state issues." There has been no reaction from the authorities to the Federation's proposals for a meeting. (Belapan, May 2)

PARTICIPANTS IN PUBLIC DIALOGUE APPROVE CHANGES IN ELECTION CODE
On May 3, participants in the "nationwide public dialogue" approved a recommendation by experts to amend 16 articles of the Election Code. The recommendations will be submitted to the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Belarusian parliament, Olga Abramova, leader of the Belarusian Yabloko Party, said in an interview to Interfax. "This is the first positive result of the dialogue," Abramova added. The experts suggest that one third of all seats in local electoral commissions be reserved for representatives of NGOs. They also proposed to give more rights to local observers, to abolish so-called early voting, replacing it with a system of permits allowing those unable to vote at their polling stations to vote in a different place. The group also suggested that in order to nominate a candidate in a parliamentary election, a group of workers should have at least 1,000 members [instead of 300]. The experts also want the code to be supplemented with a clause allowing NGOs that have at least 1,000 members to nominate their own candidates. Nikolai Lazovik, deputy chairman of the lower house's Commission for State Development, Local Government and Regulations, promised that all proposals that do not contradict the current Belarusian Constitution will be thoroughly studied by the deputies. Before the amendments reach the House of Representatives, they are supposed to be approved by the lawmaking committee and the main state and legal directorate of the Lukashenko Administration. It will probably take a considerable amount of time, while the last plenary session of the House of Representatives before this fall's elections will take place in less than two months. The participants in the dialogue appealed to the Consultative Council of Belarusian Opposition Parties to join their discussion. Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE AMG in Belarus, participated in the session as an observer. (Interfax, May 3- BBC, May 5)

JOURNALISTS PROTEST AT AUTHORITIES' REFUSAL TO REGISTER NEWSPAPER
On May 2, five journalists of the Reporter independent newspaper protested on Lenin Square in Grodno against the City Council's refusal to register their newspaper. The journalists tied a rope around themselves and plastered their mouths. They wore shirts with inscriptions saying "The government does not like me, why?", "Give the text of Constitution to each mayor," and "I want to be friends with mayor but he does not." The police dispersed the demonstrators after 40 minutes and took them to a district police department. They were released three hours later. No charges were brought against them. The journalists appealed the City Council's decision in court but have not yet received any response. (Belapan, May 3)

OPPOSITION MEDIA BOYCOTTS OFFICIAL EXHIBITION
The fourth exhibition "Press in Belarus" dedicated to the International Day of Freedom of the Press opened in Minsk, the Belarusian state TV reported on May 3. Speaking at the press conference, which took place after the opening of the exhibition, Mikhail Podgainy, chairman of the State Press Committee, said that he does not understand why the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the opposition press decided to boycott the exhibition. He also categorically rejected any allegations of putting pressure on the independent press. (BBC, May 5)

BELARUSIAN DIASPORA PICKETS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
On May 3, the Belarusian diaspora in Belgium held a picket opposite the European Parliament in Brussels. The participants demanded that MPs, who gathered for their last working day of the spring session, undertake concrete measures against the Lukashenko regime. (Charter 97, May 3)

--AT HOME IN BELARUS--

LUKASHENKO TO MOUNT PROPAGANDA PRESSURE AGAINST OPPOSITION
With the October parliamentary elections looming on the horizon, Alexander Lukashenko has launched a new campaign of defamation against his political opponents. On April 28, Lukashenko held a meeting with representatives of the Central European news agency and the Itera company [a gas company incorporated in the U.S. but with close ties to the Gazprom Russian state gas monopoly], potential investors in the newly proposed state-controlled Belarusian TV channel (BT-2). The BT-2 will probably use satellites to broadcast. "Unlike in other states, ideology in our country is the government's main priority. It is out of the question that the second channel could be run by someone who is not appointed by the president," Lukashenko said, adding that ideological issues should not bother the investors. He promised the potential investors that he will personally guarantee the safety of their funds. Many local and international observers believe that the major obstacle for the democratic opposition in Belarus is lack of access to the official media in Belarus (the independent and opposition press is harassed by the regime and as a result their comparatively low print runs cannot reach the public at large). The state-controlled media fills its news programs with propaganda about "the only correct opinion" on all ongoing processes. (Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, May 3)

--BROTHER SLAVS--

SLAV LEADERS COMMEMORATE WWII KURSK TANK BATTLE
On May 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma commemorated World War II in Russia's Belgorod region, near the famous Prokhorovskoye field, Itar-Tass reported. They paid tribute to the solders who died in the greatest tank battle ever and shook hands with survivors. [On July 12, 1943, about 1,200 German and Soviet tanks clashed in one of the decisive battles of World War II. Both sides claimed losses in the thousands, but the Soviets outnumbered the Germans, securing a victory which, as many historians believe, was a turning point in the Second World War -Ed.] Speaking against the backdrop of their national flags and a Soviet Union banner emblazoned with the hammer and sickle, Lukashenko called the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 the "greatest mistake of the last century." "The graves of Soviet soldiers across Europe are crying out to us: 'Live together'," he said. Putin kept a careful distance from calls by Lukashenko to reunite their nations with Ukraine. "There are many forms of reunification," he said. "Such close nations as Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians can have no obstacles to pooling efforts to make life happy, prosperous and rich," Interfax news agency quoted Putin as saying. Kuchma was more inclined to follow Putin's lead, saying that the three nations must work to find "points of contact with one another." (Itar-Tass, Interfax, May 3)

--CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS--
May 14- opposition to mark the anniversary of a 1995 referendum
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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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