INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

***VISIT www.belarusupdate.org for news and views on the election and accompanying human rights concerns. Be sure to click on the "Russian" pages for frequent updates.***

Vol. 4, No. 31
August 2001

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Lukashenko: There Will Be No Kostunica In Belarus
- OSCE Election Observers Not Welcome
- Parliamentary Assembly Delegation Visits Belarus
- Disbanded Parliament Invites International Observers
- Opposition Unites Around Single Candidate
- KGB Investigates "Coup d'etat"
- Opposition Parties Denied Seats In District Election Commissions
- Free Trade Union Demands Representation In District Comissions
- Seven Potential Candidates Apply For Registration
- "We Want To Know The Truth" Campaign Continues
- Missing Belarusians' Spouses Picket Lukashenko Administration
- Mass Detentions Of Opposition Activists On Unofficial Independence Day
- Local Activist Beaten by Law Enforcer

-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS NEWS-

LUKASHENKO: THERE WILL BE NO KOSTUNICA IN BELARUS

On July 31, during a meeting with governmental officials from all Belarusian regions, Alexander Lukashenko denied all reports concerning possible involvement of Belarusian high-ranking officials in the political disappearances. Once again, Lukashenkoaccused the OSCE of plotting to undermine his government, reported Interfax. The Belarusian leader called Amb. Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus, "the chief of the headquarters of the Belarusian opposition."

Lukashenko bragged that during the forthcoming presidential elections he will receive 90% of the votes and promised to employ special forces and elite police units to counter any attempts to question the election results and to overthrow his government. "At the beginning of the official count, there will be declared some 'Belarusian Kostunica'," he said, referring to Vojislav Kostunica, who won the Yugoslav elections last year, but whose victory was recognized only after a popular uprising. Then, the following day, "the victory of Lukashenko will be declared... but not agreeing with this, 10,000 people will gather at the presidential residence and attack it," Lukashenko continued to elaborate. "But there will be no Kostunica. I will vigorously defend myself and will not sit things out in a bunker like [ousted Yugoslav President Slobodan] Milosevic. I am not afraid of anyone. I have not stolen from my people. I will defend myself. Who will protect me? No, the army should not get involved. Certainly, it should be our internal armed forces. There is an elite squadron for special purposes in command of Pavluchenko," he said. [Pavluchenko is a former special forces officer accused of involvement in a death squad said to be formed by the regime to murder its political opponents-Ed.]

"Lukashenko openly admitted that he is not going to give up power and identified the means that he would use to retain it," commented Vladimir Goncharik, chair of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus and a single presidential candidate from the united opposition. Goncharik noted that the Belarusian leader finally acknowledged the existence of special military units that are ready to fulfill any orders, including murdering of outspoken opposition politicians. Commenting on Lukashenko's promise to get 90% of the votes, Goncharik pointed out that recent opinion polls indicate that the incumbent Belarusian president is supported by no more than 25% percent of the voters, and, therefore, can win the elections only by falsifying their results.

"The incumbent president, guarantor of the rights and freedoms of Belarusian citizens, is not willing to conduct an independent investigation into political disappearances and does not want to punish the officials who masterminded these crimes. The regime relies on the personal loyalty of the police chiefs and special troops as a backup to fair vote," wrote Mikhail Chigir, Former Prime Minister; Semyon Domash, deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, chair of the Grodno Initiative and the Coordination Council of Belarusian Regions; Vladimir Goncharik, chair of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus; Sergey Kalyakin, leader of the Party of Communists of Belarus; Pavel Kozlovsky, former Defense Minister; and Mikhail Marinich, former Belarusian ambassador to Latvia, Estonia and Finland, in a statement. "We want fair and transparent elections, "The president must be elected by the Belarusian people, not by the loyal members of special forces. We will not allow our society to be divided and our country to be led down the path of discord and chaos," they said.

"Contrary to the opinion of President Lukashenko, the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group has not masterminded the opposition; nor does it serve as the headquarters of the opposition in Belarus," replied Amb. Wieck, adding that his group "is not committed to either side in the current presidential elections," but, in accordance with its mandate, offers advice to the Belarus' government, opposition and NGOs on the development of framework conditions for free and democratic elections. Amb. Wieck noted that after the last year's parliamentary elections "the government has been less and less ready to take such advice." (Interfax/Belapan, July 31-August 2)

OSCE ELECTION OBSERVERS NOT WELCOME IN BELARUS

On July 30, the Belarusian authorities informed the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) that it should delay the deployment of its mission to observe the upcoming presidential election. Five ODIHR staffers were to arrive in Minsk on August 1 as the first contingent of a long-term observation team for the presidential elections scheduled for September 9. Among the tasks of the observation mission were to monitor the candidates' registration process and the formation of local election commissions. "I am extremely disappointed by this decision," said ODIHR Director Gerard Stoudmann. "Every day that our arrival is delayed reduces our ability to conduct the kind of professional observation we undertake in other OSCE countries. The ODIHR presence is intended to enhance the electoral process; delaying our arrival only serves to erode both domestic and international confidence in the election."

On July 9, the ODIHR officially informed the Belarusian government of its plans to deploy a full-fledged observation mission. It has since reiterated its intentions both publicly and privately. All OSCE participating states, including Belarus, are obligated as part of their OSCE commitments to invite the ODIHR to observe their elections. The ODIHR is the principal election observation body in Europe.

On July 27, the current EU Presidency (Belgium) urged the Belarusian authorities to invite without delay the OSCE ODIHR's observers to monitor the presidential election' to "enable the ODIHR to draw up a sufficiently detailed and in-depth report." "The European Union considers that any invitation that Belarus might extend on a bilateral basis to the Member States of the EU to monitor the Presidential elections could not take the place of an invitation extended directly to the ODIHR," it said in a statement. The EU presidency stressed that "the compliance by Belarus with the international commitments it has entered into in the context of the OSCE would be likely to contribute to the subsequent development of its relations with the European Union."

On July 31, Mikhail Khvostov, Belarusian Foreign Minister, invited the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to send its observers to Belarus' presidential election and promised that in the nearest future the Ministry will send an invitation to the OSCE ODIHR. (Itar-Tass/OSCE, July 28-30)

PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY DELEGATION VISITS BELARUS

On July 31-August 3, a Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly delegation visited Minsk to examine the current political situation in Belarus in light of the forthcoming presidential election. The delegation included Terry Davis, chair of the Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, Wolfgang Behrendt, Political Affairs Committee Rapporteur on Belarus, and Cyril Svaboda, Human Rights and Legal Affairs Committee Rapporteur. The delegation met with representatives of democratic opposition, presidential candidates, governmental officials, media, trade unions, NGOs, OSCE AMG, and the ambassadors of the Council of Europe member states.

On August 3, Terry Davis told reporters that the delegation will recommend the PACE to send observers to monitor the country's presidential elections. He expressed concern that the OSCE ODIHR had not yet received an invitation from the Belarusian authorities. "We are extremely concerned about the absence of invitations to the ODIHR OSCE observers, as the PA is to observe the elections only in case the ODIHR establishes both long-term and short-term observance without delay and on a regular basis," Davis said, referring to the preparatory mission and the shorter, two-to-three day mission of covering the actual polling.

The delegation stressed that all stages of the election process - the pre-election campaign, the registration of candidates, the election campaign and the actual voting - are equally important to ensure free and fair elections. It noted the assurances given by the Belarusian authorities that they are doing their best to create conditions for a democratic election, but it considered that the authorities need to do more in order to achieve this objective. "It is essential to disperse all doubts about the alleged irregularities regarding the registration of candidates. It is necessary to investigate according to the law the complaints of potential candidates regarding the number of the collected signatures," Davis said.

The delegation members demanded guaranties of the Belarusian authorities that the local observers will be able to perform their duties in acceptable conditions, and will have the right to observe the process of votes counting and receive the authorized copies of the protocols with the results. They aired concern about non-acceptance of opposition in the territorial commissions and demanded to respect the right of the observers to be present at all the sittings of election commissions, including the Central Election Commission.

The PACE delegation expressed its deep concern about Lukashenko's Decree No. 20 which requires the candidates to present the finances of family extending to grandparents, children, and siblings, and spoke once again about the importance of four criteria, defined in 2000 as a perfect sample for the implementation of free and fair elections by the Parliamentary Troika (PACE, PA OSCE and the European Parliament): transparency of electoral process, access of opposition to state media, end to the discrimination of political opponents, and enhancing the parliament's authority. The delegation also expressed their worry about absence of progress in the investigation of the disappearance of four public figures. "The statements about death squads must be investigated thoroughly and at the highest level, as these facts damage the authority of Belarus on international arena," pointed out Davis.

Belarus was granted Special Guest status with the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in 1992, which was suspended in January 1997 on the grounds that the country's new constitution fell short of democratic standards and handed too much power to Lukashenko. The procedure for accession to the Council of Europe was also frozen. However, the Assembly has resolved to maintain contact with all political forces with the aim of supporting democratic developments in the country. Wolfgang Behrendt, said that if this year presidential elections were seen to be free and fair, the Council of Europe may reconsider Belarus' application for membership. "However, the delegates had quite some concern whether this can be achieved," he added. Behrendt stressed that "it does not matter who is going to be elected -- that is for the people of Belarus -- but what is important is that the elections are free and fair and that the opposition candidates have a fair chance." (PACE/Belapan, August 3)

DISBANDED PARLIAMENT INVITES INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS

On July 28, twenty six deputies of the 13th Supreme Soviet adopted a resolution condemning the Lukashenko government of plotting election fraud and stressing the need for unbiased election observation. The deputies invited representatives of the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the European Union, and interparliamentary organizations to monitor the country's presidential elections. (Belapan, July 30)

OPPOSITION UNITES AROUND SINGLE CANDIDATE

On July 27, presidential candidate Vladimir Goncharik told press conference in Minsk that he appointed as his campaign manager Vasily Leonov, the former Minister of Agriculture, who recently established "For A New Belarus," a new civil-rights movement for election of a democratic president. [In October 2000, Vasily Leonov was released from jail after nearly 3 years imprisonment on charges of large-scale embezzlement and bribery. He allegedly accepted bribes of furniture worth approximately $52 and foodstuffs worth $90. Leonov had been arrested on November 11, 1997; he arrest was videotaped and broadcast on national television. The following day, referring to Leonov's arrest, Lukashenko said law enforcement agencies would "root out corruption" without respect for rank. Legal experts and human rights monitors noted that his trial was rife with abuse of legal procedure, including the use of evidence taken under duress and later retracted, in violation of the Criminal Code.- Ed.].

Valentina Polevikova, secretary of the FTUB's Executive Council and chair of Nadzeya, Belarusian Women's Party, was named head of the single opposition candidate's headquarters. "The headquarters' staff will consist of members of the initiative groups of all opposition presidential hopefuls…We have very little time and have to put our plans into action quickly," Goncharik said, adding that he and the four leading opposition candidates (Mikhail Chigir, Former Prime Minister; Pavel Kozlovsky, former Defense Minister; Semyon Domash, deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, chair of the Grodno Initiative and the Coordination Council of Belarusian Regions; and Sergey Kalyakin, leader of the Party of Communists of Belarus) will form a think-tank.

"We have united people with competing visions for the future of Belarus, a phenomenal occurrence in this country's political life, which gives the opposition candidate a better chance of winning the vote and change the situation in the country," Goncharik said. He said that numerous political parties and organizations established a political council, which would prepare a document specifying the basic principles of Belarus' policies and its state system that the opposition presidential candidate would abide by if wins the elections. He added that if the Central Commission for Elections and National Referenda will refuse to register him as a presidential hopeful, he and his team would support Semyon Domash.

On July 28, the BPF Adradzhenne, chaired by Vintsuk Vyachorka, announced its decision to support Vladimir Goncharik as the single democratic challenger to the incumbent Belarusian president. "We support the single candidate from the democratic forces because the votes of democratic-minded citizens should not be divided among several candidates," the party's leadership said in a statement. It suggested that Goncharik enter into an agreement with Semyon Domash that whoever of them gets elected should make the other one his prime minister. (Belapan/Charter 97, July 27-28)

KGB INVESTIGATES "COUP D'ETAT"

Vremya Novostei, a Russian daily, reported that Alexander Lukashenko accused Mikhail Myasnikovich, head of his administration, Prime Minister Vladimir Ermoshin, and Vasily Leonov of scheming against him and ordered the KGB to investigate their involvement in organizing a conspiracy to overthrow his government. According to Lukashenko, the nomination of Mikhail Marinich, former Belarusian ambassador to Latvia, Estonia and Finland, as presidential candidate was inspired by Myasnikovich, who initially wanted to run for the Belarusian presidency himself. The Belarusian leader referred to the record of Myasnikovich's confidential talks at one of the Foreign embassies in Minsk. "The fact that I have good personal relations with Ermoshin and Myasnikovich does not mean that we contemplate anti-state policies," Marinich commented. "These allegations are baseless," commented Vasily Leonov. (Vremya Novostei, August 3)

OPPOSITION PARTIES DENIED SEATS IN DISTRICT ELECTION COMMISSIONS

On July 31, Vyacheslav Sivchik, deputy chair of the Belarusian Popular Front and head of the Center to Promote Opposition Representatives to Election Commissions, accused the authorities of deliberate mishandling of the process of setting up the district election commissions and arbitrary disqualifying opposition representatives, as they did before during the formation of territorial election commissions, reported Belapan. The regime once again refused to open the commissions to representation of all political parties and candidates, including those in opposition, and, therefore, once again violated Art. 35 of the Belarusian Electoral Code, which states that political parties and republic associations and their branches acting within the framework of the Constitution and laws of Belarus have the right to nominate their members to the election commissions, Sivchik said. From the list of 20,000 representatives of different opposition political parties and organizations, among whom the authorities had to choose opposition representatives to sit on the district election commissions, only a few were not rejected, he added. [According to the official data, out of 78,407 members of the district election commissions, only 3,473 represent political parties and NGOs, and are said to be mostly those supporting the Lukashenko government.-Ed.].

On July 25, during a meeting with foreign diplomats, Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the Belarusian Central Commission for Elections and National Referenda, asserted that the main reason for opposition political parties and NGOs being underrepresented in the district election commissions is "their failure to file sufficient number of applications." The election official insisted that the lack of opposition representatives in the district election commissions can only be explained by a fact that many opposition parties and NGOs do not have branches in the regions and, therefore, are not allowed to work in local election commissions. Lozovik went even further and blamed the opposition for deliberately ignoring the recommendations of the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials (ACEEEO)[an organization headed by A. Vyshnyakov, head of the official Russian Central Electoral Commission-Ed], which had suggested including the maximum number of party representatives in the election commissions. [In fact the ACEEEO recommendation was not acted upon by Belarusian electoral officials-Ed.] (Belapan, July 26-31)

FREE TRADE UNION DEMANDS REPRESENTATION IN DISTRICT COMISSIONS

The Minsk Region branch of the Belarusian Free Trade Union (BFTU) intends to appeal to the Prosecutor General's Office in connection with the refusal of the Partyzansky District Executive Committee to include BFTU members in the district election commissions. The local authorities denied the representation on the grounds that the organization failed to apply for it before deadline. Another reason for refusal was "disorderly conduct" violating Art. 13, para 4 of the Electoral Code allegedly exhibited by some BFTU members towards other members of district commissions and voters of the district during the last year's parliamentary elections. The BFTU leadership dismissed the accusations of disruptive behavior as slander and believes that the true reason for the refusal to include the Union's members in the district commissions was the organization's active participation in opposition's monitoring of the parliamentary elections and the intolerance of its members for the regime's flagrant violations of the electoral law. (Belapan, July 31)

SEVEN POTENTIAL CANDIDATES APPLY FOR REGISTRATION

Belapan reported on August 3 that Alexander Lukashenko; Sergei Gaidukevich, chair of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus; Semyon Domash, deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, chair of the Grodno Initiative and the Coordination Council of Belarusian Regions; and Vladimir Goncharik, chair of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, four potential candidates who managed to submit to the Commission 100,000 signatures required for their registration as presidential hopefuls, filed the applications for their registration as presidential candidates and submitted to the Commission their and their immediate relatives' income statements and property declarations, which the Commission then will have to publish in a nationwide newspaper. Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the Central Election Commission, told Belapan that Leonid Sinitsyn, former head of the presidential administration; Konstantin Kononovich, unemployed engineer; and Mikhail Marinich, former Belarusian ambassador to Latvia, Estonia and Finland, who reportedly fell short of the necessary 100,000, also applied for registration insisting that they filed more voter signatures than the Commission announced. August 15 was set as a deadline for the election authorities to process all submitted applications for registration. (Belapan, August 1-3)

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-

"WE WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH" CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

On July 26, several hundred people formed a human chain along Frantsysk Skaryna Avenue from Kastrychnitskaya Aquare to Independence Square in Minsk, holding portraits of the disappeared politicians, reported Viasna Human Rights Center. The action, not authorized by the Minsk City Executive Committee, was part of the "We Want to Know the Truth" campaign, which calls on the regime to release information about vanished opposition leaders and journalist Dmitry Zavadsky. No incidents with the police were reported. "I want people to know about what has happened. Many people, even Minsk citizens, still do not know the truth about the political disappearances in the country," said Svetlana Zavadskaya, wife of Dmitry Zavadsky. "When we started the campaign, only 50% people knew about the disappearances. Now people pay more interest to the general political situation in the country and by 11 a.m. all independent newspapers are sold out," said Anatoly Lebedko, chair of the United Civic Party. (Viasna Human Rights Center, July 29)

MISSING BELARUSIANS' SPOUSES PICKET LUKASHENKO ADMINISTRATION

On August 1, wives of victims of the Lukashenko regime gathered to protest government inaction to resolve their cases. Participants in the picket included Ludmila Karpenko and Tatiana Kvasnitskaya, wife and daughter of Gennady Karpenko, 13th Supreme Soviet Deputy Chair, who died under reportedly mysterious circumstances on April 6, 1999, Irina Krasovskaya,[wife of businessman Anatoly Krasovsky, who was a close friend of Victor Gonchar, 13th Supreme Soviet Deputy Chair (both of whom disappeared on September 16, 1999), Svetlana Zavadskaya and Olga Zavadskaya, wife and mother of Dmitry Zavadsky, a Belarusian cameraman for the Russian public television station ORT who disappeared on July 7, 2000, Tatiana Klimova, wife of Andrei Klimov, 13th Supreme Soviet Deputy, who has been imprisoned since February 1998, and the wife of Valery Shchukin, deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet and a reporter for Narodnaya Volya, who on June 12 was sentenced to three months imprisonment on charges of "malicious hooliganism" under Art. 339, par. 1, of the Penal Code. The unauthorized picket was staged near the presidential administration in Minsk. Holding the portraits of their relatives, the women urged the Belarusian authorities to mount a credible investigation to account for their missing relatives and to release all political prisoners. (Nasha Svaboda, ILHR, August 3)

MASS DETENTIONS OF ACTIVISTS ON UNOFFICIAL INDEPENDENCE DAY

On July 27, a group of activists of Zubr, a nation-wide youth opposition movement, gathered on Victory Square in downtown Minsk to mark the 11th anniversary of the Declaration of Sovereignty adopted by the Supreme Soviet of Belarus in 1990, reported Viasna Human Rights Center. [Belarus used to celebrate its independence on July 27 but after the May 1996 referendum staged by Lukashenko, who discourages nationalism and favors strong ties with Russia, the date was changed to July 3, the day when Soviet troops liberated Minsk from the Nazis in 1944.- Ed.]. The demonstrators sat on the ground, holding up portraits of opposition figures who have disappeared over the past years in Belarus, and chanted "Long live Belarus!" and "Where are these people?" About twenty activists were violently detained by the police. Ten activists were brought to the Tsentralny District Internal Affairs Directorate. Three activists were released shortly with no police reports filed on them, while seven others, all minors, were accused of "participation in mass actions that violated public order" under Art. 167, par. 1, of the Administrative Offenses Code and set free after about three hours in detention. Other half of detainees were brought to the Partyzansky District Internal Affairs Directorate, but released later in the day shortly. Several activists received summons to appear in court. The same day, Partyzansky District Court of Minsk fined Olga Karach one minimal wage (about $5) for "petty hooliganism" under Art. 156 of the Administrative Offences Code. (Viasna Human Rights Center, July 29)

LOCAL ACTIVIST BEATEN BY LAW ENFORCER

On July 29, the police in Volkovysk, Mogilev Region, detained and searched Oleg Botvich, a minor activist of Zubr. The law-enforcers confiscated from Botvich a few cans of spray-paint and stickers with the word "Zubr" and brought him to the police station, where the activist was brutally beaten by Sergei Katsuba, deputy head of the local department of the Internal Affairs Directorate. The police officer hit the boy in the head with the can of spray-pant and punched him in the chest. The boy's father filed a complaint with the local prosecutor. (Nasha Svaboda, August 1)

-UPCOMING EVENTS-

Valery T. Tsepkalo, Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the United States, is to speak at the National Press Club Afternoon Newsmaker Program on August 30 at 2 p.m. in the Murrow Room of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Amb. Tsepkalo will discuss the presidential elections in Belarus including the programs of presidential candidates, the stages of the presidential campaign, domestic and international election observation and the political and socio-economic situation. CONTACT INFO: Peter Hickman of the National Press Club, 202-662-7593 or Sergei Rachkov of the Embassy of Belarus, 202-986-1704

CORRECTION

In the previous issue of Belarus Update, in an article entitled "Two Zubr Activists Sentenced To Two Years Of Hard Labor," we wrote that Aleksey Shydlouski, a student at the private Institute of Modern Knowledge, and Sergei Koktysh, former student of the department of journalism at the Belarusian State University, were sentenced to two years in a hard-labor colony each under Art. 218, para 1 of the Belarusian Criminal Code (desecration and damage to property). In fact, Shydlouski and Koktysh received two years of corrective labor each and will not be sent to serve their terms in a hard-labor colony. Instead they will be working at their current jobs but will have 20 and 10 percent, respectively, deducted from their pay by the state as punishment for their offenses. (ILHR, August 3)

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

************************************************************************
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.

***********************************************************

THE LEAGUE HAS MOVED: PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
ILHR
823 UN Plaza Suite 717
New York, NY 10017
tel. 212-661-0480
fax 212-661-0416

The e-mail remains the same: belarus@ilhr.org

************************************************************

Back