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INTERNATIONAL
LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
BELARUS
UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole
Vol.
4, No. 33
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-languge pages for frequent
updates.***
IN
THIS ISSUE:
-
U.S.: Belarus Obstructs Election Observation Preparations
- First OSCE Election Monitors Arrive In Belarus
- Belarus Warns US and EU Against Interfering In Its
Election Process
- Central Election Commission Registers Four Presidential
Candidates
- Two Presidential Hopefuls Team Up Against Lukashenko
- Europe's Last Dictator Feels Heat
- Time Slots On TV And Radio Distributed Among Candidates
- Opposition Plans Parallel Count of Votes
- Court To Hear Defamation Suit Filed By Presidential
Candidate
- Paznyak Urges Belarusians To Vote Against All Candidates
- Police Seize Copies Of Independent Newspaper
- Civic Leader Attacked
- Chronicle Of Arrests Of Opposition Activists
- House Of Gomel Opposition Leader Searched By KGB
- Harassment Of Independent Media Continues
-PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS NEWS-
U.S.:
BELARUS OBSTRUCTS ELECTION OBSERVATION PREPARATIONS
On
August 10, the United States issued a statement calling
upon the Belarusian authorities to take immediate steps
to create conditions for free and fair elections on
September 9. Following is the text of the statement:
"Despite
repeated assurances, the government of Belarus has not
yet issued an invitation to allow monitors from the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) to observe the September 9, 2001 presidential
election. In violation of its international commitments,
the government of Belarus denied visas for an OSCE observation
team that planned to begin work in Belarus on August
1. Observation of the election by OSCE monitors, both
international and domestic, is required to determine
to what extent the election process is legitimate. The
United States decries the delay in issuing the invitation
for OSCE election observers. The delay in issuing the
invitation is obstructing an effective international
observation of the election."
"The
United States has consistently supported democratic
development in Belarus, including the holding of transparent
and fair elections. Key to an open electoral process
are the criteria set forth by the OSCE last year and
Belarus' OSCE Copenhagen Document commitments. These
criteria include an end to the climate of fear, equal
access to the state media for all candidates, respect
for freedom of assembly, as well as transparency and
fairness in registration of candidates and functioning
of electoral commissions. To date, the government of
Belarus has failed on each and every one of these measures.
In recent weeks, police have attacked non-governmental
organizations conducting non-partisan election-related
activities and have illegally seized U.S. government
owned equipment. The United States condemns the seizures
of U.S. government-owned equipment in Belarus, calls
on the Belarusian regime to honor its bilateral and
multilateral commitments and obligations, and return
the wrongfully seized equipment to us immediately."
"We
call upon Belarus to take immediate steps to create
conditions for free and fair elections on September
9, based on international standards and in fulfillment
of its international commitments. Failure to do so will
call into question the credibility of the entire election
process and prevent any improvement in relations with
the United States." (USIA, August 13)
FIRST
OSCE ELECTION MONITORS ARRIVE IN BELARUS
On
August 15, the Advisory Council of Opposition Political
Parties informed Belapan that the Belarusian authorities
finally invited the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the country's presidential
elections. "The invitation came too late to ensure
adequate preparation and pre-election observation,"
commented Elena Skrigan, Secretary of the Belarusian
Communist Party, adding that the regime deliberately
delayed invitation to the Europe's principal election
observation institution to prevent its representatives
from witnessing the important stages of the election
campaign, such as the formation of local election commissions
and the counting of signatures required for potential
candidates' registration as presidential hopefuls.
On
August 17, the first five monitors arrived in Belarus
and expressed concern that their entrance visas had
been delayed, preventing them from monitoring the official
election registration process which ended last week.
"We have concerns about some of the aspects of
the Belarus legislative framework," Hrair Balian,
head of the OSCE/ODIHR's Election Section, said upon
arrival to Belarus. "Unexplained delays have prevented
us from observing the candidate registration process,"
he said. "We are very much concerned that we missed
the first week of a very short campaign period."
He also said that two of the 29 members of the long-term
monitoring team have been denied visas without explanation.
The OSCE plans to establish seven monitoring offices
across the country. (Belapan/AFP, August 15-16)
BELARUS WARNS US AND EU AGAINST INTERFERING IN ITS ELECTION
PROCESS
On
August 16, the Belarusian government called on the United
States and the European Union not to interfere in its
election process and not to exert pressure on the OSCE'
ODIHR, "which should act as an independent agency
representing the interests of all OSCE member states,
including Belarus." "Any attempts to influence
the political situation in the country during the presidential
elections will be regarded by the government of the
Republic of Belarus as interference in the internal
affairs of a sovereign state with all the ensuing consequences,
and any attempts to destabilize the situation in the
country with the help of external and internal observers
will be suppressed in the most resolute manner,"
the government said in a statement.
"Guided
by its intention to conduct the forthcoming presidential
elections in a democratic, fair and transparent manner,"
the Belarusian government has invited representatives
of the European democratic institutions, displaying
"its open approach to the conduct of the presidential
elections and to the presence of foreign observers."
"It condemns statements made by the U.S. Department
of State and a number of the European institutions regarding
the Belarusian authorities' alleged interest in the
falsification of the election results," the Lukashenko
government said.
"Despite
its refusal to observe the October 2000 parliamentary
elections in Belarus, the ODIHR, nonetheless, drew a
disputable conclusion that the elections fell short
of the OSCE commitments and their results should not
be recognized," the government said.
"It
is a dangerous precedent for the OSCE that its authorized
institution assumes the right to comment on the results
of elections it did not observe," it said. "Under
these circumstances, the Government of Belarus expresses
doubt about the objectivity of the ODIHR's position
during this year presidential election." (Itar-Tass,
August 16)
CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION REGISTERS FOUR PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATES
On
August 14, the Central Commission for Elections and
National Referenda handed the presidential candidate
identification cards to Alexander Lukashenko; Semyon
Domash, deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, chair of
the Grodno Initiative and the Coordination Council of
Belarusian Regions; Sergei Gaidukevich, chair of the
Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, and Vladimir Goncharik,
chair of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus,
which allow them to begin their brief campaign for Sept.
9 presidential elections.
Speaking
at the registration ceremony, Lukashenko said he would
not allow foreign meddling in the election process.
"Our elections should be conducted not according
to foreign scenarios but solely on the basis of the
laws of the land. As the current president, I guarantee
the Belarusian people that our elections will be conducted
in this way," he said. Lukashenko added that election
observers from the OSCE intend to misrepresent the election
results to spark an uprising against him. He shook hands
with Gaidukevich, who is not considered a serious threat
to the incumbent, but not with Domash or Goncharik.
Speaking
to reporters after the ceremony, Goncharik said there
was "very little basis to hope that we will have
honest and fair elections," but said he was confident
the opposition would win. Several dozen opposition activists
were waiting for Goncharik and Domash outside, holding
signs reading, "In unity there is strength!"
By law, the candidates could begin campaigning on August
15. (Belapan, August 14-15)
TWO PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS TEAM UP AGAINST LUKASHENKO
On
August 13, after hours of tense talks, Semyon Domash
and Vladimir Goncharik agreed to team up to strengthen
the opposition's bid to unseat the incumbent Belarusian
president. The decision was "based on responsibility
for the fate of the country and the need to return Belarus
to the path of democratic development," they said
in a statement. Domash said that he would withdraw his
candidacy in favor of Goncharik and will then join the
Goncharik campaign team. Goncharik promised Domash a
top spot in his government and pledged to expand the
powers and functions of the legislature and hold new
parliamentary elections. Domash urged the Lukashenko
government to respect the law during the election campaign.
The same day, 87 democratic youth organizations pledged
to support Goncharik's candidacy in the forthcoming
presidential elections.
On
August 14, the Belarusian Ministry of Justice issues
a statement calling the agreement between the two candidates
unconstitutional, reported Belapan. Under the country's
Constitution, only the president has the right to change
the Electoral Code, call referenda, parliamentary and
local elections, dissolve the National Assembly, decide
on the structure of the government, appoint deputy prime
ministers, ministers and other government members and
dismiss the government, the Ministry said in the statement.
By signing the agreement before the elections, the candidates
raised a question of changing the constitutional system,
made a negative assessment of the actions of the incumbent
president and the Parliament and violated the Constitution,
the Ministry said. The KGB, however, said that the agreement
"formally contains no provisions contravening existing
legislation, including the electoral laws," but
proves that the opposition candidates intend "to
seize and retain power at any price." It regards
the publication of the agreement as "the beginning
of propaganda campaign aimed at declaring the election
results invalid in the event of Alexander Lukashenko's
victory." (Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta/Belapan,
August 14-15)
EUROPE'S LAST DICTATOR FEELS HEAT
With
an election approaching, Alexander Lukashenko, Europe's
last dictator since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in
Yugoslavia 10 months ago, is facing new allegations
of government-sponsored death squads, a defiant youth
protest movement, an unusually united opposition and
the biggest threat to his seven-year leadership, wrote
Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser in an article titled
"Europe's Last Dictator Feels The Heat" published
in August 15's issue of The Washington Post. "The
Sept. 9 balloting not only will determine the political
future of 10 million people living in Belarus, but also
presents a diplomatic test for both the United States
and Russia. Washington criticizes Lukashenko's hold
on power as illegitimate and privately wants him ousted,
but it has not invested the sort of resources it provided
Milosevic's rivals last year. As the former imperial
capital, Moscow could probably swing the elections because
it controls the television signals beamed into Belarus,
but so far it has kept its distance from both Lukashenko
and his opposition," they wrote.
Th
journalists noted that Lukashenko courted Russian President
Vladimir Putin for an endorsement, only to get a cold
shoulder. The most important factor, however, will be
whether Putin allows the opposition access to Russian
television, which dominates the market here. NTV, owned
by a state-controlled energy monopoly, has been showing
protests on the air, although state-owned ORT often
ignores such events.
In
the meantime, opposition leaders, who sought guidance
from their Serbian counterparts, are encouraged by opinion
polls suggesting that even government officials want
Lukashenko out. They assume the election will be rigged,
but as in Yugoslavia, they hope for a big enough margin
to offset fraud. "All the elements are coming together,"
believes Andrei Sannikov, former Deputy Foreign Minister
of Belarus and International Coordinator of Charter
97, nationwide civil initiative. "Over the last
three years the dominant factor here was fear -- fear
about jobs, about their parents, and now we see that
people are overcoming this fear. There seems to be growing
momentum." What Lukashenko will do if Sannikov
is right remains an open question. "He may do something
like Hitler did," believes journalist Roman Yakovlevsky.
"The fact is, he won't let go of power without
blood." The full article can be found at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60304-2001Aug10.html
TIME SLOTS ON TV AND RADIO DISTRIBUTED AMONG CANDIDATES
On
August 15, the Central Election Commission held a lottery
to determine the time slots for television and radio
appearances by the registered presidential candidates,
the results of which gave Vladimir Goncharik an advantage
of appearing on the national TV immediately after Lukashenko.
The incumbent Belarusian leader was given two 30-minute
prerecorded appearances at 6:30 p.m. on August 22 and
August 29. Goncharik's statements will be broadcast
at 7 p.m. the same days. Sergei Gaidukevich received
two 30-minute time slots at 6:30 p.m. and Domash at
7 p.m. on August 21 and August 28. It was also decided
that each presidential candidate will receive 17.25
million BYR (about $12,300) of public funds to finance
his election campaign, the central election commission
said. This is going to be the only source of campaign
funding.
The
same day, the Advisory Council of Opposition Political
Parties issued a statement demanding live broadcast
on national television and radio for all presidential
candidates. The Council insists that it is up to the
candidate to decide if he wants to speak live or record
his speech and accused the Central Election Commission
of exceeding its authority and ignoring the country's
international commitments, including the Istanbul Declaration
of the OSCE Summit on November 19,1999, which was signed
by Lukashenko. The Council referred to a clause of the
Declaration, which requires from the OSCE heads of state
"to ensure fair competition among candidates as
well as parties, including through their access to the
media." The Council also warned the authorities
against any attempts to censor or edit the presidential
candidates' speeches. (Belapan, August 15)
OPPOSITION PLANS PARALLEL COUNT OF VOTES
On
August 14, Independent Observation, an unregistered
opposition's election watchdog organization, announced
its plans to conduct a parallel count of the votes at
polling stations during the elections to prevent the
falsification of their results by the authorities. Ales
Belyatsky, chair of the Viasna Human Rights Center,
said that Nezavisimoe Nabludenie will deploy about 15,000
monitors at 6,500 polling stations. The Ministry of
Justice raised an objection saying that the parallel
count of votes planned by the independent observers
contravenes the current Belarusian legislation. "The
questioning of voters about how they plan to vote or
have voted is an offence punishable by a fine or up
to two months of corrective labor under the Belarusian
Administrative Offenses Code," the Ministry said
in a statement, adding that attempts to distort voting
results constitute a criminal offense entailing up to
five years in prison under the country's Penal Code.
(Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, August 15)
COURT TO HEAR DEFAMATION SUIT FILED BY PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE
On
September 7, the Pervomaisky District Court of Minsk
is to hear a defamation suit filed by Semyon Domash
against the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company
(BTR). On April 28, Yury Azarenok, host of "Politics:
Hidden Strings," a notorious analytical program
broadcast by the BTR, referenced excerpts from an article
" Zigzags of Semyon Domash" in a program designed
to denounce the opposition candidate. "Zigzags"
was published in Narodnaya Gazeta, a state-owned newspaper,
on December 17, 1996, and contained slanderous information
about Domash. On May 2, Domash sent a letter to Viktor
Chikin, former BTR director, demanding refutation and
free air time to make up for the false accusations.
Not only he was denied the air time, but on May 3, Azarenok's
program was broadcasted again. Domash insists that the
facts cited in the article were disproved in court in
February 1998, and therefore, the journalist should
make a public refutation and pay him 1 million BYR (about
$700) for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
(Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, August 14)
LUKASHENKO OFFERS OWN BODYGUARDS TO HIS POLL OPPONENTS
On
August 17, Alexander Lukashenko offered personal bodyguards
to his three opponents in the presidential race. Vladimir
Goncharik and Semyon Domash said they received a letter
from Gennady Nevyglas, head of the presidential guard,
informing them that by order of the president all candidates
would get "state protection." Both said they
turned down the offer. "I see no need to take on
security officers from Lukashenko's personal guard,"
Goncharik said. Sergey Gaidukevich, who has been more
tempered in his criticism of the Lukashenko regime than
two other opposition candidates, told AFP he had accepted
the bodyguard offer, which he said was made to him over
the phone. "I am prepared to accept any security
help. I will ask for at least 20 bodyguards, although
I doubt I will get them," he said. (Interfax-AFP,
August 17)
PAZNYAK URGES BELARUSIANS TO VOTE AGAINST ALL CANDIDATES
On
August 16, Zyanon Paznyak, exiled leader of the Conservative
Christian Party of the Belarusian Popular Front and
a presidential hopeful who failed to collect 100,000
signatures required for his registration, appealed to
the Belarusian people to vote against all candidates
in the forthcoming presidential elections because the
all "support Russia's colonial policy in Belarus."
Paznyak hopes that if no one is elected in September,
a new vote would be held in three months with new candidates
running for the presidency. (Belapan, August 17)
--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-
POLICE
SEIZE COPIES OF INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
On
August 17, police from the Committee for Financial Investigation
entered Magic publishing house, where Nasha Svaboda,
an independent newspaper, is published, seizing all
300 thousand copies of the special issue, dedicated
to Vladimir Goncharik, the single democratic opposition
candidate in the upcoming presidential elections. According
to Pavel Zhuk, the newspaper's editor, this is the only
one out of 15 special issues he has published that was
confiscated. The Committee's representative claimed
that the issue was confiscated due to "inaccuracies
in Magic's financial accounts," without providing
an explanation as to why Nasha Svaboda was targeted.
The
League issued a statement on the seizure of Nasha Svaboda,
calling it an attempt by the Lukashenko government to
control information about the presidential candidate
supported by Belarusian democratic forces. The League
called on the Belarusian leader to release the 300 thousand
copies of Nasha Svaboda's special issue. It urged the
Lukashenko government to cease all harassment of the
opposition and assure that it is able to conduct an
unhindered election campaign.. (Charter 97/ILHR, August
17)
CIVIC LEADER ATTACKED
On
July 31, 2001, at approximately 11:00 p.m., a group
of unidentified men ambushed Sergei Strizhonok, a member
of the Citizens' Commission of Investigation of Disappearances
of Zakharenko, Gonchar, Krasovsky and Zavadsky, as he
was exiting the elevator of the building where he lives.
The men sprayed a large amount of tear gas in Strizhonok's
face and assaulted him, hitting his head, back, arms
and legs with rubber sticks until he lost consciousness.
When leaving, the perpetrators said it was "in
retaliation for his big mouth." Subsequent medical
examinations revealed a concussion and severe bruises
to his back, arms and legs.
This
latest attack is part of a coordinated harassment campaign
directed against members of the Commission, including
routine telephone threats and steep fines for staging
public protests demanding a full and transparent investigation
into the disappearances.
The
League believes that the Commission and particularly
Strizhonok have been targeted for their active role
in investigating the disappearances and helping the
investigators flee the country. In an open letter to
Alexander Lukashenko, the League demanded that this
harassment be stopped immediately and those responsible
for this attack held accountable. It also urged the
incumbent Belarusian president to follow the recommendation
of the UN Committee Against Torture made in November
2000 to form an "impartial governmental and non-governmental
national human rights commission to . . . investigate
all complaints of human rights violations," which
would then assure a full and transparent investigation
of the disappearances. (Charter 97/ILHR, August 13)
CHRONICLE OF ARRESTS OF OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS
On
August 9, Dmitry Mitskevich and Yury Smetanka, Zubr
activists who are under the age of 18, were arrested
in Molodechno, Minsk Region, while pasting stickers
"Time to Choose." They were taken to a police
station, where a police officer grabbed the boys by
their necks demanding to name people who gave them the
stickers. The boys were set free after their parents
arrived at the station. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/
On August 10, at approximately 2:00 a.m., Oleg Morozov
and Denis Ermakov, both Zubr activists, were detained
by a group of officers from OMON, the Belarusian riot
police near the Riga supermarket in Minsk and brought
to the Sovetsky District Internal Affairs Directorate
for alleged writing of the graffiti saying "Time
to Clean Up!" (The slogan, "Vremya Ubirat',"
is the second stage of a slogan campaign which began
with "Vremya Vbirat'" or "Time to Choose."
"Ubirtat'" means "clean up," "remove,"
or "harvest" and the pun is in reference to
the need for change of the government.-Eds) Police confiscated
two cans of spray-paint and 700 "Time to Clean
Up!" stickers. The boys were videotaped and accused
of violating of Art. 143, par. 3, of the Belarusian
Administrative Offences Code (littering). They refused
to sign a police report. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/
On August 13, the traffic police stopped Valery Sivukho,
chair of the Mogilev branch of the United Civic Party,
on the outskirts of Minsk and seized 18,400 copies of
opposition newspapers without a warrant, reported Charter
97. The activist was taken to the Zavodsky District
Internal Affairs Directorate of Minsk, where a police
report was filed on him. His was ordered to leave his
car at the police station on the pretext that it resembles
the one that had recently been stolen. The same day,
at approximately 11:00 p.m., Vladimir Shantsev, chair
of the Mogilev branch of the Lev Sapega Foundation,
was detained near the village of Belinichi, Mogilev
Region. 6,000 copies of Narodnaya Volya, an opposition
newspaper, were confiscated from him for "examination".
In both cases, the activists were not provided with
a copy of the confiscation report. (Viasna Human Rights
Center, August 15)
On
August 13, twelve activists of Zubr, a nation-wide youth
opposition movement, staged an unauthorized picket near
the KGB building in Svetlogorsk, Mogilev Region, holding
placard saying: "Lukashenko should resign!"
and singing Belarusian songs. At approximately 9:00
p.m., the police arrived at the place, arrested all
picketers and brought them to the nearest police station.
In about two hours Julia Shkurko, Ruslan Lutarevich,
and Kiril Ksendzov, all minors, were set free. Ales
Torap, Eduard Saranchuk, Sergei Gordievich, Alexsey
Zhuro, Maya Bobryk, Alexander Ivanov, Andrei Ignatenko,
Sergei Soroka, and Alexander Semashko spent the night
in detention. They were charged with participation in
mass actions which violated public order under Art.
167, para 1, of the Administrative Offenses Code, summoned
to appear in court, and released at 10 a.m. the next
day. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/
On
August 14, Andrei Yanushkevich, 13, was brutally beaten
by Oleg Kaptur, officer of the Borisov, Minsk Region,
branch of the State Committee for Financial Investigation,
for pasting "Zubr" stickers. The boy was thrown
against a tree and in semi-conscious state managed to
escape. He returned home late at night and could not
remember where he spent his day. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/
The same day, at approximately 6:00 a.m., several dozen
members of the United Civic Party, the Malady Front,
and Zubr, youth opposition movement, formed a human
chain in down town Mogilev, holding portraits of the
disappeared politicians, reported Viasna Human Rights
Center. In about 15 minutes, the riot police arrived
at the place and arrested 16 demonstrators, including
Dmitry Bukatov, Valery Sivukho, Aleksey Gubko, Nikolai
Ilyin, Evgeny Drobiazko, Oleg Metelitsa, and Viktor
Nizovtsov. The names of other detainees are unknown.
All activists were set free after about two-and-a-half
hours in detention with no police reports filed on them.
On August 14, the Vitebsk police detained Marina Kaminskaya,
Kiril Mineev, and Igor Olshanko, all Zubr activists,
for allegedly putting up "Time to Clean Up!"
stickers on the building of the Vitebsk City Executive
Committee. The activists were brought to the Oktyabrsky
District Internal Affairs Directorate and charged with
the illegal distribution of printed materials under
Art. 172, par. 1 of the Belarusian Administrative Code,
which is punishable by fine up to five minimal wages.
The law-enforcers confiscated from Olshanko, a minor,
a few cans of spray-paint and about a hundred stickers
"Time to Clean Up!" He was set free after
about seven hours in detention, when his mother came
to pick him up. The activists are to stand trial. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/
On August 14, five Zubr activists from Shklov, Mogilev
Region, were arrested at the entrance of one of the
city's stores while "campaigning" for the
incumbent president. Wearing Lukashenko masks, the activists
promised the compatriots to pay the average monthly
wage of $100, reduce the prices and imprison "all
the thieves, businessmen and all who will vote against
Lukashenko." At the police station the activists
were charged with "petty hooliganism" under
Art. 156 of the Belarusian Administrative Offences Code.
Two minors were released after about six hours in detention.
Three others spent the night in jail. The next day,
they learned that they violated Art. 368 par. 1, of
the Penal Code (defamation of the president) and that
their cases will be sent to the local prosecutor. [In
accordance with the Decree #11 "On Certain Measures
to Improve Procedures of Holding Meetings, Rallies,
Street Processions, Demonstrations, other Massive Actions
and Picketing," which came into force on May 11,
2001, and imposes severe restrictions on freedom of
assembly on the pretext of assuring public order and
safety, the demonstrators are not allowed to hide their
faces behind masks.-Ed.]. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/
On August 15, the opposition activists marched through
Borisov, Minsk Region, calling on the regime to release
information about vanished opposition leaders and journalist
Dmitry Zavadsky, reported Viasna Human Rights Center.
The action, not authorized by the Borisov City Executive
Committee, was part of the "We Want to Know the
Truth" campaign. Eight protesters were detained
and brought to a police station, where they were ordered
to write explanatory notes. Three activists, including
Dmitry Borodko, head of the local office of the Viasna
Human Rights Center, were charged with violation of
Art. 167, par. 1, of the Administrative Offenses Code
(participation in mass actions that violate public order).
Borodko also received summons to appear in local KGB
office.
On August 16, three law-enforcers confiscated a national
white-red-white flag from Alexandra Odievskaya and her
friend, both activists of Zubr, who came to the Cheliskintsev
Park in Minsk to watch a football match between Zubrs
and another team. When other Zubrs learned about confiscation,
they demanded explanations from the policemen, who responded
that they are ordered to stop and search all people
in Zubr T-shirts. Then, as if realizing that the have
not accomplished the assignment, the law-enforcers arrested
the two girls and another organization's member, and
took them to a nearest police bus. The officer from
the bus ordered to release detainees, but refused to
return the flag. Demanding their flag back, ZUBRs surrounded
the bus and blocked the road. The law-enforcers gave
up and returned the flag. When the activists started
to disperse, the riot police arrived at the place and
arrested 15 activists. They forced the boys into the
police vehicle, while the girls were led to the Sovetsky
District Internal Affairs Directorate on foot. At the
station, the activists were searched. Alexandra Odievskaya
was slapped in the face and verbally abused by a police
mayor. When Alexander Otroschenkov demanded to stop
the humiliation of his friend, he was handcuffed and
punched a few times. His hands turned blue after more
than an hour in the handcuffs, which were deliberately
tightened too much. After about four hours in detention,
all activists were set free with no police reports filed
on them. Otroschenkov was charged with "petty hooliganism"
under Art. 156 of the Belarusian Administrative Offences
Code. (Viasna Human Rights Center, August 17)
HOUSE OF GOMEL OPPOSITION LEADER SEARCHED BY KGB
On
August 13, eleven KGB officers searched the private
house of Viktor Korneyenko, chair of the Gomel Initiative,
in his absence and confiscated six computers, three
printers, one copy machine, one scanner, and 100 diskettes,
reported Charter 97. Two organization's members were
present at the search of the house, which is a place
of gatherings for the members of local opposition, many
of whom joined the initiative group of opposition candidate
Semyon Domash.
(Charter 97, August 14)
HARASSMENT OF INDEPENDENT MEDIA CONTINUES
On
August 14, the police raided the office of Kutseyna,
a daily newspaper known for its critical reports on
the Lukashenko government, published by Filon Kmita
Center for Democratic Changes, the Orsha-based public
association, and seized all office equipment, all copies
of Human Rights Bulletin and six issues of the newspaper.
[In January 2000, the authorities forced the center
to stop publishing the newspaper after it was denied
official registration. One year later, the Vitebsk Regional
Court finally closed down the Center.-Ed.]. (Charter
97, August 16)
-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
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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.
***********************************************************
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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