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INTERNATIONAL
LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
BELARUS
UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole
Vol.
4, No. 32
August 2001
***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
more frequent updates.***
IN
THIS ISSUE:
-
OSCE: Credibility of Belarus' Presidential Elections
in Question
- CSCE: Prospects Fade for Free and Fair Belarus Elections
- Lukashenko Works to Rally Support Before Elections
- There Will Be No Kostunica in Belarus, There Will
Be Goncharik
- Lukashenko Casts Himself in the Role of Milosevic
- High-ranking Official Accuses Opposition of Preparing
Provocations
- Four Candidates Collect 100,000 Signatures Needed
to Get on Ballot
- Police Search Offices of Opposition's Presidential
Candidate
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Doubles Broadcasts
to Belarus
- Washington Condemns Illegal Seizure of U.S. Equipment
in Belarus
- AI: Belarusian Human Rights Defenders in Spotlight
of State
- Repression of Freedom of Association Continues in
Belarus
- Chronicle of Arrests of Opposition Activists
- Democratic Youth Protests Against Repressions
- Lukashenko to Hold Massive Military Maneuvers Ahead
of Elections
- Pastor Banned from Religious Activities
-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS NEWS-
OSCE:
CREDIBILITY OF BELARUS'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN QUESTION
On
August 6, the OSCE issued a statement accusing the Belarusian
authorities of obstructing an effective international
observation of the upcoming presidential elections by
denying entry to Europe's principal election observation
institution. "This is an unacceptable situation,"
said Gérard Stoudmann, Director of the OSCE's
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIHR). "Never before has an OSCE participating
State refused entry to the ODIHR to observe an election.
It is a clear violation of international commitments
undertaken by the government." Over the past month,
the Belarusian government has rebuffed repeated ODIHR
efforts to launch a mission despite assurances that
an invitation would be forthcoming. The ODIHR had hoped
to deploy its observation team by August 1, operating
under a standard procedure that requires observers to
be on the ground for six weeks before an election in
order to conduct an effective operation. While the Belarusian
authorities have invited observers from individual countries
and various international organizations, they have conspicuously
omitted the ODIHR. "You will have to draw your
own conclusions as to why they would choose to block
the entry of the only European multilateral institution
in a position to field a large-scale, long-term observation.
Time is running out," Stoudmann commented. "As
a result of this obstruction, it is already too late
to conduct the kind of full-fledged observation that
we do in other countries. The credibility of the entire
election process is being drawn into question,"
he added.
On
August 7, the Advisory Council of Opposition Political
Parties, issued a statement voicing a serious concern
over the government's unwillingness to invite the ODIHR
to observe the country's presidential elections and
accused the Belarusian authoritarian leader of resorting
to fraud in his campaign. The Council called on the
international organizations to help the Belarusian opposition
in its fight to make the elections free and fair.
The
next day, the Belarusian leader said at a press conference
at his residence that the delay in sending the invitation
to the ODIHR was caused by the fact that "the OSCE
had not yet made a decision to send its observers to
Belarus." Lukashenko said that the OSCE intends
to misrepresent the election results in order to spark
a mutiny. The Belarusian leader, however, indicated
that he would allow OSCE monitors to observe the vote.
"Let them come and see our country, that it is
not some kind of banana republic, but a real state.
It is in our interests that at least to some degree
representatives of the West come," he said.
"Belarus
will honor its obligations and invite international
observers to monitor presidential elections there next
month," Pavel Latushko, a spokesman for the Belarusian
Foreign Ministry, told journalists on August 8, reported
RIA-Novosti news agency. "An invitation to the
ODIHR will be sent shortly," the spokesman said.
On
August 9, Lydia Yermoshina, chairperson of the central
election commission, told reporters that the invitation
to the OSCE ODIHR would be sent within the next two
days. "We are not afraid of observers," Yermoshina
said. (OSCE, August 6-7 - RIA-Novosti, August 8-9)
CSCE: PROSPECTS FADE FOR FREE AND FAIR BELARUS ELECTIONS
On
August 9, United States Helsinki Commission leaders
called upon the Lukashenko government to allow the OSCE
monitors to observe the country's presidential elections.
"The refusal of the Belarusian authorities to issue
invitations to the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the presidential
elections does not bode well for the integrity of the
election process in Belarus," said Sen. Ben Nighthorse
Campbell (R-CO), chair of the Helsinki Commission of
the U.S. Congress. "With little more than four
weeks before the elections, time is rapidly running
out," Sen. Campbell added.
"Refusal
to allow ODIHR entry to observe the elections would
constitute a first, as no other participating State
has ever blocked ODIHR's observation of elections."
"Forbidding ODIHR observation flies in the face
of assurances by Belarus that it is doing its best to
create conditions for elections that meet international
democratic standards," said Commission co-chair
Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ). "We are becoming
increasingly concerned about the pre-election climate,
including reports of harassment of activists and independent
election observers and seizures of American computer
equipment being used by a non-governmental organization
and independent newspaper. The Justice Ministry did
not inspire confidence through a statement last week
warning newspapers that publishing information about
unregistered parties, trade unions or other organizations
constitutes a criminal offense." "Let there
be no illusions, that if Belarus's elections are not
free and fair, self-imposed isolation will only grow
and relations with democratic countries, including the
United States, will only deteriorate," Smith said.
"The ball, Mr. Lukashenko, is in your court."
The Commission's work on issues surrounding Belarus
and the Lukashenko regime may be accessed through the
Internet at: http://www.csce.gov/state_query.cfm?state_id=6
LUKASHENKO WORKS TO RALLY SUPPORT BEFORE ELECTIONS
Trying
to rally public support in the run-up to the September
elections, Alexander Lukashenko appears daily on Belarusian
TV extolling himself as the savior of the nation. On
August 7, during an intercom conference with local officials
that was broadcast live on national television and radio
for two-and-a-half hours, the Belarusian leader said
that his government has "not yielded to the opposition
pressure and refused to allow the destruction of big
collective farms which will serve our people for a long
time to come," reported Interfax. "A month
ago I told the government to ask all structures dealing
with oil to make a contribution to the president's election
campaign and deliver thousands of tons of fuel oil to
my farmers, my voters," Lukashenko said. He added
quickly that the reference to the election campaign
was a joke, but warned that companies that fail to comply
with the government's orders would be "in trouble."
The
next day, during a press conference at his residence,
Lukashenko said, "the nation has no right"
to reject him, reported Belapan. "I have always
cherished and defended my people," he said, summarizing
seven years of his ruling. He promised that the next
five years of his presidency would be marked by substantial
growth of standards of living and promised to raise
the average monthly wage to $250 by 2005. He promised
to continue the integration with Russia and shared with
compatriots his wild dreams about drilling for oil on
Russian territory and building a gas pipeline linking
Russia with Western Europe via Belarus. "These
projects have a potential to secure prosperity for our
children and grandchildren," Lukashenko said.
The
Belarusian leader said that the attacks of the opposition
and media are only increasing his popularity rating
and that he only relies on his meetings with ordinary
people to find out the state of public opinion about
him and his government. Lukashenko denied that people
might not be frank with him because of fear, because
"he handles the meetings in such a way that the
people fear nothing." He once again reaffirmed
his belief that the Belarusians would not betray him
during the forthcoming vote. Lukashenko brushed aside
accusations of his government's involvement in the disappearance
of prominent opposition politicians. He said that they
had been tailored by the opposition on orders from "Western
masters" ahead of the elections, but refused to
establish an independent commission and to invite international
experts to investigate the cases of political disappearances.
The
Belarusian leader added that he was not opposed to television
debates with his rivals in the presidential elections.
"You know, there has not been any talk of debates
yet. I do not rule out the possibility of debates,"
he said. He asked reporters not to exaggerate the role
of the media during the presidential campaign. "I
did not have as much access to the media as my opponents
in 1994, but I won," he said, adding that Belarus
is a small country where it is easy to deliver information
to the people by other means. (Interfax/Belapan, August
7 - 8)
THERE WILL BE NO KOSTUNICA IN BELARUS, THERE WILL BE
GONCHARIK
"There
will be no Kostunica in Belarus, there will be Goncharik,"
said Vladimir Goncharik, 61, once a communist official
of the former state-controlled Soviet trade union movement
and now a leader of his country's largest trade union,
during a press conference organized by the Belarusian
Association of Journalists. When asked about the possibility
of a Yugoslavia-like scenario during the upcoming presidential
elections in Belarus, Goncharik expressed a belief that
a new president will come to power in a peaceful way.
"Lukashenko was not born a president, he was elected
by people, who now will elect others," he said.
Goncharik said that during his recent trip to Moscow
he held meetings with "influential Russian politicians"
and reached an agreement concerning his access to the
Russian media. He said he does not plan to terminate
the Russia-Belarus union agreements and is himself in
favor of cooperation between the two countries on condition
that it does not affect Belarusian interests. Goncharik
said he has stepped up his own security precautions
but does not fear for his life. "I do not think
it would be in Lukashenko's interests to have something
happen to me or my family," he said. As presidential
candidate, Goncharik does not promise radical economic
reforms or big shifts in foreign policy. He is a social
democrat, he says. He favors a mixed economy and a welfare
state. He wants to bring Belarus closer to the European
Union but he also wants to maintain close ties with
Russia. Mainly, he says, he wants to get rid of the
fear and aggression which he sees as the basis of Lukashenko's
ruling. (Belapan, Nasha Svaboda, August 8)
LUKASHENKO CASTS HIMSELF IN THE ROLE OF MILOSEVIC
"Like
the ancient pharaoh who had an ominous vision of torments
if he failed to free the Israelites, Belarus's absolute
ruler is subject to dark signs and portents," wrote
the Wall Street Journal Europe in an article entitled
"Rising Sun." But Alexander Lukashenko worries
aloud about a much more recent precedent: Slobodan Milosevic.
"If Mr. Lukashenko wishes to avoid the fate of
Milosevic, he should stop acting like him," the
newspaper suggested. Indeed, there are many parallels
between the former Yugoslavian leader and Alexander
Lukashenko. Both are accused of fixing elections and
cracking down on peaceful demonstrations. Like Milosevic,
Lukashenko is alleged to have formed an elite squad
of secret police to murder opposition figures. Both
men held parliamentary elections that were not recognized
as legitimate by EU member-states or the U.S., and both
men are given to paranoid searches for enemies. Read
the full article at: http://interactive.wsj.com/archive/search.cgi
Commenting
on Lukashenko's statement made during the July 31 meeting
with governmental officials from all Belarusian regions
that he will employ special forces and elite police
units to counter any attempts to question the election
results and to overthrow his government (see Belarus
Update Vol. 4, No. 31), Alexander Feduta, a reporter
for the Minsk Bureau of the Moscow News, wrote that
the president's reference to Dmitry Pavluchenko, commander
of a special rapid response detachment, who has recently
been accused of being involved in the disappearance
of prominent political and public figures in Belarus,
was hardly an accident. "The mention of Pavluchenko's
name cannot be seen other than a threat - in effect,
a death threat. The question arises; who was the target
of those threats? The opposition? Then why was the president
led to believe that the Prime Minister and other highly
placed officials were hatching a plot?" The journalist
believes that the Belarusian leader is clearly scared
of an insider conspiracy and chose to issue yet another
warning to his inner circle: state officials. (Moscow
News, August 8)
HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL ACCUSES OPPOSITION OF PREPARING
PROVOCATIONS
On
August 10, in an interview with Sovetskaya Belarusiya,
the newspaper founded by the Presidential Administration
and the editorial board, Vladimir Zametalin, first deputy
head of the presidential administration, accused the
opposition of planning a Yugoslav-style scenario to
end the rule of Lukashenko after elections next month.
He said the methods expected were the use of "so-called
independent observers and a parallel count of the votes."
"The so-called independent observers are merely
witnesses, bought up in advance with a clear-cut task
to report shocking things allegedly happening at polling
stations," the Lukashenko officials said. "For
example, they [opposition representatives] will approach
a voter and offer him $10 if he does not cast his ballot,
or casts invalid ballot, or leaves the polling station
and takes his ballot with him," Zametalin suggested
in an interview with Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta. "The
journalists will pretend as if they incidentally found
the pile of ballots near the polling station with the
names of all candidates but Lukashenko's are crossed
out. They film the incident, and in 10 minutes NTV [Russia's
television network] shows the horrors that are happening
in Belarus," he said. "Then so-called experts
conclude that none of the candidates has obtained a
majority. That is how it happened in Yugoslavia,"
Zametalin said, adding that "the final act of this
scenario is public disorder after the election."
But the official recalled that Lukashenko had already
warned he would not tolerate the kind of scenario that
occurred last fall in Belgrade. (Belaruskaya Delovaya
Gazeta, August 7 - Sovetskaya Belorussiya, August 10)
FOUR CANDIDATES COLLECT 100,000 SIGNATURES NEEDED TO
GET ON BALLOT
On
August 8, Lydia Yermoshina, chair of the Central Commission
for Elections and National Referenda, officially announced
that only four potential candidates managed to submit
the Commission's 100,000 signatures required for their
registration as presidential hopefuls, reported Belapan.
The election official said that Alexander Lukashenko,
the incumbent Belarusian president; Vladimir Goncharik,
chair of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus;
Sergei Gaidukevich, chair of the Liberal Democratic
Party of Belarus -136,259; and Semyon Domash, deputy
of the 13th Supreme Soviet, chair of the Grodno Initiative
and the Coordination Council of Belarusian Regions,
collected the required number of signatures necessary
to get on the ballot.
The
following is a list of the candidates who failed to
collect 100,000 signatures required for their registration,
with a number in brackets indicating how many valid
signatures has been submitted for the nomination of
the given candidate:
Mikhail Chigir, Former Prime Minister (85,323);
Yury
Dankov, businessman, member of the Minsk City Soviet
(62,039);
Leonid
Kalugin, executive director of Atlant, Minsk-based refrigerator
plant (91,345);
Sergey
Kalyakin, leader of the Party of Communists of Belarus
(93,562);
Konstantin
Kononovich, unemployed engineer (741);
Pavel
Kozlovsky, former Defense Minister (79,351);
Mikhail
Marinich, former Belarusian ambassador to Latvia, Estonia
and Finland (91,021);
Zyanon
Paznyak, exiled leader of the Conservative Christian
Party of the Belarusian Popular Front (70,915);
Leonid
Sinitsyn, former head of the presidential administration
(80,540);
Sergei
Skrebets, member of the House of Representatives, lower
chamber of the National Assembly, director of BelBabayevskoye,
trading house (12,324);
Viktor
Tereshchenko, 13th Supreme Soviet deputy and director
of the Minsk-based private International Institute of
Management (68,879);
Alexander
Yaroshuk, leader of the Trade Union of Agro-industrial
Workers (68,159).
The
Commission will announce the final list of candidates
on August 14, after examining all papers that the four
candidates filed for their registration, Yermoshina
said. The Belarusian electoral commission is inspecting
financial declarations from the four remaining candidates
and those of a long list of relatives. (Interfax/Nasha
Svaboda, August 9-10)
POLICE SEARCH OFFICES OF OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
On
August 9, the Grodno police searched the offices of
Semyon Domash's local campaign headquarters and that
of Ratusha, a public association that he heads, confiscating
documents, computers and other equipment. Yevgeny Lobanovich,
head of Domash's campaign staff, said that the officers
had no warrants for their actions, and that similar
searches had already taken place in Domash's campaign
offices in the towns of Gomel, Krichev, and Osipovichy.
The candidate's Internet site had also been taken down,
his e-mail cut and his mailing list lost. "They
are afraid of our group and are trying to paralyze the
work of Domash's (election) headquarters," Lobanovich
said. But Domash said the police operation was directly
linked to his campaign. "This action was undertaken
because I am a candidate for the presidential election.
It is intended to paralyze my campaign," he commented.
Iosif Bartoshevich, head of the Grodno Region Economic
Crime Division, insisted the computer seizure had no
link to the election campaign. "Police have received
information indicating that they were purchased illegally.
If that should prove not to be the case, they will be
returned. The confiscation is in no way connected with
the electoral campaign," he said. Domash filed
a complaint with the Central Commission for Elections
and National Referenda. (Belapan, August 10)
RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY DOUBLES BROADCASTS ON
BELARUS
On
August 6, Thomas A. Dine, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, a private, international communications service
to Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the
Middle East funded by the U.S. Congress through the
Broadcasting Board of Governors, announced that RFE/RL
broadcasts to Belarus have expanded in length, from
four to eight hours per day on a variety of short-wave
frequencies and from seven to ten hours on medium-wave
via affiliate Radio Baltic Waves in Lithuania. RFE/RL's
Belarus Service is also expanding the number of hours
of original programming it produces, from three to five
hours per day. Dine said the expanded broadcast schedule
was launched one month in advance of Belarus's presidential
election in order to better provide the citizens of
Belarus with comprehensive, balanced news and analyses
they will need to make an informed choice when they
go to the polls. The reports from Belarus indicate strong
and increasing listenership to the current RFE/RL programs.
Lukashenko
called the decision of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
to double their daily broadcasts to Belarus "an
extremely unfriendly step" and "a direct interference
in the Belarus internal affairs," aimed at "putting
massive pressure on the population of the republic ahead
of presidential elections," reported Itar-Tass.
(RFE/RL/Itar-Tass, August 6)
--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-
WASHINGTON
CONDEMNS ILLEGAL SEIZURE OF U.S. EQUIPMENT IN BELARUS
On
August 3, Richard Boucher, U.S. State Department spokesman,
condemned the recent seizure of U.S. property being
leased to an independent newspaper and a pro-democracy
commission in Belarus, and has demanded that the government
return the equipment to its intended recipients or reimburse
the United States for its value. The following is the
text of his statement:
"We
condemn the latest seizures of U.S. government equipment
by Belarus, call on the Belarusian regime to honor their
international obligations and return the wrongfully
seized equipment to us immediately."
"On
July 12, a squad of militia officers in the town of
Krichev seized equipment owned by the U.S. government
and leased to the independent newspaper "Volny
Gorod." On the same day, militia officers seized
U.S. computer equipment leased by the Embassy Democracy
Commission to a Resource Center. This week, the Belarusian
government confirmed that the equipment was seized under
the terms of Decree No. 8, imposed by the regime to
limit foreign assistance to the democratic opposition.
This decree has been denounced by the international
community as have many other actions taken by the regime
that impede the prospect for free and fair presidential
elections on September 9.
"All
U.S. government assistance to Belarus falls under the
1996 U.S. Belarus bilateral assistance agreement. These
seizures contradict the Belarusian government's assurances
that U.S. assistance under the bilateral agreement is
exempt from Decree No. 8. Moreover, under the bilateral
assistance agreement, U.S. assistance may be used only
for the purposes of assistance. The Belarusian authorities
therefore have a duty either to return the equipment
to its intended recipients, or to the U.S. or, failing
that, they are obligated to refund its value in dollars.
It appears that the Belarusian authorities continue
to show the same contempt for their international obligations
they displayed in seizing ambassadorial residences in
Drozdy in 1998, in violation of the Vienna Convention
on Diplomatic Relations."
"We
call upon Belarus to take immediate steps to create
conditions for free and fair elections on September
9, based on international standards. Only by doing so
will Belarus win the respect of the international community,
improve relations with the United States and end its
self imposed isolation. (USIA, August 3)
AI: BELARUSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
OF THE STATE
On August 8, Amnesty International released a new report
entitled "In the Spotlight of the State: Human
Rights Defenders in Belarus" saying that the human
rights defenders in Belarus are facing a relentless
campaign of harassment and intimidation by the authorities.
"Belarus has a very poor overall human rights record,"
the organization said, highlighting continued allegations
of ill-treatment of detainees; the arbitrary detention
of political opponents of the government; the continued
use of the death penalty and the inhuman conditions
inside the country's prisons and detention centers,
where a number of prisoners of conscience are held.
"Instead of tackling these violations, the authorities
turn against anyone who seek to act against them. Belarus
should take immediate steps to reverse this situation
and put an end to the campaign of harassment and intimidation
against the country's human rights community, "
the organization said. Following are excerpts from the
report:
"Week-in-week-out
human rights defenders struggle against a campaign of
concerted pressure aimed at wearing them down. This
campaign has assumed various forms, sometimes very crude,
and has included their arbitrary detention, short-term
imprisonment and ill-treatment."
"A
significant number of the human rights defenders who
have fallen foul of the Belarusian authorities have
spoken out against possible 'disappearances' in Belarus,
including that of Russian Public Television cameraman,
Dmitry Zavadsky, in the year 2000. The concerns and
fears of these activists appear to be justified in the
light of recent statements made by two former Belarusian
officials - who had been assigned to investigate the
whereabouts of the missing men and are now speaking
from the USA where they obtained political asylum- that
the 'disappearances' were ordered by very senior appointees
of President Alexander Lukashenko."
"The
propensity of the authorities to use violence against
human rights defenders has certainly not been reserved
for those speaking out against possible 'disappearances,'
since numerous other human rights defenders have been
targeted by the authorities."
"Human
rights defenders having their offices raided by the
police or burgled under suspicious circumstances, with
the loss of valuable equipment and data. Police investigations
have reportedly been half-hearted and no one has been
held to account."
"Human
rights lawyers being threatened with expulsion from
their professional association, the Collegium of Advocates,
which would prevent them from practicing law."
The text of the report can be found at: http://www.web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/EUR490052001?OpenDocument
REPRESSION
OF FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION CONTINUES IN BELARUS
The
international mission of inquiry mandated by the Observatory
for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, which
visited Belarus on July 14-21, established the existence
of serious obstacles to the freedom of association.
The mission noticed violations concerning legislation,
judiciary and administrative systems and violations
committed by the police. The following are excerpts
from the mission's report:
"The
establishment of NGOs is governed by measures specially
constraining. Indeed, in accordance with the decree
dated the 26th of January 1999, even NGOs that have
already been officially registered have to register
again with the authorities. To apply for re-registration,
NGOs must supply a certificate issued by local authorities
and mentioning the address of the organization's headquarters
and local branches. To get this certificate, NGOs have
to pass trough numerous administrative obstacles. As
the premises that are available belong in majority to
public institutions or enterprises, the authorities
use these provisions to rise arbitrarily the rent of
the offices occupied by NGOs."
"Peaceful
demonstrations are regularly dispersed with violence,
and the demonstrators are subjected to ill-treatment
by the police. Inquiries set up after complaints made
by these victims do not end up. On the contrary, it
is frequent that demonstrators and organizers are prosecuted
for 'hooliganism'."
"NGOs,
trade unions and the media are subjected to different
kinds of harassment and intimidation: material is stolen
and telephones are tapped."
"Trade
unions are one of the main targets of the repression
undertaken by Belarussian authorities: attempt of infiltration
in independent trade unions, registration procedures
particularly constraining, creation of trade unions
controlled by the Presidential Administration, and pressure
put on employees."
"The
numerous obstacles to human rights defenders' activities
are part of a deliberate strategy from the authorities
to control and neutralize independent NGOs, trade unions
and media. These violations come within a political
frame particularly tense with the coming of the presidential
elections in September 2001. These facts are a flagrant
violation of the freedom of association, of meeting,
of demonstration and of expression. These rights are
guaranteed by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights,
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
-ratified by Belarus-, the Declaration on Human Rights
Defenders, and the Convention No. 87 of the ILO concerning
freedom of association and protection of the right to
organize - that is too ratified by Belarus."
The
Observatory called on the highest authorities of Belarus
to repeal the decrees that are contrary to the principles
and standards applicable, in conformity with their international
and regional commitments and to end all kind of harassment
and reprisals taken against human rights defenders,
so that they can individually or in association with
others, promote the protection and realization of human
rights. (Charter 97, August 10)
CHRONICLE OF ARRESTS OF OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS
On
August 1, about thirty opposition activists wearing
T-shirts with portraits of disappeared politicians took
part in an unauthorized picket, "We Want to Know
the Truth", in downtown Soligorsk, a small coal
mining town in Minsk Region. They were calling on the
regime to release information about vanished opposition
leaders and journalists Dmitry Zavadsky. Maxim Tokmakov
(minor), Ilona Plastinina (minor), Mikhail Molochko,
Ivan Zhukovets, Natalya Strushko, Vasily Tizhyk, Vasily
Nasanovich, Boris Korotkikh were detained for about
two hours. Larisa Nasanovich, Leonid Markhotko, and
Anatoly Loban received summons to appear in court. (Viasna
Human Rights Center, August 5)
The
same day, the Vitebsk police detained Elena Zaleskaya,
chair of the local branch of the United Civic Party,
Marina Artimovich, Svetlana Lamaniuk, Tamara Arkusheva,
and Andrei Tolstykh, four other Party' members, for
distribution of special issues of Rabochy and Belaruskaya
Maladzyozhnaya, independent newspapers, devoted to the
forthcoming presidential elections. All copies of the
newspapers were confiscated.
On
August 2, Sergei Bakhun, Oleg Khomich, and Andrei Ushakov,
all members of the Brest branch of the Malady (Youth)
Front, were detained for distributing the organization's
bulletin and taken to the Leninski District Internal
Affairs Directorate of Brest, where the police reports
were filed on them on charges of violating Art. 167,
par. 1, of the Administrative Offenses Code (participation
in mass actions that violate public order). The detainees
refused to sign the reports on the grounds that were
not given an opportunity to consult with legal counsel.
They were released after about three hours in detention.
On
August 3, Vitaly Orlov and Dmitry Zheleznik were detained
for about four hours for distribution of a special edition
of Pravo na Svobody (Right to Freedom), an opposition
bulletin, and Nasha Svaboda, an independent newspaper,
in downtown Bobruisk, Mogilev Region. They were searched
and taken to the police station where a protocol was
filed on them. The police also confiscated the stickers
"Time to Choose" and "Independent Observers
Guarantee Order at Elections." During the interrogation,
the activists were asked who gave them the newspapers
and stickers and how much they were paid for distributing
the opposition materials.
On
August 5, Sergei Vasenko, chair of the Vitebsk branch
of Gennady Karpenko Foundation and a member of the Belarusian
Helsinki Committee, was detained by the two policemen
who did not like a T-shirt the activist was wearing
with a slogan "Choose. 09.09.2001." When the
activist refused to take the T-shirt off, he was accused
of early campaigning and taken to the Zheleznodorozhny
District Internal Affairs Directorate.
On
August 6, at approximately 2:00 a.m., Evgeny Labko and
Evgeny Roba were detained by the Minsk police for passing
out leaflets on behalf of the Malady (Youth) Front.
At the police station, the two were threatened with
severe punishment if they did not name the people whose
orders they were fulfilling and charged with "petty
hooliganism" under Art. 156 of the Belarusian Administrative
Code. Labko reported that he was beaten.
On
August 7, Alesia Yasyuk, a member of the Borisov, Minsk
Region, branch of Zubr, an unregistered nation-wide
youth opposition movement, was detained for allegedly
putting up "Time to Clean Up!" stickers on
the doors of the building of the Borisov City Executive
Committee. The activist was brought to a police station
and charged with the illegal distribution of printed
materials under Art. 172, par. 1 of the Belarusian Administrative
Code.
Vasily
Zhakov, a Zubr activist from Minsk, was detained at
approximately 3:00 a.m. on August 9 by two drunk plain-clothed
policemen for the alleged writing of political graffiti.
He was accused of violating Art. 143, par. 3 of the
Belarusian Administrative Offences Code (littering)
and spent eight hours in detention.
On August 8, a group of policemen and State Security
agents surrounded and then broke into the office of
the youth organization Gart, based in Gomel. Gart is
an umbrella organization which consists of activists
from several democratic youth groups, including the
increasingly popular ZUBR youth movement. The police
detained five young men who were in the building, including
two members of ZUBR. Four of them were subsequently
released, while Roman Palaschenko, press secretary of
the Gomel ZUBR branch is still being held. On the same
day, policemen surrounded the office of another Gomel-based
organization, Civic Initiative, detaining Vladimir Katsoro,
head of the Gomel branch of United Civic Party. On August
9, police raided the office of Gart for the second time,
confiscating all of its computers and other electronic
equipment.
On
August 10, in an open letter to Alexander Lukashenko,
the International League for Human Rights expressed
its grave concern about a series of recent police raids
on civic and political organizations, which resulted
in the confiscation of their property. "These incidents
come before the presidential elections in September
further undermining the legitimacy and credibility of
your government and dispelling any illusions of free
and fair elections," wrote Catherine A. Fitzpatrick,
the League's Executive Director. The League demanded
that the Belarusian leader use the power of his office
to return the confiscated equipment to the aforementioned
victims and stop all harassment of public organizations
and presidential candidates in accordance with the OSCE's
and other international commitments the country has
signed. (Viasna Human Rights Center - Charter 97 -ILHR,
August 5-10)
DEMOCRATIC YOUTH PROTESTS AGAINST REPRESSIONS
On
August 6, seventeen leading democratic youth organizations,
including the Malady Front, the youth wings of the United
Civic Party, the Belarusian Social-Democratic Party,
the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada, Zubr [Bison],
opposition nationwide movement, the National Association
of Belarusian Students and the Association of Young
Politicians and Entrepreneurs, issued a statement condemning
the Lukashenko regime for intimidation of the democratic
opposition by beating, harassing, arresting, and sentencing
its members. The youths demanded a halt to the violations
of human rights and the erosion of democracy which has
haunted Belarus throughout the seven years of Alexander
Lukashenko's rule. (Nasha Svaboda, August 8)
-AT HOME IN BELARUS-
LUKASHENKO
TO HOLD MASSIVE MILITARY MANEUVERS AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
Belarus
will hold large-scale military maneuvers to warn off
any potential aggressor and prepare its army for modern
warfare, Leonid Maltsev, Belarusian Defense Minister
said in an interview with the Belarusian State Television
and Radio Company (BTR). The massive maneuvers, which
would involve interior and emergency ministry troops
and border guards as well as the regular army, were
scheduled to start on August 26, barely two weeks before
the September 9 presidential poll. "This would
be a serious test for all participants and, if you will,
it is a test for President Alexander Lukashenko as well,"
Maltsev said. "The fact that he had decided to
take this test in today's complicated situation means
we are sure of what we are doing," he added.
Some
10,000 troops, as well as over 60 tanks, 60 missile
and artillery systems, and 40 military airplanes and
helicopters would participate in the maneuvers. The
unprecedented scale of the maneuvers was prompted by
"alarming tendencies we note in Europe," Lukashenko
commented, adding that such training sessions should
be held annually. "Foreign countries boost their
military activity close to Belarusian borders. Belarusian
people must be convinced that their army can defend
their peace," Lukashenko said. "Even when
we have no war, our army must learn so that not only
our people, but also foreign hawks knew that our troops
can withstand any aggressor at any given time,"
he added. [Belarus is actively updating its army, and
a massive overhaul is due to be completed by 2005. Minsk
had been particularly alarmed at the fact that Belarus'
neighbors Poland, Latvia and Lithuania are stepping
up their armed forces in hopes of joining the NATO military
alliance.-Ed.]. (Itar-Tass, August 7)
-RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN BELARUS-
PASTOR
BANNED FROM RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES
Pastor
Veniamin Brukh of the Church of Jesus Christ, who has
long worked in Minsk, has been accused of carrying out
religious activity without permission in violation of
Art .185 of the Belarusian Administrative Offences Code.
The accusation came despite the fact that his 1000-member
strong church wants him to continue his work. On July
30, Alexander Kalinov, a senior official of the State
Committee for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, told Keston
that Brukh does not have and would not get the special
permission from the Committee required under Art. 11
of the law on foreign citizens, insisting that Bible
colleges in Belarus are producing enough graduates,
so Protestant churches do not need foreign pastors.
Kalinov told Keston that that activity barred Brukh
as a foreign citizen without special permission including
preaching, teaching and speaking to the church in any
form. He said that there were "no talks" of
expelling Brukh from Belarus, merely of halting his
religious activity with the church.
Kalinov
admitted to Keston that Brukh had been invited through
the proper procedures by Alexander Sakovich, head of
the Union of Full Gospel Churches to which Brukh's church
belongs, but insisted that such an invitation is not
good enough if the state withholds permission. The official
vehemently denied any government interference in the
activity of religious groups, but could not explain
how his Committee's veto on foreign pastors squared
with international human rights commitments - to which
Belarus is a party - specifying that religious organizations
should be allowed to choose their own leaders freely.
Before
a foreign citizen can legally preach in Belarus, or
even publicly address a religious gathering, the State
Committee needs to have a written request from the religious
community, a copy of the individual's religious education
certificate and the committee itself needs to grant
written permission. Kalinov rejected suggestions that
these bureaucratic requirements violate the freedom
of religious communities to decide for themselves how
to conduct their own activities.
Earlier
this year, Brukh was accused of speaking on behalf of
a non-existent organization, and has also come into
conflict with the authorities over the Minsk City Council's
decision No. 344 para 2, which denied his church, along
with all other religious organizations, the right to
rent property. An appeal against the decision, submitted
by him and a number of other church leaders, was due
to be heard in court on August 10.
Brukh
has lodged an official complaint to the Minsk City Police
about the administrative case against him. He protests
that there is no law which states what kind of permission
is required to carry out religious activity, and that
no law defines "religious activity," so there
are no criteria by which to judge whether his actions
count as religious activity or not. (Keston News Service,
July 31)
-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
************************************************************************
For daily updates, visit our partner's 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
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