ILHR
823 UN Plaza Suite 717
New York, NY 10017
Tel: 212-661-0480
Fax: 212-661-0416
info@ilhr.org
 
Belarus Updates, 2000
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS BELARUS UPDATE

Edited by Victor Cole Vol. 3, No. 24 June 2000


IN THIS ISSUE: --HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-- CLINTON URGED TO DISCUSS BELARUS WITH PUTIN
In a letter released to the press on June 2, Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY), Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, urged President Clinton, urging him to include the subject of Belarus on the agenda of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following is the text of the letter:

"The authoritarian government of Alexander Lukashenko continues to repress the development of democracy and a free and open society. The Lukashenko regime has shown no progress in improving the human rights situation in Belarus. In the last year, three leading opposition activists have disappeared, and former prime minister Mikhail Chigir remains under house arrest for 'crimes' committed while in office. Moreover, the democratic political opposition will not be able to participate freely and fairly in Belarus' November parliamentary elections unless significant changes are made to the Belarusian electoral code and the opposition is granted access to the state media. The Lukashenko regime has made no indication that such preconditions for opposition participation are forthcoming.

"In the meantime, Russia and Belarus are moving forward with plans to create a greater Russian-Belarusian Union, quite possibly a violation of Belarus' sovereignty given the illegitimate nature of the Lukashenko regime. Recent news reports indicate that the Russian Central Bank may lend Belarus $200 million to support the Belarusian ruble and previous reports have estimated that Russian economic subsidies to Belarus reach hundreds of millions of dollars annually. President Putin clearly has significant leverage to press Lukashenko to improve human rights and to establish proper mechanisms for opposition participation in the upcoming elections. We strongly encourage you to ask President Putin to end the Russian government's financial support for the Lukashenko regime, halt the process of 're-integration' of Belarus into Russia, and support the efforts of the OSCE's AMG in Belarus in their efforts to level the playing field for opposition participation in the fall elections.

"Mr. President, as you may be aware, on May 3rd the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the atrocities in Belarus and the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko and asking that you take up the issue of Russian support for the Lukashenko regime at the highest levels of the Russian government. We urge you to take the opportunity presented by your meeting with President Putin to act on this request by the Congress." (USIA, June 2)

ALBRIGHT TO ENSURE SAFETY OF BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADERS
Helsinki Commission Co-Chair Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) wrote to Secretary of State Madeline K. Albright, voicing grave concern about the personal safety of leading Belarusian opposition members with whom he met recently in Washington (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 22). Campbell responded to news reports indicating that Alexander Lukashenko threatened the opposition members after their meetings in Washington in late May. Campbell was joined by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and Baltic Caucus Co-Chair Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL). "The democratic opposition in Belarus deserves both our moral and material support as they seek to overcome the legacy of communism and authoritarianism and build a democratic society firmly rooted in the rule of law," Campbell's letter read. "Given the deterioration of human rights in Belarus and in particular repressive measures against the opposition, support for democratic forces in Belarus is more pressing than ever." In their letter, the senators called on Albright to release existing State Department program funds "to enhance assistance to the democratic forces in Belarus at this critical juncture." "We therefore urge you to take all available steps to help ensure the personal safety of these Belarusian opposition leaders and to ensure that adequate resources are made available on an urgent basis to support those programs aimed at strengthening independent media, human rights, civil society, independent trade unions and the democratic opposition in Belarus," Campbell added. The Commission has been active in promoting human rights and democracy in Belarus, and most recently held a hearing in March which featured Belarusian opposition leaders, including Anatoly Lebedko, chair of the United Civil Party. Campbell has met with Lebedko on several occasions and has actively supported him and other opposition leaders in their efforts to promote democracy and human rights in Belarus. (CSCE, June 5)

FROM CUBA TO BELARUS
At the Senate confirmation hearing on June 6, Michael G. Kozak, formerly chief of the US diplomatic mission to Cuba and now Ambassador-Designate to Belarus, described his vision on the situation in Belarus to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The following are the excerpts from his statement:

"Belarus is a country that is undergoing a serious constitutional and political crisis. This crisis has been occasioned by the extra-constitutional efforts of the individual elected President in 1994 to extend his term of office and to subordinate all important institutions of the Belarusian state to Executive authority. This effort to return Belarus to the form of government it endured during the Soviet period without question has adversely affected the human rights, economic, and social wellbeing of the Belarusian people. There is also legitimate concern on the part of Belarus' neighbors in Europe that this crisis, if left unattended, could eventually spill over to affect their own interests. And Belarusian support for other hostile regimes clearly affects our own interests. Indeed, members of the staff of this committee, after a recent visit to Belarus, wrote an excellent article, which aptly described that country as 'the Cuba of Europe.'

"When I was told that I was a candidate to serve in Belarus, I began reading reports from our Embassy there, the press, and international non-governmental organizations. What struck me most was how precisely parallel are the means being utilized by the Castro and Lukashenko regimes to control their own people. Apart from the names of the victims, the descriptions of human rights violations in each country are often almost identical. Likewise, the rhetoric of President Lukashenko, accusing NATO and the United States of harboring intentions to invade Belarus, reflects a vintage theme of Fidel Castro. Reports that Belarus may have supplied weapons to Iran and Iraq, if confirmed, would clearly affect adversely our own interests and those of the world community.

"Mr. Chairman, I believe there is a strong bipartisan consensus in the Congress and with the Executive Branch that the United States priority in Belarus must be to support the efforts of the Belarusian people and of other interested countries to restore democratic process to that country. Our effort is not to side with one faction or another in the internal politics of Belarus nor is it to try to pick potential winners or losers. Rather, it is to support the restoration and maintenance of democratic processes that will allow the Belarusian people themselves to make those decisions periodically through peaceful means.

"If confirmed, Mr. Chairman, I will do my best to continue the great work that our Embassy has been doing to accomplish these goals and to live up to the confidence that you, the members of the Senate, the President, and the great American diplomats and political leaders have placed in me over the years." The full text of the statement can be found at http://usinfo.state.gov

LUKASHENKO'S AIDE: WE'RE NOT CUBA
"We perfectly understand the motives for which the forthcoming U.S. ambassador made such a harsh statement: He just wanted to please the Senate, some members of which are critical toward the policy pursued by Belarus, at the confirmation hearing" Vladimir Makei, Lukashenko's aide for foreign policy issues, told Interfax on June 7. "The U.S. ambassador, who has never been to Belarus, had no moral right to evaluate the political situation in the country and the actions of the authorities," Makei added. He expressed readiness to believe that Kozak's statement is not the official position of the United States. "We would like relations between the United States and Belarus to be built on a constructive basis," Makei concluded. (Interfax, June 7)

FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS SENATE TO PASS RES.
304 On June 7, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously recommended to the Senate to pass U.S. congressional resolution, H. Con. Res. 304, authored by Congressman Sam Gejdenson (D-CT), the senior Democrat on the Committee. [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 (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 17) - Ed.]. (USIA, June 7)

COALITION IN DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN BELARUS
As part of a continued campaign to increase awareness of the repression being faced in Belarus today, leaders of the Belarusian-American community met with U.S. government officials in Washington, D.C. on May 31. Meetings took place at the National Security Council, the State Department and on Capitol Hill. Representing the North-American based Coalition in Defense of Democracy and Human Rights in Belarus (as well as some of its constituent organizations), the delegation followed in the wake of the visit by four opposition leaders from Belarus (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 22). In the morning, the delegates attended a meeting at the National Security Council in the Old Executive Office Building. They met with NSC directors Mark Brzezinski and John Tedstrom, as well as with State Department officials Gene Fishel and John Armstrong. The Coalition representatives stressed the importance of U.S. support for democratic opposition forces in Belarus. They urged the Administration to include on its agenda for the upcoming Clinton-Putin summit, the issues of Belarusian independence and sovereignty. The position of the Coalition was duly noted, especially with regard to summit discussions. In addition, attention was brought to the public statements the U.S. government has recently issued in support of the rights of the Belarusian opposition to be heard without reprisals.

The Coalition representatives also had meetings at the State Department with Amb. Daniel Fried, Principal Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large and Acting Special Adviser to the Secretary for the New Independent States, and Dr. Harold Koh, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Amb. Fried outlined the position of the U.S. government with respect to various issues pertaining to Belarus. He emphasized the official U.S. commitment to the four non-negotiable conditions set by the OSCE for observation for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Belarus. The Belarusian-American delegation stressed the critical timing of U.S. and European support for democracy and open media access in Belarus. Dr. Koh reiterated his strong concern over the Lukashenko regime's increasingly deplorable human rights record. The delegation concluded its visit with a meeting on Capitol Hill, at the offices of the Congressional Helsinki Commission. An in-depth discussion with staff advisor Orest Deychakiwski allowed the Coalition members to express their thanks and encouragement for the efforts of the U.S. Congress in condemning human rights violations in Belarus and in supporting the democratic opposition. Special note was made of the Helsinki Commission hearings chaired by Rep. Chris Smith, the Belarus roundtable sponsored by Rep. Sam Gejdenson, and Resolution 304, the latter of which caused a vocal outcry from Minsk and Moscow. The Coalition urged that these types of efforts continue and increase because they lend much needed support for the fight for freedom in Belarus. (Coalition in Defense of Democracy and Human Rights in Belarus, June 1) AMBASSADOR WIECK ON UPCOMING ELECTIONS On May 30, at a plenary session of the "public political dialogue" chaired by Lukashenko, Amb. Hans-Georg Wieck, Head of the OSCE AMG in Belarus, made a statement addressing the role of the international institutions in the upcoming parliamentary elections. "The international institutions have to consider and decide on the question whether or not to send international observers to the parliamentary elections planned for the fall of this year," Ambassador Wieck said. Several institutions of OSCE (the AMG, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), as well as the Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE) are involved . Amb. Wieck also mentioned that last April the Council of Europe and the European Union adopted guidelines on when their election observers will be sent to Belarus. These guidelines have been communicated to the Belarusian government. The document highlights as particularly critical points:

--inclusion of representatives of opposition political parties and NGOs in the Central Electoral Commission and all local electoral commissions; --transparence of the election process and the status of domestic and international observers (example: easing of registration of candidates, transparence of early voting, mobile polling boxes and the counting and reporting process); --access by the opposition political parties to the state-owned electronic mass media; --change in the functions of the parliament to be elected, since the current parliamentary body has no control over the government and cannot organize its own budget and structure. -- finally, in the opinion of the international institutions, there is a need for a period of peace prior to the elections, in which there is no prosecution of citizens with political motivations, as happened in a number of cases involving leading figures of the political structure in the country. Demonstrations and party rallies must be allowed to take place as planned and not be disturbed. "The Belarusian authorities may decide not to accept 'foreign' advice. No one puts into question the freedom of choice for a sovereign country. Yet, this country is well advised to consider seriously the prevailing political views in Europe. In the end, it is for international institutions such as OSCE, Council of Europe, and the European Union to evaluate whether the political conditions on the eve of the elections will merit the deployment of international observers. The government of Belarus should also keep in mind that the presence of international observers does not in any way mean the automatic recognition of the elections. However, their presence would be an important step toward democratic reforms," Amb. Wieck said. The full text of the statement can be found at http://www.osceamg.org.by

DISBANDED PARLIAMENT SETS CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS
On June 5, the 13th Supreme Soviet, the Belarusian parliament disbanded by Lukashenko in 1996, issued a statement expressing its concern over further worsening of their nation's constitutional, political and economic crises, the continuing deterioration in living conditions in the country, and restriction of civil rights and liberties. The deputies believe the only way out of this situation is to hold free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections. In order to prepare a political environment in which such elections could take place, the deputies demanded from the Lukashenko regime to develop a tolerant stance toward peaceful assemblies and respect for human rights, amendment of the electoral code, the opposition's access to the state-run media, and the cessation of persecution of independent media, NGOs, and opposition organizations. The Supreme Soviet emphasized the necessity to stop politically-motivated show-trials of opposition members and launch an investigation into cases of disappeared opposition leaders. "Only if these demands are met, will the opposition consider taking part in the upcoming electoral campaigns," wrote the deputies in the statement. (Belapan, June 6)

DEMOCRATIC FORCES TO HOLD CONGRESS IN JULY
On June 6, the Coordination Council of the Belarusian Democratic Forces announced that it will convene its next Congress in Minsk on July 2 in order to make a final decision regarding whether to participate in this fall's parliamentary elections. This decision was adopted by the leaders of the United Civic Party, the Belarusian Popular Front Adradzhenne, the Social Democratic Party, and the Charter 97 civic movement. Yury Khadyka, BPF Adradzhenne deputy chair, has been appointed the chair of the organizing committee, responsible for the preparation of the Congress. (Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, June 6)

AMENDMENTS TO ELECTORAL CODE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT
Amendments to the electoral code proposed by experts participating in the Lukashenko-initiated dialogue with NGOs have been analyzed by Alexander Lukashenko and prepared for submission to the Belarusian Parliament, Sergey Posokhov, presidential aide for public liaison and organizing work with parties, trade unions, and all public associations, said at the fourth plenary meeting of the dialogue on June 7. [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 at a different location. 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. - Ed.]. Posokhov proposed inviting representatives of the OSCE-Troika to the next session of the dialogue. [The OSCE is expected to hold another Technical Conference in Minsk in June in order to assess the development of the political situation and send a final Assessment Mission to Belarus in August.- Ed.] (Interfax, June 7)

OPPOSITION LEADER DENIES ALL CHARGES
On June 8, Valery Shchukin, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, together with Nikolai Statkevich, chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, accused of "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), denied all charges brought against him. He called the trial politically-motivated. Prosecutor Galina Goncharova demanded two years at a hard-labor colony for Statkevich and one and a half years' suspended sentence for Shchukin under Article 168, 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. (Charter 97, June 9)

PROSECUTOR GENERAL URGES FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO CHIGIR'S CASE
The Belarusian Prosecutor General demanded further investigation into Mikhail Chigir's case, Prosecutor Viktor Zhingel said in an interview published in the Zvyazda [Star] governmental newspaper. According to Zhingel, the Minsk city court wrongly acquitted former Prime Minister on two counts of the case, dealing with loans to the BelOST, a Canadian private company, and the construction of Belagroindustrialbank's office. According to Zhingel, the sentence is "too lenient." "I am convinced that under the Belarusian Criminal Code, a person guilty of such severe crimes, should be imprisoned," he said. [During the trial Chigir did not deny that his bank did pay $1M to the Canadian company in advance for building the office, but explained that the contract was cancelled by the new head of the bank shortly after he had become the prime minister. Chigir argued that the loan had been given to the BelOST against a well-prepared business plan and sufficient insurance policies.- Ed.]. (Zvyazda, June 5)

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS HOLD CONGRESS
On June 3-4, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party convened its latest congress in Minsk, Nasha Svaboda reported. The BSDP re-elected Nikolai Statkevich as its chairman and reaffirmed that it will participate in this fall parliamentary elections only if the authorities give the opposition access to state media, expand the powers of the current legislature, and include opposition representatives in electoral commissions at all levels. The delegates authorized the BSDP Central Committee to convene a second session of the congress in July in order to make a final decision on the party's participation in the parliamentary ballot. They decided to support Mikhail Chigir's candidacy in the next year presidential elections and called on all Belarusian political parties and public organizations in opposition to the regime to uphold its initiative. The authorities attempted to disrupt the meeting. Despite the preliminary agreement, the administration of the Belintourist hotel in Minsk refused to accommodate the party members at its conference room. The Social Democrats then tried to hold their meeting in one of the branches of the Minsk public library, but were barred. The BPF Adradzhenne came to the rescue and allowed the BSDP into its headquarters to continue their congress. (Nasha Svaboda, June 5)

BUG FOUND IN APARTMENT OF OPPOSITION LEADER
An electronic eavesdropping device was found during repairs of the telephone lines leading to the apartment of Anatoly Lebedko. The prominent opposition leader told journalists in Minsk that he was not surprised. "Alexander Lukashenko had more than once publicly referred to the contents of conversations in private homes and embassies," he said. Lebedko intends to file a complaint with the office of Belarusian Prosecutor General. (Interfax, June 8)

RUSSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS DEMAND INVESTIGATION INTO THEFTS
On June 5, a group of Russian human rights defenders made a statement entitled "Another Trend in Allied Belarus: Burglaries at Human Rights NGOs". The Russian activists condemned a series of burglaries of the offices of leading human rights NGOs in Belarus. [Last year, unknown persons broke into the office of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee. On May 20, 2000, the Minsk office of the Public Legal Aid Association was burglarized; a week later the Human Rights Center's equipment was stolen (See Belarus Update Vol. 2, No. 52 , Vol. 3, No. 22, 23). In all these cases, the thieves stole computers, which contained much of their files on human rights violations in the country. The police have not yet found the perpetrators.­Ed.] "Such highly targeted burglaries in different parts of Minsk make us question whether those crimes were just coincidences. If the police fail to find these 'human rights oriented' criminals, it will be impossible to deny their unwillingness, incapability, and active disregard for their own duties to protect the citizens and their organizations," said the Russian human rights defender. They appealed to Belarusian and Russian leaders to find out "who the criminals are and, no matter who they turn out to be, defend the public society from violence and lawlessness." The statement was signed by prominent civil rights advocates Elena Bonner, Sergei Grigoryants, Gleb Yakunin, and others. (Charter 97, June 5)

EXILED OPPOSITION LEADER CALLS TO OPPOSE UNION WITH RUSSIA
The Conservative Christian Party of the Belarusian Popular Front has disseminated an appeal by its exiled leader Zyanon Paznyak in opposition to the Russia-Belarus Union. The Party has launched an ongoing action entitled "Belarusian Solidarity" aimed at collecting signatures to an appeal statement to be forwarded to the UN, OSCE, and governments of the U.S. and U.K., urging them not to recognize the December union treaty between Russia and Belarus. Paznyak called on compatriots not to participate in any elections organized by Lukashenko and pledged that free parliamentary elections in Belarus will be held by his party. Paznyak believes that the government uses the so-called "nationwide public dialogue" as a screen for "further selling Belarus." He doubted the intentions of the OSCE mission in Belarus, saying that its purpose is to create a "colonial" opposition in the country. (Belapan, June 2)

--AT HOME IN BELARUS-- BILL ON AMNESTY ON AGENDA OF PARLIAMENT
A bill "On the Amnesty for Some Categories of Criminals" has been added to the agenda of the eleventh session of the lower house of the Belarusian National Assembly, Tatiana Khodnevich, deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, told Interfax. The first reading of the bill will take place on June 9. At present, about 60,000 inmates are held in overcrowded Belarusian prisons and detention centers. According to Khodnevich, the amnesty will cover about 50% of the convicted persons. A large number of prisoners will have their terms shortened for good behavior. Belarus has seven investigation detention centers, two prisons, 26 hard-labor colonies, and two prison hospitals. (Interfax, June 8)

WHO DARES TO CRITICIZE 'BATSKA'?
A visit to Belarus by Viktor Shenderovich, author of Kukly [Puppets] and Itogo [Total], popular satirical programs on Russia's NTV, the independent commercial television channel, scheduled for June 13, has been canceled for the second time this year, Belaruski Rynok reported. The shows' producers refused to comment, but Shenderovich reportedly complained that the Lukashenko administration had threatened them with reprisals. Shenderovich, who was born and raised in Belarus, often ridicules Lukashenko in his Itogo program, and Lukashenko's puppet sometimes can be seen in the Kukly political puppet show. The satirist promises that Belarus will continue to be one of the main themes in his programs. (Belaruski Rynok, June 5-11)

AGRICULTURAL GRADUATES GRANTED DRAFT DEFERRAL
The Belarusian government has announced that it has prepared a presidential decree that will grant draft deferrals to graduates from agricultural colleges and universities assigned to work in rural areas. The decree is supposed to eliminate shortages of specialists at collective and state farms, especially in the areas that were contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. According to official statistics, collective and state farms have only 35 percent of the required number of specialists. Under Belarusian law, young male specialists are normally conscripted into the armed forces immediately upon graduating. In 1999, 1,688 of 1,845 graduates of agricultural educational institutions reported to the work places assigned to them by the state, but 1,211 were immediately drafted to the army, because they were young males of the appropriate age. (Transitions Online, June 4)

-INTERNATIONAL NEWS-IFES: EDUCATED WOMEN HAVE MORE INTEREST IN POLITICS
On June 9, the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) partnered with the United Nations, the Vital Voices Global Democracy Initiative of the U.S. Department of State, and Oxygen Media, released a groundbreaking report at the United Nations' Beijing + 5 forum on Women's Global Access and Leadership. The study found that women with greater levels of education had more access to political and economic information, and were more interested and willing to participate in political and economic transition. The unique data was taken from five national surveys conducted in Belarus, Indonesia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Though few women reported having an adequate level of information about political and economic matters, those with at least some university-level education have greater access to information. Further, educated women have more interest in politics and government (Belarus - 62%, Indonesia - 61% and Ukraine 45%), than their less-educated peers (Belarus - 38%, Indonesia - 19% and Ukraine 29%). Women's level of education also has a big influence on their preference for a market economy. In Belarus, Ghana, Indonesia and Kazakhstan, preference for free market is higher among those women who have more information about political and economic matters, than among those who have little or no information at all. With some exceptions, younger women in all surveys were more likely to hold liberal attitudes and were willing to become active participants. Significant differences among the regions, such as the history of a country and stage of democratic development, were also identified in the report findings. For example, survey data from the post-Soviet countries reflects the tiredness and dissatisfaction experienced by citizens of these countries, rather than the real level of economic or democratic development. The survey also analyzed gender-specific responses to numerous questions on topics such as the meaning of democracy, trust in social institutions, assessment of corruption, and attitudes toward NGOs. To obtain a copy of this report, please contact Torie Keller at 1-202-872-4822 or torie@ifes.org/

--CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS--
June 19 - United Civil Party, Charter 97 to picket the Minsk City Council July 2 - the Coordination Council of the Belarusian Democratic Forces to hold a Congress in Minsk
************************************************************************
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 59th 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) 661-0480 or fax (212) 684-1696 or visit our web site at www.ilhr.org

Back

© Copyright 2001, International League of Human Rights