INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 4, No. 19
May 2001

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Second anniversary of disappearance of Yuri Zakharenko
- U.S. concerned about slack investigations
- Sen. Helms: Lukashenko's behind Zakharenko disappearance
- Call for truth behind disappearances will only grow louder
- Regime denies journalist killing
- Activists arrested in Minsk for holding unauthorized pickets
- New attack on freedom of assembly
- U.S. calls on Belarus to cooperate with OSCE institutions
- Opposition activist sentenced to ten days imprisonment
- Arrested reporter goes on hunger strike
- Distributors of independent newspaper detained in Minsk
- Malady Front leader to stand trial
- Son of former Belarusian banker to stand trial
-Youth organization protests against assigning of graduates
- Distributors and editor of Protestant newspaper to stand trial
- Lukashenko: No Yugoslavia-like scenario in Belarus
- Regime threatens to review accord with OSCE AMG
- Lukashenko's popularity dwindling

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS--

SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF DISAPPEARANCE OF YURI ZAKHARENKO

May 7 marks the second anniversary of the disappearance of Gen. Yuri Zakharenko, former Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus. Witnesses who were discovered by an independent public commission have testified that on May 7, 1999, Gen. Zakharenko was forcibly detained at a location near his home, pushed into a car by several unidentified men and taken away. No trace of him has been found since then. His disappearance is believed to be associated with his
criticism of Alexander Lukashenko and his efforts to start an independent Union of Officers, for which he was dismissed from the Ministry. His disappearance --like others in Belarus -- is a stark indication of the wholesale breakdown of the rule of law in Belarus.

Rather than investigate, the regime has targeted the missing general for personal attack, accusing him of fleeing the country or going into hiding to embarrass Lukashenko. Gen. Zakharenko's family was forced to seek asylum in Western Europe to escape mounting harassment by the authorities. The regime has also tried to silence human rights activists, such as Oleg Volchek, who have attempted to find Gen. Zakharenko. Last November, when an anonymous letter reputed to be from officers of the Belarusian KGB accused Lukashenko of blocking the investigation of disappearances in Belarus, the Belarusian ruler sacked the head of the KGB and the Prosecutor General. The Belarusian dictator also promised a serious investigation, but the regime has made no progress since then and reports of increased pressure on investigators have surfaced.

Once again, the International League for Human Rights condemns the failure of the government of Belarus to mount a serious, thorough and accountable investigation into the disappearance of Zakharenko, as well as the other prominent individuals associated with the opposition (Victor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky, and Dmitry Zavadsky). Rather than make good-faith efforts to find
those men, the regime has continually engaged in efforts to discount the crimes, disparage the individuals who disappeared, and distract attention from the lack of investigation, claiming erroneously, for example, that the disappeared are actually hiding in neighboring countries (despite official statements from the countries governments to the contrary) or that, in the words of Gen. Naumov, current Minister of Internal Affairs, the cases of these notorious disappearances are "no different than thousands of other cases of missing persons in Belarus."

We believe European and international institutions must pay more serious attention to these cases, and take more vigorous and public action to bring the Belarusian authorities to account for either their negligence or complicity. We call on the OSCE chair-in-office (currently Romania) to initiate its own investigation into the Belarusian disappearances, and also to ensure that the agenda item "disappearances" is added to the official list of themes for discussion at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting and other relevant OSCE meetings. (ILHR, May 7)

U.S. CONCERNED THAT BELARUS HAS NOT INVESTIGATED DISAPPEARANCES

On May 7, the United States issued a statement expressing concern that the Belarusian authorities have made no serious attempt to investigate Gen. Yuri Zakharenko's case or the subsequent disappearances of Victor Gonchar, Deputy Parliamentary Chair, and his associate Anatoly Krasovsky, and TV cameraman Dimitry Zavadsky. "The families of the disappeared and the people of Belarus have a right to know the truth about what happened," said Richard Boucher, State Department Spokesman. He once again urged the Belarusian authorities to investigate expeditiously, thoroughly, and openly all the disappearances. "We also want to reassure the families that they and their loved ones are not forgotten," the U.S. official concluded. (USIA, May 7)

SEN. HELMS: DICTATOR IS CULPRIT BEHIND ZAKHARENKO'S DISAPPEARANCE

Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, issued a statement, commemorating the second anniversary of the disappearance of Gen. Zakharenko.
"Gen. Zakharenko paid the highest price for his commitment to freedom in Belarus. On May 7, 1999, he vanished while walking home to his family. All available evidence points to dictator Lukashenko as the culprit behind that disappearance," said Sen. Helms, adding that instead of conducting an investigation into the fate of Zakharenko, the Lukashenko regime repeatedly harassed the freedom fighter's wife and daughter, forcing them to flee Belarus. "Because of Lukashenko, the Zakharenko family has not just lost a husband and a father, they have lost their homeland," said the Senator. In remembering General Zakharenko, he also honored all others, who, because of their commitment to freedom and democracy, have disappeared in the hands of the Lukashenko regime: Victor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky, and Dimitry Zavadsky. "These disappearances are a cruel reminder of Lukashenko's paranoid fear of a free society and his hostility toward Belarus's independence," said Sen. Helms. "On this solemn anniversary, let us not only honor the fallen freedom fighters; let us reaffirm our commitment to support those still struggling to fulfill the dream of a free, democratic and independent Belarus," concluded Sen. Helms. The full text of the statement can be found at: http://www.senate.gov/~foreign/

CALL FOR TRUTH BEHIND DISAPPEARANCES WILL ONLY GROW LOUDER

On May 8, marking the second anniversary of the disappearance of Gen. Zakharenko, Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), Ranking Democratic Member of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on International Relations, said that since the day Gen. Zakharenko vanished, all evidence has pointed to the regime as being responsible for his disappearance. He reminded Lukashenko about his promise made in November 2000, to take personal responsibility for accounting for Gen. Zakharenko and the other disappeared. "This is a responsibility that the international community cannot let the Belarusian dictator escape from," the U.S. Congressman said. He expressed his regret that the Russian Government is conspicuously silent about the disappearances, which sends a negative signal about the Russian Federation's view of its role in promoting democracy outside of its borders. Lantos called on the regime to act immediately to find disappeared brave democrats and Belarusian patriots. "The cases of Gen. Zakharenko and the other disappeared will not go away, just as the cases of the disappeared in Chile did not go away, just as the cases of the Polish officers disappeared at Katyn did not go away, just as the cases of the disappeared Swedish hero Raoul Wallenberg will not go away," said Lantos. "Rather, with each new day the missing go unaccounted for, the call for the truth behind their disappearances will only grow louder, haunting those responsible for these crimes," he concluded. (USIA, May 8)

REGIME DENIES JOURNALIST'S KILLING

On May 10, Mikhail Snegir, Belarusian Deputy Prosecutor General, and Ivan Branchel, head of a team investigating disappearance of Dmitry Zavadsky, told reporters at a press conference in Minsk that the investigation has enough evidence to prove the fact of Zavadsky's abduction by a gang headed by Valery Ignatovich, a former officer of the Almaz (Diamond) Special-Assignment Force, reported Belapan. Both officials did not rule out the hypothesis that Zavadsky is still alive and assured journalists that the search for their colleague continues. However, the investigators confirmed that they found a shovel stained with the cameraman's blood in the trunk of Ignatovich's car. The investigators insisted that Zavadsky was kidnapped in revenge for filming a documentary in December 1999 about the Belarusian military servicemen who trained Chechen rebels. According to investigators, while on an assignment in Chechnya, Zavadsky happened to shoot some footage of Ignatovich's arrest, which was later shown on Russian TV.

Lukashenko officials repeatedly pointed out that the Zavadsky's case was not politically motivated. They said that the investigators also established that the same criminal group had been directly involved in seventeen other crimes, but as of today enough evidence has been collected to incriminate the gang in nine crimes, including Zavadsky's abduction. The officials said that the criminals will stand trial in about two months. When asked about last year's arrest of Dmitry Pavluchenko, an officer of the Belarusian Interior Ministry, from whom the law-enforcers reportedly confiscated over $100,000 in cash and the videotapes of assassination of some businessmen and Zavadsky, Branchel confirmed the very fact of arrest but said that since the arrest was carried out by the KGB he could not provide journalists with any details. Investigators also claimed to have established that the gang was not involved in the disappearance and assassination of Yuri Zakharenko, Victor Gonchar and Anatoly Krasovsky. Snegir said that August 20 is the deadline for the investigation procedures on the abductions of vanished opposition politicians. (Itar-Tass, Belapan, May 10)

NEW ATTACK ON FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

On May 7, the Belarusian leader, notorious for his intolerance of political opponents, signed the Decree #11 "On Certain Measures to Improve Procedures of Holding Meetings, Rallies, Street Processions, Demonstrations, other Massive Actions and Picketing," which imposes severe restrictions on freedom of assembly on the pretext of assuring public order and safety, reported Nasha Svaboda, an independent newspaper. Under the decree, meetings, rallies, street processions, demonstrations and pickets that are expected to involve more than 1,000 participants can be held only by officially registered political parties, trade unions and organizations. The organizing party must appoint one or more representatives who must commit themselves in writing to bear the full responsibility for the action. Under the decree, a permission to hold the action should be issued only by the chairs of regional and the Minsk City Council or their deputies. The authorities have the right to stop such actions if they appear to pose a threat to the public security, life and health of citizens, or if their participants hide their faces behind masks. Political parties, trade unions and other organizations who fail to ensure the public order during the mass events and inflict substantial material damage (more then 10,000 minimal wages, about $42,000) or considerable harm to the legal rights of citizens, organizations, or the state can lose registration according to the newly established procedure for a one-time violation of legislation. The Decree became effective on May 11. The official comments attached to the Decree claim that the authors of the document took used "lawmaking experience of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Estonia and the Republic of Kazakhstan." (Nasha Svaboda, May 11)

ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN MINSK FOR HOLDING UNAUTHORIZED PICKETS

Alexander Abramovich, Ales Borodulya, Sergei Podsolka, Dmitry Fedorchenko, and a minor, Tatyana Yasyuk, all members of the Borisov, Minsk Region, branch of Narodnaya Hramada (the Belarusian Social Democrat Party), staged an unauthorized picket on May 7 near the Palace of Republic in Minsk to commemorate the anniversary of Zakharenko's disappearance, reported Viasna Human Rights Center. They held banners saying: "Where Are Dmitry Zavadsky, Anatoly Krasovsky, Yuri Zakharenko, Victor Gonchar?", "Who is Next?" and "Hands Off Opposition!" Due to the heavy presence of the police in the area, the action lasted less then five minutes. The activists were taken to the Tsentralny District Internal Affairs Directorate for interrogation. Sergei Podsolka and Tatyana Yasyuk were released after about three hours, because they did not hold banners. For the same reason, the authorities dropped charges against Alexander Abramovich. On May 8, the Tsentralny District Court of Minks fined Dmitry Fedorchenko 20 minimal wages (about $85) for "participation in mass actions that violated public order" under Art. 167, par. 1, of the Administrative Offenses Code. Ales Borodulya is to stand trial on May 14.

On May 7, three members of the Public Legal Aid Association unfolded banners: "Why do opposition politicians disappear in Belarus? Who benefits from disappearance? Who will be held accountable for abductions?" in front of the Office of the Prosecutor General in Minks.
After about 45 minutes, the activists were arrested by the police. On May 8, Sergei Stryzhonok and Igor Gaishun, were found guilty of organizing unauthorized picket under Art. 167, par. 1, of the Administrative Offenses Code and fined 20 minimum wages (about $85) and 50 minimum wages (about $210), respectively. (Viasna Human Rights Center, May 7)

OPPOSITION ACTIVIST SENTENCED TO TEN DAYS IMPRISONMENT

On May 10, the Partyzansky District Court of Minsk sentenced Sergei Pyanykh to a ten days imprisonment for "participation in mass actions that violated public order" under Art. 167, par. 1, of the Administrative Offenses Code. On May, Evgeny Afnagel received three days in jail for the same offence. On April 21, the boys, both activists of Zubr, a nation-wide youth opposition movement, took part in an unauthorized anti-Lukashenko action, titled "Ultimate Diagnosis," in Gorky Park in Minsk (see Belarus Update Vol. 4, No. 17). During the action, thirty-eight protesters were detained and brought to the Partizanski District Internal Affairs Directorate. On route to the station, many of the demonstrators were physically and verbally abused. (Viasna Human Rights Center, May 11)

ARRESTED REPORTER GOES ON HUNGER STRIKE

On May 10, Sergei Borovikov, editor-in-chief of Novoye Pokolenye (New Generation), an independent newspaper based in Krichev, Mogilev Region, was charged with violation of Art. 166 (disobedience to the police) of the Belarusian Administrative Offences Code and sentenced to a seven days imprisonment. Protesting the official arbitrariness and trying to draw public attention to his case, Sergei went on a hunger strike. The journalist was punished for the refusal to present his ID to the plain-clothed law-enforcers until they show him theirs. During the arrest, the police confiscated stickers dedicated to the "We Want to Know the Truth" campaign organized by the United Civic Party (UCP). Starting June 7, the UCP plans to hold a series of pickets within in Minsk and thirty other Belarusian cities to protest against political disappearances in the country, (Belapan, May 10)

DISTRIBUTORS OF INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER DETAINED IN MINSK

On May 7, eleven Zubr activists were arrested in Minsk while distributing Nasha Svaboda, an independent newspaper. Pavel Kislyakov, Nikolai Leshkovich, Alexander Rudakovsky, and Sergei Titovets were detained and searched near Victory Square. Without filling a report, the policemen confiscated all copies of the newspaper. Dmitry Drapochko, Dmitry Tipunov, Pavel Klimovich, and Alesia Apranich were detained at the Central Railroad Station. The activists managed to convince the policemen that distributing copies of the registered newspaper is legal and were released after half an hour. All copies of the papers were returned to the activists. Victoria Cherepanova, Nikolai Sukhoi, and Alexander Atroshchenkov were detained near the Vostok metro station and taken to the Pervomaisky District Internal Affairs Directorate, where a police report was filed. About 3,000 copies of Nasha Svaboda were confiscated "for analysis." Sukhoi and Atroshchenkov were charged with "distribution of the printed materials of an unregistered outlet" under Art. 172, par. 3, of the Belarusian Administrative Offences Code. On the same day, one Zubr activist was detained by the police in Mogilev, while passing out Nasha Svaboda at a local supermarket. He was taken to the Oktyabrsky District Internal Affairs Directorate, where a report was filed and all copies of the newspaper were confiscated. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/index.php?show=news052

LEADER OF MALADY FRONT TO STAND TRIAL

Pavel Severinets, leader of the Malady (Youth) Front, was arrested in Minsk during an unauthorized action "March of Spies," reported Press service of the Malady Front. About fifty organization's members dressed in black clothes marched along Skaryna Avenue, playing music from the movie Mission Impossible-2. Speaking through megaphones, police officers continuously warned the protesters that the gathering had not been permitted by the Minsk City Council, and ordered the youth to disperse. Empty buses for potential detainees were following the marchers. In the lobby of the building of the Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTR) on Krasnaya Street, Severinets was beaten, forced into the police car and taken to the Pervomaisky District Internal Affairs Directorate, where he was charged with violating Art. 167, par. 10 of the Belarusian Administrative Offences Code "conducting activities on behave of unregistered organization." On May 8, upon the request of Severinets' lawyer S. Tsurko to examine a key witness, the trial has been postponed until May 16. (Press service of the Malady Front, May 7)

SON OF FORMER BELARUSIAN BANKER IS TO STAND TRIAL

The team of the Moskovsky District Internal Affairs Directorate completed the investigation of the case of Sergei Vinnikov, 26, who on March 23, 2001, was charged with drug trafficking under Art. 328 of the Belarusian Penal Code, reported Nasha Svaboda. Despite the fact that the results of a drug-screening tests were negative, Vinnikov will remain in jail until the trial. He pleaded not guilty. Before the hearing, the accused will be given some time to study the case materials. Sergei is a younger son of Tamara Vinnikova, a former chair of the Belarus National Bank who now lives in exile in Great Britain. She was arrested on January 14, 1997, on charges of abuse of power, forgery, and large-scale embezzlement. She managed to escape from house arrest in 1999 and took shelter abroad. She says her arrest was brought about by her unwillingness to go along with some shady deals that she claims cost the country $300 million. Vinnikova believes that her son's arrest was a provocation and the KGB's revenge. Sergei Vinnikov shares the cell with Alexander Chigir, a son of Mikhail Chigir, former prime minister and a key opponent to Alexander Lukashenko, who on February 19 was officially charged with "large-scale larceny committed by a group" under Art. 205 par. 4 of the Belarusian Penal Code, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Local observers believe that Alexander fell victim to a well-prepared provocation, carried out by the secret services to discredit his father, who is to challenge Lukashenko in this year's presidential election. (Nasha Svaboda, May 11)

LUKASHENKO: NO YUGOSLAVIA-LIKE SCENARIO IN BELARUS

Resorting to desperate measures in an effort to keep its grip on the power, the Lukashenko regime continues to use its favorite weapon - vicious propaganda against its opponents. On May 8, at a meeting dedicated to the 56th Anniversary of the Victory over the Nazis, Alexander Lukashenko told his compatriots that attempts are being made today to step up "a fourth battle" in Belarus. According to the Belarusian leader, the Great Patriotic War, in which the Soviet Union clashed with Nazi's Germany, was the first battle, the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the second battle, and the collapse of the USSR was the third one. "An enormous amount of money has been thrown to carry out a Yugoslavia-like scenario in Belarus," said Lukashenko. "Five traitors have been selected to implement this plan," continued Lukashenko, referring to Vladimir Goncharik, Semyon Domash, Sergey Kalyakin, Pavel Kozlovsky, and Mikhail Chigir, five prominent Belarusian politicians, who decided to challenge the authoritarian Belarusian ruler in this year's presidential election. "A fifth column is being formed in the country to promote interests of hostile foreign organizations and structures," said Lukashenko. "But Belarus is no Yugoslavia because Russians and Ukrainians, our neighbors, will not call for enemies to bring us to our knees, because there are no people in Belarus capable of blowing up the situation in the country," said the Belarusian leader. He reiterated the rhetoric about NATO's and the United States' intentions to invade Belarus. "They [NATO] even plan to hold military exercises in close vicinity to the Belarusian borders in August-September this year - right ahead of the presidential election in Belarus," said Lukashenko, adding that he has no choice but arrange for similar show of power in the Vitebsk region. (Interfax, May 8)

REGIME THREATENS TO REVIEW ACCORD WITH OSCE AMG

Itar-Tass news agency reported on May 7 that Mikhail Khvostov, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, accused the OSCE AMG in Belarus of violating international guidelines by siding with anti-government dissidents. "It is inadmissible that the head of the OSCE has joined forces with those opposing the authorities in Belarus," said Khvostov during a meeting with Amb. Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE AMG, adding that the activities of the monitoring group and its chief should remain within the scope of the agreements signed between Belarus and the OSCE. Minsk reserved the right to review these accords, the Lukashenko official said. Khvostov added that the OSCE had "already turned itself into an independent political player in the field of Belarus politics."

Amb. Wieck denied the allegations, reiterating that the OSCE AMG's work is well within its mandate and follows the 1997 Memorandum of Understanding between the OSCE and the Belarusian government. He also noted that Heads of State and Government of 54 OSCE Participating States issued a joint declaration at the Istanbul Summit in 1999, in which they expressed strong support for the work of the OSCE AMG. Alexander Lukashenko participated in the OSCE Istanbul Summit, thereby endorsing the active role of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in support of the development of democratic institutions, Amb. Wieck said, adding that his group's position was upheld by Amb. Jutta Stefan-Bastl, chair of the OSCE Permanent Council, during the unofficial round of consultations on Belarus, held on May 4 in Vienna.

The accusations, which were obviously made to discredit the mission, raise serious doubts about the regime's intentions to further cooperate with the European organizations and its readiness to meet its OSCE commitments, particularly during the presidential election this fall. Lukashenko has repeatedly accused the mission of recruiting anti-government spies under the cover of legitimate diplomacy, while verbal attacks on foreign diplomats for allegedly funding the Belarus opposition have become a staple of his speeches. Last November, at a meeting with the KGB leadership, the Belarusian leader expressed doubts whether it makes sense for the OSCE AMG to stay in the country any longer since the Belarus's authorities had "learned all they could from the OSCE" (See Belarus Update Vol. 3, No. 49). (Itar-Tass, May 8)

U.S. CALLS ON BELARUS TO COOPERATE WITH OSCE INSTITUTIONS

On May 10, Amb. David T. Johnson, U.S. representative to the OSCE, told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna that the United States strongly supports the work of Amb. Wieck and the Advisory and Monitoring Group (AMG) in implementing its mandate to assist Belarus in the development of democratic institutions and consider the pressure against and obstruction of the mission's work by the Belarusian government unacceptable. The Ambassador once again called on the Belarusian authorities to cooperate fully with Amb. Wieck, the AMG and all OSCE institutions, including ODIHR and the Representative for Freedom of the Media. The Ambassador also expressed his regret over the hostile tone that has been taken by the Belarusian Foreign Minister in his response to the appeal of the OSCE chair to cooperate in order to conduct a free and fair election and the announcement of Decree #11 that places new "legal" limits on freedom of assembly. According to Amb. Johnson, the decree represents "one more step away from the necessary conditions for free and fair elections that can be recognized as such by the international community." The U.S. official also expressed deep concern that the Belarusian authorities have made no serious attempt to investigate the disappearances of vanished opposition politicians and journalist Dimitry Zavadsky. The full text of the statement is located at: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/washfile.htm/rights.shtml

YOUTH ORGANIZATION PROTESTS AGAINST ASSIGNING OF GRADUATES

On May 3, the House of Representatives passed a draft law on "On Education in Belarus," which requires students who receive state-sponsored college degrees to accept jobs assigned by the authorities upon graduation (a reinstituton of a Soviet-era practice-Ed). Protesting the assignment of graduates to jobs in areas contaminated by radiation from the Chernobyl disaster, the Youth Organization Civic Forum collected 27,000 signatures under the appeal which urges deputies to exclude from the draft a provision which requires students to accept government jobs upon graduation. (Charter 97, May 7)

--RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN BELARUS-

DISTRIBUTORS AND EDITOR OF PROTESTANT NEWSPAPER TO STAND TRIAL

More than twenty distributors of Slovo (Word), Protestant newspaper registered with the State Press Committee, were detained during the promotional distribution campaign held in Minsk from April 18 to May 5. All copies of Slovo, a monthly bulletin with a circulation of about 10,000 copies, were confiscated and the distributors were charged with "distribution of the printed materials of an unregistered outlet" under Art. 172, par. 3, of the Belarusian Administrative Offences Code, which is punishable by fine up to three minimal wages. Some of the detainees reported that they were held at local police stations for up to four hours. Their families were not notified of their detention. Alexander Velichko, Slovo's editor-in-chief, was accused of founding and leading an unregistered religious organization under Art. 193 of the Belarusian Administrative Offences Code. On May 2, he told the Keston News Service that the case is to considered by the Pervomaisky District Court of Minsk after May 20. Alla Ryabitseva, head of the department of Religious and Ethnic Affairs of the Minsk City Council, told Keston by phone that the newspaper violated the law by distributing as its supplement leaflets issued by Jews for Jesus, a religious organization that is not registered with the authorities. "They can distribute the paper, not the leaflets, which were issued by unregistered religious organization," said Ryabitseva. She hung up the phone when asked why copies of Slovo were confiscated and why the editor is facing court proceedings. (Keston News Service, May 3)

-AT HOME IN BELARUS-

LUKASHENKO'S POPULARITY IS DWINDLING

According to a survey of the Belarusian public opinion conducted by the Minsk-based Novak Laboratory, about 34% Belarusian intend to vote for Lukashenko in the 2001 presidential election, while 26% say they will not. (Charter 97, May 8)

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For daily updates, visit our partners website, Charter 97, www.charter97.org with news in Belarusian, Russian, and English.

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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 60th year, is New York-based human rights NGO in consultative status with the United Nations.

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.

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