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Belarus Updates, 2000
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS BELARUS UPDATE

Edited by Victor Cole

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Vol. 3, No. 37 September 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

-Lukashenko: Hero in Havana, Villain in NYC
-Opposition Prepares for Autumn Protests
-Opposition Continues to Collect Signatures for Referendum
-Communists Complain About Local Electoral Commissions
-United Civic Party: Boycotts Election, Receives Warning
-Authorities Open Another Case on Chigir
-Opposition Activist Receives Compensation - Village Raider Granted Amnesty
-Vinnikova Appeals to COE - Belarus Strengthens Ties with China and Iran
-What Unites Putin and Lukashenko?

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-- CUBA, BELARUS IN FRIENDSHIP PACT
On September 6, Cuba and Belarus, whose presidents Fidel Castro, 74, and Alexander Lukashenko, 46, are both routinely condemned in the West for running authoritarian regimes, signed a friendship treaty in Havana, reported Belapan. The treaty pledged closer co-operation in several areas, including political and military, and was accompanied by a separate accord to boost bilateral trade and investment. The two dictators also announced they would increase their diplomatic ties to embassy status. Although Lukashenko insisted that the Cuban-Belarus pact was "not against anyone but for the good of everyone," it seemed clear the two leaders' like-minded rejection of Western criticism, especially from the US, was a big factor in the move. Ironically, the Belarusian government was recently angered by remarks by Michael G. Kozak, formerly chief of the US diplomatic mission to Cuba and now the new US ambassador to Minsk, describing Belarus as "the Cuba of Europe" (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 24). [At the Senate confirmation hearing on June 6, Kozak said: "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.-Ed.]

Castro decorated Lukashenko with the Order of Jose Marti, Cuba's highest state regalia for foreigners, and praised Belarus as one of the former Soviet republics that had remained friendly to communist-ruled Cuba since the collapse of the Soviet Union, reported Interfax. Lukashenko was also hailed for his past opposition to the break-up of the Soviet Union and for "not bowing" to the IMF; the both themes being dear to Castro's heart. On his part, the Belarusian leader praised Castro for his wholehearted support of the idea of the Russia-Belarus Union. "Nobody backed the Union as ardently as Fidel Castro," Lukashenko said. "He wants the Union to succeed as much as he did not want the Soviet Union to collapse." The Belarusian leader reiterated his rebuff to NATO's expansion eastward, saying that it will "complicate military and political situation in the world." (Belapan-Interfax, September 7)

BELARUSIAN LEADER UNWELCOME IN NYC
Smoked salmon, grilled steak with carrots and mushrooms, and choice French wines were served at the United Nations Millennium Summit reception given by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in September. But Alexander Lukashenko did not have a chance to taste these goodies, Kommersant-Daily wrote in its story. The Belarusian leader left New York in a huff before the event because "he was gravely offended that his name was not on the list of the world leaders who had been invited to the reception." Interfax reported that Lukashenko's name was initially on the list. Malicious gossipers then claimed, said Interfax, that the Belarusian leader's name was stricken from the list personally by Bill Clinton because Washington does not regard Lukashenko as a democratically elected president, and considers that he is in power unlawfully. Lukashenko was unable to endured such an insult, and announced his immediate departure to Minsk. Lukashenko's speech in the United Nations on September 6 only added oil to the fire. He sharply criticized the policies of "certain big powers," which, the Belarusian leader claimed, were trying to "foist their will upon other independent states," reported Belapan. And although he did not name the United States a single time in his speech, it was clear to everyone whom he had in mind. "Lately, efforts have been made to create a sort of club of the chosen, which excludes the majority of the world nations. This arrogant attempt to divide the peoples into 'teachers' and 'students' will not do any good for the promotion of democracy and human rights," Lukashenko said. Official Minsk quickly found an excuse: the Belarussian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Belarusian leader had simply "completed" the program of his visit and left for Minsk where on September 7 evening, he met with Li Peng, the Speaker of the Chinese legislature, reported Belapan. Upon his arrival to Belarus, Lukashenko told journalists that he is satisfied with the results of his New York trip, adding that "it is important that the voice of Belarus was heard at the international forum." According to him, at the UN headquarters he held very productive meetings with the heads of delegations from Algeria, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Iran. "These states that are able not only to support us but also to ask other states to support Belarus," the Belarusian leader commented. [ILHR was unable to confirm that Clinton personally intervened on the question of the invitation to Lukashenko, but a State Department official did confirm privately that the dis-invitation was a matter of U.S. policy, and not an accident--Eds.] (Interfax, Belapan, Kommersant-Daily, September 7-8)

BELARUSIAN COMMUNITY IN NEW YORK "GREETS" BELARUSIAN DICTATOR
On September 6, the Belarusian diaspora staged a two-hour picket across the hotel in New York City, where the majority of heads of states were accommodated, reported Charter 97. The pickets were held under the banners "Lukashenko is a dictator!"; "Lukashenko go away!"; "Free elections!"; "No to Russian occupation of Belarus"; "Long Live Belarus!". (Charter 97, September 7)

OPPOSITION PREPARES FOR AUTUMN 2000 PROTEST CAMPAIGN
Nasha Svaboda, an independent newspaper, reported that on September 7 the first session of the Freedom March-3 organizing committee, headed by Yuri Khadyka, BPF Adradzhenne deputy chair, was held in Minsk. On October 1, the demonstrators plan to walk along Skaryna prospect to the Independence square to stage a meeting under the slogan "Yes to Election, No to Farce!" On September 8, the organizing committee applied to the Minsk City Council for permission to stage the protest. The petition was signed by more than one hundred Belarusian political and public figures. (Nasha Svaboda, September 8)

OPPOSITION COLLECTS SIGNATURES TO INITIATE NATIONWIDE REFERENDUM
Belapan reported on September 6 that five anti-Lukashenko parties, including the United Civic Party, the BPF Adradzhenne, Narodnaya Hramada, or the Social Democratic Party of Belarus, chaired by Stanislav Shushkevich, the Belarusian Women's Party, and some members of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, headed by Nikolai Statkevich, had started to collect the 450,000 signatures required by law to initiate a nationwide referendum in support of the four requirements established by the OSCE for a free and democratic vote in Belarus. This decision was adopted by the Coordinating Council of the Belarusian Democratic Forces, which issued a statement on August 7 (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 33). [On August 18, Lydia Yarmoshyna, head of the Central Commission for Elections and National Referenda, warned that the results of the opposition-organized referendum will not have any legal force. ­ Ed.]. On September 6, the Belarusian Ministry of Justice issued a statement warning that "those, who attempt to prevent citizens from exercising their right to elect and be elected to parliament will be persecuted," reported Interfax. (Belapan- Interfax, September 6)

LUKASHENKO: BOYCOTT OF ELECTION SENSELESS
On September 5, Lukashenko told journalists in Havana that the decision of the Belarusian opposition not to participate in the forthcoming parliamentary election "does not make any sense, especially as the West has decided to send its observers anyway," reported Interfax. "Opposition parties should run in the election, win seats in the parliament and start working constructively with the government," Lukashenko said. "The opposition's decision to boycott the election suggests that they fear defeat," he added. On September 1, in an interview to the Belarusian state TV, the Belarusian leader said that he welcomes OSCE decision to send a technical assessment mission to the country before the October 15 parliamentary election, Belapan reported. "Resisting the wild pressure on the part of certain world empires, especially when our domestic patriots were participating in the conference and were spitting at our country ­ I've read the text of debates - Europeans did not give in to the pressure and adopted a decision which was acceptable for all," Lukashenko said. (Belapan, September 4- Interfax, September 5)
SEVEN CANDIDATES TO COMPETE FOR EACH DEPUTY SEAT
On September 6, Lydia Yarmoshyna said that 769 people have applied for registration as candidates for the 110 seats in the Belarusian National Assembly's lower house, reported Belapan. (Belapan, September 6)

PARTY OF COMMUNISTS VS. CENTRAL COMMISSION FOR ELECTIONS
The Party of Communists of Belarus (PCB) has filed a complaint with the Belarusian Prosecutor's Office, protesting against local electoral commissions' refusals to register PCB's candidates under the pretext that the Party does not have a branch, registered with the Belarusian Ministry of Justice, on the territory of a given constituency. The PCB's leadership believes that the Belarusian electoral code does not provide for such a restriction. Replying to an inquiry from the PCB, Lydia Yarmoshyna said that the range of activity of a party's branch is restricted to the district where it was registered, which is written down in the registration certificate. The PCB believes, however, that the registration certificate contains the address of the party's ruling body rather than that of a party's branches. As a result, each party's branch is allowed to nominate only one candidate, even if a district, in which it has been registered, is divided into several constituencies. (Belapan, September 1)

UNITED CIVIC PARTY GETS READY FOR NEXT YEAR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
On September 3, the second session of the fifth congress of the United Civic Party, which was held in Minsk, adopted a decision to boycott the October 15 parliamentary election and to start preparations for the next year presidential campaign. The majority of delegates decided that the party should not participate in the October 15 "electoral farce," because the authorities have failed to meet the four criteria established by the OSCE for free and democratic vote. At the same time, the party will not object to its members' individual participation in this fall election. (Belapan, September 4) MINISTRY OF JUSTICE WARNS UNITED CIVIC PARTY
Belapan reported on September 1 that the United Civic Party has received four warnings this year from the Belarusian Ministry of Justice. The first two warnings were issued for using unregistered symbols. The third warning the UCP received for founding a branch at the Azot chemical plant in Grodno. The grounds for the last warning were the words "Republic of Belarus" on the UCP letterhead. Alexander Silich, UCP spokesman, commented that the words referred to the address of the Party's office, not to its name. The UCP is going to appeal the warnings in court. Under the current law, two warnings within a year give the authorities sufficient grounds to close down a party. (Belapan, September 1) AUTHORITIES OPEN ANOTHER CASE AGAINST EX-PRIME MINISTER
A new criminal case has been opened against Mikhail Chigir, former Belarusian Prime Minister and opposition leader, who earlier this year received a three-year suspended jail sentence for "abuse of power" (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 21). This time, prosecutors will be try to prove that Chigir did not pay all the taxes during his work with a German company in Moscow. In an interview to RFE/RL, he commented that this is another attempt made by the regime to bar him from participating in this fall parliamentary election and running for the Belarusian presidency next year. (RFE/RL, September 6)

VITEBSK AUTHORITIES: NO TO INDEPENDENT MEDIA FESTIVAL!
The Belarusian Association of Journalists reported on September 5 that the Vitebsk city authorities refused to provide the facilities for an independent media festival scheduled for September 8-9 in Vitebsk. Initially, the Vitebsk City Council gave its permission to hold the celebration in a local community center but four days prior to the event informed the organizing committee that the facilities "became unavailable." (BAJ, September 5)

OPPOSITION ACTIVIST TO RECEIVE COMPENSATORY DAMAGES
Viasna 96 Human Rights Center reported on September 4 that the Kroupki Regional Court awarded Alexander Abramovich, chair of the Borisov, Minsk Region, branch of the Belarusian Social Democrat Party, BYR 200,000 (about $200) in compensatory damages for being placed for four days in the same cell with the convicts suffering from a severe form of tuberculosis, one of whom later died (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 36). The damages are to be paid by the Borisov City Council. In May 2000, Abramovich was sentenced to serve 35 days in jail on administrative charges for various protest pickets staged in his hometown of Borisov. In addition, he was jailed for protesting against criminal procedures initiated by the Lukashenko regime against Mikhail Chigir. On June 15, after serving his term, Abramovich was acquitted by the Belarusian Supreme Court, which did not find any evidence of criminal offense in his activities and dismissed the cases (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 18, 22, 25). Initially, the opposition activist has asked for BYR 700,000 (about $700), but on the pretext that the municipal budget is too tight, the judge considerably reduced the compensation. Abramovich intends to appeal the decision in the Minsk Regional Court. (Viasna 96, September 4)

VILLAGE RAIDER GRANTED AMNESTY
Anatoly Silivonchik, a 43-year old Russian businessman and chair of the Berkut Adventure and Survival club, who in April, 2000, has been sentenced to 3 years of a hard labor by a Svetlogorsk court on charges of aggravated hooliganism and making unlawful arrests, was released under an amnesty declared by Lukashenko earlier this year to mark the 55th anniversary of the victory over the Nazis, reported Charter 97. On June 30, 1999, members of the Siberia-based Berkut club held a paramilitary exercise, invading the village of Nikolayevka in eastern Belarus (See Belarus Update Vol. 2, No. 28). The attackers, 125 lads aged 11-17 were led by 10 ex-servicemen, armed with tear gas, air guns, and replicas of assault rifles. They rounded up terrified, residents and brought them to a schoolyard. Those who resisted were beaten up and handcuffed. Representatives of the village administration were tied up and kept locked in their offices. The assailants blocked all roads to the village and detained passing motorists. Only two hours after the operation had ended, Silivonchik told villagers that they happened to become unwitting participants in the club "training program." (Charter 97, September 7)

FORMER BELARUSIAN BANKER APPLIES TO COE FOR COURT HEARING
Interfax reported on September 7 that Tamara Vinnikova, former head of the Belarusian National Bank, has filed a complaint with the Council of Europe asking it to consider in court all charges brought against her by the Lukashenko regime. She was arrested on January 14, 1997, on charges of abuse of power, forgery, and large-scale embezzlement, was held in a KGB detention center for 10 months, mysteriously vanished while under house arrest on April 8, 1999, and reappeared abroad eight months later under equally murky circumstances, (Interfax, September 7)

-RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN BELARUS- U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: GOVERNMENT RESTRICTS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
On September 5, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. State Department released its 2000 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. Following are excerpts concerning Belarus:

"The Belarusian Constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the Government restricts this right in practice. President Alexander Lukashenko has pursued a deliberate policy of favoring the Russian Orthodox Church as the country's main religion and the Government has increased harassment of some nontraditional or minority religions. Some of these, including many Protestant denominations, the Belarusian Orthodox Autocephalous Church (BOAC), and some eastern religions, repeatedly have been denied registration by the Government. Without registration, many of these groups find it difficult, if not impossible, to rent or purchase property to conduct religious services. Despite continued harassment, minority faiths sometimes have been able to function if they maintain a low profile. The status of the freedom of religion continued to worsen during the period covered by this report. The Government continued to enforce a 1995 Cabinet of Ministers decree that controls religious workers, in an attempt to protect orthodoxy and curtail the growth of evangelical religions. Most notably, in March 2000 the Government arrested Catholic priest Zbigniew Korolyak, a Polish national who has been ministering in the country for 10 years, for alleged violations of visa regulations and ordered him to depart the country by May 20 [See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 13, 16, 20, 21, 23-Ed]. Korolyak departed the country in early June, 2000. Some Protestant denominations have been threatened with judicial action by the Government for allowing foreigners to preach in their churches. After over 70 years of Communism, society remains largely secular in its orientation. There are, for the most part, amicable relations among registered, so-called traditional, religious communities. However, societal anti-Semitism persists, and sentiment critical of minority faiths is rising. The Government has done little to counter the spread of anti-Semitic literature. In May 2000, the Minsk City Court refused to hear an appeal brought by Jewish organizations to stop the publishing and sale of the book "War According to Vicious Law," which, among other anti-Semitic writings, included the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and blamed Jews for societal and economic problems in the country [See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 22-Ed.]. Articles critical of minority faiths also have appeared in state-owned newspapers. The U.S. Government raised problems of religious freedom with the Government in the context of frequent demarches on the overall poor human rights situation in the country and in specific cases when warranted. The full report can be accessed at: www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/irf/irf_rpt/irf_toc.html

AT HOME IN BELARUS-- CHINESE PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER VISITS BELARUS
On September 5-7, Chinese parliamentary delegation, headed by Speaker Li Peng, who was China's prime minister during the crushing of the student demonstrations on Tiananmen Square, visited Belarus at the invitation of the Belarusian government, reported Belapan. During the visit, the delegation held talks with Alexander Lukashenko, who just returned from the UN Millennium summit in New York, members of his hand-picked parliament, Prime Minister Vladimir Yermoshin, and other officials. During the meeting with the Chinese delegation, the Belarusian leader said that the two countries' "views on global problems absolutely coincide," expressed his gratitude for the fact that Belarus finds in China "reliable and an influential friend," and confirmed his readiness to cooperate with China in the "technological and even military sphere." (Belapan, September 6)

BELARUS SEES IRAN AS MAJOR MIDDLE-EAST PARTNER
On September 5, an Iranian trade delegation, led by Mohammed Shari'atmadari, Iranian Minister of Commerce, was received by Mikhail Myasnikovich, chief of the Lukashenko administration. During the meeting, the Lukashenko official stressed that Belarusian-Iranian relations were traditionally built on the basis of equal and mutually-beneficial cooperation. "Iran is our major and most reliable partner in the Middle East," Myasnikovich said. To confirm this position, Mikhail Myasnikovich stressed that Belarus was prepared to provide all kind of assistance in opening an embassy or consulate of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Minsk. "We link this not only to the development of economic but also political contacts between our countries," the head of the Lukashenko administration said. Myasnikovich said that the both Belarusian and Iranian leaderships interested in increasing the role of the UN as the main international institution and called on the Iranian side to support Belarus's candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for years 2002-2003 during the next election. He also invited Iranian representatives to observe the October 15 parliamentary election in Belarus. [Many local and international observers believe that Belarus may become a proxy for Russia's dealings with rogue states such as Iraq and Iran, doing business on Moscow's behalf while providing an alibi to the Kremlin. - Ed.] (Belapan, September 5)

-BROTHER SLAVS- COLONEL BEATS MAJOR
Before Vladimir Putin came along, President Boris Yeltsin was indulgent toward Alexander Lukashenko, his eccentric Slav counterpart to the west, though promises of union between the two countries never looked like turning into reality, wrote the Economist in an article titled "Colonel Beats Major." In return for bear hugs, showy summits and windy declarations of ever-closer union, Russia kept its faithful junior partner supplied with cheap energy. That allowed the grossly mismanaged Belarusian economy to stagger on, rather than collapse completely. Russia still, in various respects, needs Belarus. But does Russia need Lukashenko? Not so much. The Belarusian president's strident anti-western language does not chime with Putin's tough but friendly approach. Nor does his unrepentantly and flagrantly bad record on human rights. Lieut.-Col. Putin of the KGB's elite foreign service shows scant respect, it seems, for Maj. Lukashenko, who served briefly as an ideology officer in the KGB-run but less exalted border guards before becoming manager of a chicken farm.

Lukashenko's job was to bring back and test the authoritarian rule now, some fear, being reapplied in Russia. But having served that purpose, Lukashenko, wrote the author, has become an embarrassment. A more predictable figure from Belarus's current inner circle, such as the prime minister, Vladimir Yermoshin, might now suit the Kremlin better. Certainly, Russia can influence next year's presidential election in Belarus if it wishes. By refusing to roll over debt or supply energy and spares, it could make Lukashenko's wobbly economic record look even worse. And Russian television, which most Belarusians already prefer to the stunningly boring and servile local channels, could undermine him as brutally as it did Putin's opponents in Russia. But, so far, Lukashenko has been able to go on tightening his grip. (The Economist, September 9)

--CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS--
October 1: opposition will stage the Freedom March-3 in Minsk October 8, 14: a range of rallies under the slogan "Yes to Election, No to Farce" will be held in all Belarusian regions
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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 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

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