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INTERNATIONAL
LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
BELARUS
UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole
Vol.
4, No. 36
September 2001
The
League office is re-opened and we apologize for the
delay in some of our publications as communications
systems are frequently down. We are fortunate that the
staff and families of the League are all safe, but many
of our colleagues and neighbors have suffered terrible
losses from the terrorist acts against New York City
and Washington. Thanks to all our readers who have sent
condolences to Americans. We will continue to work for
our freedom and yours.
***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.***
IN THIS ISSUE:
-
Lukashenko Threatens To Kick OSCE Out
- Official Daily Accuses OSCE Of Plotting
- Opposition Candidate Accuses Authorities Of Harassment
- Opposition Candidate: Lukashenko Cannot Win Honestly
- Russian Media Become More Loyal To Lukashenko
- 5.4 Percent Of Voters Cast Their Ballots During Early
Voting
- Putin Refuses To Comment On Possible Outcome Of Elections
- Communists Leader Reports Election Fraud During Early
Voting
- Goncharik Urges Election Officials To Abide By Electoral
Laws
- Foreign Minister Accuses West Of Plotting Lukashenko's
Overthrow
- Council Of Europe's Election Monitors Arrive To Belarus
- OSCE Urges Belarus To Ensure Fair Conditions For Elections
- Human Rights NGO Harassed By Authorities
- Chronicle Of Arrests And Harassment Of Opposition
Activists
- Opposition Holds Rally In Minsk
- Attacks On Independent Press Continue
- Amnesty International: Authorities Violate Freedom
Of Speech
- CPJ Urges Lukashenko To Stop Press Freedom Abuses
- Article 19 Exposes Full-Scale State-Sponsored Assault
On Free Press
- Gays Denied Entry Visas To Belarus
- Head Of U.S. Student Exchange Office Sentenced For
Drugs Offences
- KGB Charges Italian With Espionage
-PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS NEWS-
LUKASHENKO THREATENS TO KICK OSCE OUT
On
September 3, in a two-hour campaign speech in Minsk's
vast Soviet-style Palace of the Republic, Alexander
Lukashenko accused the U.S. of financing the opposition
and threatened to expel foreign election observers as
soon as he is re-elected. He read a list of opposition
leaders and monetary amounts totaling more than $100,000
he said they received from the U.S. Embassy to unseat
him. The list included Anatoly Lebedko, chair of the
United Civic Party, Vintsuk Viachorka, chair of the
BPF Adradzhenne, Iosif Seredich, editor-in-chief of
Narodnaya Volya, an opposition newspaper, and others.
[Earlier that day, police tried to drag Lebedko and
other protesters away from a rally he led outside the
building.-Ed.]. The opposition dismissed the accusations.
Lukashenko
insisted that he was ready for dialogue with Washington.
He said he wrote a letter last month to President Bush,
proposing dialogue, and passed it to former Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev to deliver. "We have opened the
door," he said. "Honestly, I do not know why
I should be apologizing before the United States,"
Lukashenko said in remarks addressed to Colin Powell,
U.S. Secretary of State, who on August 25 accused the
Belarusian authorities of forming a death squad to eliminate
the political opponents. "We will never allow the
Americans to tell us how to lead our lives," he
said, adding that the West will "never put Belarus
on its knees." "They are taking an unforgivably
insulting attitude towards us, and it is my duty to
respond," Lukashenko said. Dismissing criticism
from election monitors, the Belarusian leader promised
to expel Amb. Hans-Georg Wieck, head the OSCE mission
in Belarus, as soon as the voting is over. "Wieck
is waiting for Lukashenko to expel him before the election,"
the eccentric Belarusian leader declared at a voters'
meeting in Minsk. "But we will kick him out after
the election."
On
September 5, Lukashenko said that he did not care whether
OSCE observers recognized the upcoming presidential
elections as fair or not. "What is important is
that the Belarusian citizens themselves recognize the
outcome of the elections" Lukashenko told reporters.
"If the West decides not to recognize the elections
results, this is their right. And it is our right to
decide whom to invite to the elections," said Lukashenko,
repeating a threat to expel some Western observers before
the poll. (Belapan/Charter 97, September 4-5)
OFFICIAL DAILY ACCUSES OSCE OF PLOTTING
On
September 5, Sovetskaya Belorussiya, an state-controlled
newspaper, accused the OSCE of working to destabilize
the situation in the country. In an article titled "Operation
Belarus White Stork," the daily said the OSCE was
acting as an umbrella for Western spy services that
want to overthrow the Belarusian president. In a two-page
article, the daily said the Western plan dubbed Operation
White Stork would culminate in an opposition march in
Minsk on the night after the election and clashes with
police. "That will give the West a pretext for
refusing to recognize President Lukashenko's re-election
and proclaim the election invalid," the newspaper
concluded.
Amb.
Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE mission in Belarus,
dismissed allegations of undercover activities as groundless.
"The article appears to be an attempt to discredit
the advisory and monitoring activities which the OSCE
group has undertaken in accordance with its agreed mandate
of 1997 and subsequent official documents," he
said in a statement. He recalled that the OSCE Istanbul
Summit Declaration of November 1999, which was signed
by all OSCE Heads of State or Government, including
Alexander Lukashenko, states inter alia:
"We
strongly support the work of the Advisory and Monitoring
Group in Belarus, which has worked closely with the
Belarusian authorities as well as with opposition parties
and leaders and NGOs in promoting democratic institutions
and compliance with OSCE commitments, thus facilitating
a resolution of the constitutional controversy in Belarus.
We emphasize that only a real political dialogue in
Belarus can pave the way for free and democratic elections
through which the foundations for real democracy can
be developed."
Amb.
Wieck reiterated that the Group has always acted and
continues to act in accordance with letter and the spirit
of the Istanbul Summit Declaration and will continue
to offer advice to the Government, political parties
and non-governmental organizations engaged in the development
of democratic institutions and grass root democracy.
(Sovetskaya Belorussiya/OSCE, September 5)
OPPOSITION
CANDIDATE ACCUSES AUTHORITIES OF HARASSMENT
On
September 2, during a meeting with electorate on Oktyabrskaya
Square in Minsk, where city authorities had set up an
improvised market earlier in the day selling state-subsidized
goods, Vladimir Goncharik, who is backed by a coalition
of opposition parties for the September 9 election,
accused the authorities of staging a campaign of harassment
against him. "One day they cut off the electricity,
another they set up a market at the spot where I was
to meet with voters," Goncharik told about 3,000-strong
crowd. The opposition candidate called on supporters
to take to the streets of Minsk after the vote. "Let
us gather here on September 9 to celebrate or defend
the victory in the elections." "If we can
get 20,000 people on this square, then we can talk about
democracy winning in Belarus," he said.
In
an impromptu appearance on a telephone hotline at the
headquarters of Narodnaya Volya, an opposition newspaper,
Goncharik reiterated accusations that the government
is pressuring him and his supporters. He warned of mass
protests if Lukashenko wins, but admitted that the Belarusian
opposition is weaker than the forces that brought down
Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic last year. "We
do not have such tensions, even though people are beginning
to realize what is going on in the country," he
said.
On
September 3, the authorities warned Goncharik against
violating electoral rules following the rally that they
said was illegal. Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the
Belarusian Central Commission for Elections and National
Referenda, also said that T-shirts with the slogan "We
will say 'No' to the idiot!" had been found at
Goncharik's campaign headquarters and newspapers distributed
with news about the opposition candidate. According
to Lozovik, the distribution of the T-shirts -- displaying
a caricature of Lukashenko -- and special newspaper
editions are an attempt to buy voters, which is against
the law. Under the Belarusian electoral law, candidates
can be barred from the vote to be held Sunday after
two warnings. Mikhail Pastukhov, a former Constitutional
Court judge and now the director of the Media Defense
Center of the BAJ, dismissed the accusations and said
the authorities were seeking to hamper the opposition
campaign. "The law allows meetings with voters
and requests local authorities to facilitate and not
to hinder them," he said. "But mostly they
offer us an arts center on the outskirts with a hall
for 40 people. Or they cut off electricity or seize
all our pamphlets. So under these conditions we are
forced to break the rules," Pastukhov added.
On
September 4, during what was called an "official"
meeting with his voters, Alexander Lukashenko said that
the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus "should
have long show its chair, Vladimir Goncharik, "his
place." He promised that if needed, he would help
instill a "democratic order" within the Federation.
(Belapan/ Narodnaya Volya/ Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta/Interfax,
September 3-4)
OPPOSITION CANDIDATE: LUKASHENKO CANNOT WIN HONESTLY
On
September 5, in an interview published by Izvestiya,
Russian daily, Vladimir Goncharik said that the Lukashenko
government did not allow a true and honest election
competition for fear that the incumbent president may
lose his grip on power. "There is no election campaign,
only unbridled and shameless propaganda in Lukashenko's
favor," Goncharik said, adding that over 90 percent
of television and radio broadcasts praise the authoritarian
leader. The opposition candidate complained that he
was allowed to address voters on national television
only twice prior to the vote, noting however that each
half-hour address earned him 5-7 percent more support.
"Lukashenko cannot win honestly, and he is afraid.
Otherwise, why would his people bug my phone conversations,
why would my meetings with voters be forbidden, why
would they arrest editors of independent newspapers?"
Goncharik rhetorically asked. (Izvestiya, September
5)
RUSSIAN MEDIA BECOME MORE LOYAL TO LUKASHENKO
According
to Pavel Sheremet, head of special projects at ORT,
Russian television network, all main Russian main channels
were, to one degree or another, critical of Lukashenko
and at times have been taken off the air. In recent
months, however, this changed, and the only channel
to attempt any criticism of Lukashenko lately is NTV.
Others either are skipping Belarus altogether or airing
pro-Lukashenko programs. On September 2, RTR, state-run
Russian TV channel widely watched in Belarus, broadcast
a half-hour documentary lavishing Lukashenko with praise.
Attempting to portray the dictator's human side, the
RTR documentary showed Lukashenko during a modest breakfast
at his country residence, playing an accordion, describing
his fascination with sport and abstinence from alcohol,
driving the presidential car himself, reciting poetry
and even attempting to sing. The film moved on to show
an attentive Lukashenko during visits to a major plant
and a construction site. "I want order in the country,"
Lukashenko told RTR. (Charter 97/Interfax, September
4)
5.4 PERCENT OF VOTERS CAST THEIR BALLOTS DURING EARLY
VOTING
On
September 4, five days ahead of the Sept. 9 presidential
ballot, early voting began in Belarus. The law allows
voters to cast their ballots ahead of the actual election
date if they do not have a chance to vote on election
day and can provide compelling reasons. In Belarus,
early voters who trickled to some of the 6,753 polling
stations did not have to provide any formal explanation.
The supporters of opposition candidate Vladimir Goncharik
have called on voters not to take part in early balloting
for fear of giving authorities a chance to falsify the
results. "We call on people not to take part in
the early voting, since the ballot boxes may be switched
before election day, and the results falsified,"
said Goncharik's assistant Alexander Dobrovolsky. In
previous elections, "some villages had more than
half of all eligible voters cast early ballots. Is it
reasonable to assume that less than half of all people
could come out on Sunday? Of course not," Dobrovolsky
said. The procedure has also been condemned by observers
from the OSCE. A forecast released on August 30 by the
U.S. Embassy in Belarus predicted that Lukashenko would
obtain 46 percent of the vote compared to 40 percent
for Vladimir Goncharik.
On
September 7, Lydia Yermoshina, chair of the Central
Commission for Elections and National Referenda, said
that 715 international observers had been registered
to monitor the fairness of the elections, in which about
8 million voters were expected to take part. Yermoshina
said that 5.4 percent of voters had already cast ballots
during the early voting. The ballots from the early
vote will be kept at the polls until September 9 with
no independent observers allowed to oversee them overnight.
The government has made it practically impossible for
opposition representatives to be present in all but
the initial stages of vote counting. In Belarus, the
early ballots account for more of the vote than in other
countries in the region, where it usually reaches 1
percent. (Belapan/ Nasha Svaboda, September 3-7)
PUTIN REFUSED TO COMMENT ON POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS
On
September 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin refused
to comment on the possible outcome of the elections
in Belarus, other than to say that "the final choice
can be made only by the Belarusian people," reported
Itar-Tass. He said that Russians could not be indifferent
to developments in Belarus and expressed appreciation
for Lukashenko's work on behalf of the Russia-Belarus
Union. (Itar-Tass, September 7)
COMMUNISTS LEADER REPORTS ELECTION FRAUD DURING EARLY
VOTING
On
September 6, Sergey Kalyakin, leader of the Party of
Communists of Belarus, told reporters at a press conference
in Minsk that the authorities get ready to falsify the
results of the forthcoming presidential elections. According
to Kalyakin, in the Minsk Region alone, the authorities
plan to replace 560,000 ballots to ensure that Lukashenko
gains at least 78 percent of all votes. The Communist
leader said that on September 4-5, the chairs of all
district executive committees in the region received
20,000 blank ballots each. Kalyakin further alleged
that on September 5, Nikolai Domashkevich, chair of
the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, ordered the
district authorities to report about 8 percent of the
registered voters cast ballots each day during the early
voting to ensure that a total proportion of 40 percent
will "express their will" by September 9.
Kalyakin said that the election officials were instructed
to open ballot boxes from the bottom to replace ballots
that were cast for Vladimir Goncharik. "It has
been ordered to guaranty Alexander Lukashenko a victorious
night on September 9," Kalyakin said. (Interfax,
September 5)
GONCHARIK URGES ELECTION OFFICIALS TO ABIDE BY ELECTORAL
LAWS
On
September 6, opposition candidate Vladimir Goncharik
appealed to electoral officials to conduct an honest
ballot count and to allow independent election monitors
to do their job. "It's in your power to protect
the will of electors against arbitrariness," Vladimir
Goncharik said in the appeal, published in Nasha Svaboda,
an independent newspaper. The candidate also asked the
commission members to "respect the Constitution,
the electoral law and international norms" during
the vote-counting. Goncharik reminded that election
fraud is a crime punishable by up to five years of imprisonment.
"The voters' will is the law for everyone,"
the candidate said, adding that he will not accept a
free choice of the Belarusian people. (Nasha Svaboda,
September 6)
FOREIGN MINISTER ACCUSES WEST OF PLOTTING LUKASHENKO'S
OVERTHROW
On
September 6, Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvostov accused
the United States and other Western governments of interfering
in the country's internal affairs and plotting to oust
the incumbent Belarusian president. "We have information
about the use of diplomatic channels for putting direct
pressure on government structures, we know about mechanisms
deployed to provide direct financial aid to opposition
structures and the radical press," Khvostov said,
adding that there was "no reason not to trust"
the report, adding that the Foreign Ministry had information
confirming it. "The pressure from the United States
and certain international organizations have nothing
to do with democratic concerns," he said. "We
will not allow any Yugoslavia scenario in our country.
Any attempt to destabilize the situation will be squelched,"
he added.
Khvostov
accused Amb. Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE mission
in Belarus, of being "a full-time professional
spy." He called the OSCE's election monitoring
activities in Belarus "counterproductive"
and suggested to be "bring them to a halt."
The Foreign Minister expressed confidence that the international
community would recognize his country's weekend presidential
elections despite US criticism. "They will certainly
be recognized because they will express the will of
the Belarusian people," he said. Khvostov stressed
that he was "persuaded that Lukashenko would win
in the first round," adding that he was speaking
as "a private citizen." (Belapan/Interfax/Itar-Tass,
September 6)
U.S. REPEATS CONCERNS THAT BELARUSIAN ELECTIONS WILL
BE UNFAIR
In
an August 30 statement to the OSCE's Permanent Council
in Vienna, U.S. Charge d'affaires Douglas A. Davidson
repeated concerns that the upcoming presidential election
in Belarus will not be free and fair. Following is a
transcript of Davidson's statement:
"The
United States too remains very troubled by the situation
developing in Belarus in the run-up to the election."
"The
connection between disappearances over the last two
years and government-run death squads has yet to be
proven. However, a number of sources, including Oleg
Alkayev, a former senior Interior Ministry official,
have made serious allegations that heighten concern
that a connection does exist. We take these charges
very seriously and we call for a full, independent and
public investigation."
"Mr.
Chairman, there have been other actions by the Belarusian
authorities that lead us to question whether Belarus
will be able to conduct a free and fair election."
"On
August 22, ten American citizens applied for visas to
participate in ODIHR's [the OSCE's Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights] observation effort as
short-term observers. A week later the visas are still
not issued. We urge Belarus to issue visas to all short-term
observers without further delay."
"Last
week, we raised our concern about the seizure of 400,000
copies of a special edition newspaper as well as the
seizure of election materials of opposition candidate
Goncharik. On August 28, authorities seized 40,000 copies
of another special edition independent newspaper Rabochy.
The planned print run was to be 400,000. The paper was
being printed on the Magic Printing Press, which was
just re-opened by authorities following Magic's decision
to allow a representative of the State Press Committee
to act as executive director of the company. This representative
ordered the seizure based on an article in the edition
about alleged crimes conducted by Lukashenko."
"Mr.
Chairman, fair access to the press is a prerequisite
for a free election. If State authorities censor and
seize materials from the independent press, it cannot
be said that such access exists."
"Despite
the fact that domestic observation is specifically allowed
under Belarusian law, authorities seek to stifle efforts
by raiding offices and seizing computers and other equipment."
"We
applaud the courage of domestic observers as well as
that displayed by ODIHR observers and look forward to
the definitive reports they will provide on the election."
"Mobile
voting and early voting are especially vulnerable to
manipulation. According to the Belarusian Helsinki Committee
(BHC), it has received complaints from election commission
chairpersons that executive officials were pressuring
them to replace ballots during early voting. To dispel
these concerns, Belarusian authorities need to allow
effective election monitoring at all polling places
by domestic and international observers for the full
five days of polling and during the vote counting. They
also need to provide independent access by all parties
to the press, allow meaningful participation by all
parties in electoral commissions at the national and
local levels, and end the harassment of non-governmental
organizations engaged in election-related civic education
and observation."
"Actions
-- not words -- will prove Belarus' commitment to free
and fair electoral processes. We hope in the coming
days that we can applaud actions that signal such a
commitment." (USIA, August 30)
U.S. DOUBTS FAIRNESS OF BELARUS ELECTORAL PROCESS AHEAD
OF ELECTIONS
As
a result of continuous intimidating actions by the Belarusian
government against opposing political groups, the United
States once again expressed grave doubts about fairness
of the forthcoming presidential elections in Belarus.
On September 5, Richard Boucher, U.S. State Department
spokesman, released the following statement:
"Since
1989, free peoples throughout Europe have chosen democracy
over dictatorships. Because of their great courage and
commitment, the division of Europe has ended and a new
century of hope has begun. The people of Belarus will
vote for President on September 9, 2001. Sadly, though,
the heartening transitions underway elsewhere in Eastern
and Central Europe are at grave risk in that nation."
"In
recent months, Belarusian authorities have increased
a campaign of intimidation and threats against the opposition
and repeatedly denied them fair media access and funding.
This follows a disturbing pattern of 'disappearing'
opposition leaders over the past two years. Such incidents
make it impossible, today, to credit the Belarusian
Government's claim that it will conduct a legitimate
election that meets the international standards as set
forth by the Organization on Security and Cooperation
in Europe. The United States strongly supports the forces
of democracy in Belarus, and urges the Lukashenko regime
to abide by its country's OSCE commitments and reconsider
its current course."
"The
United States has repeatedly stated that it will accept
the winner of free and fair elections in Belarus. Unfortunately,
to date, the Belarusian authorities have intimidated
and harassed opposition candidates and the independent
media, calling into grave doubt whether the electoral
process can meet the free and fair standard or reflect
the true will of the Belarusian people. The United States
and the world will be closely watching what happens
in Belarus over the coming days."(USIA, September
5)
U.S.: TIME RUNNING OUT BUT FAIR ELECTIONS STILL POSSIBLE
To
achieve a presidential election process that is both
fair and transparent, Belarus must stop harassing the
opposition and the media, permit independent observers
to monitor vote-counting at every level, and ensure
that ballot boxes are secured during the election period,
said David T. Johnson, the U.S. ambassador to the OSCE,
to the Permanent Council in Vienna on September 6. Amb.
Johnson also touched upon the matter of disappearances
in Belarus. Following are excerpts from his remarks:
"Insufficient
time remains for Belarus adequately to address the full
array of concerns that have been outlined by ODIHR.
However, despite these flaws, it is still possible that
the election itself could be carried out in a transparent
manner and the ballots cast and counted fairly and objectively."
"To
achieve this, however, Belarus needs now to cease harassment
of the opposition, observers, and the media, allow independent
monitors access to polling places and to vote counting
at every level, allow -- and even encourage -- parallel
vote counts, and ensure that ballot boxes are properly
secured during the entire five-day election period."
"As
we stated last week, a number of sources, including
a former senior Interior Ministry official charge that
the Government is implicated. We noted then, and we
note now, a connection was not yet proven between the
disappearances and Government. However, the gravity
of the charges merit a thorough, public, independent
and thoroughly transparent investigation."
"Mr.
Chairman, we have met with the wives of some of the
disappeared. Their plight is tragic and merits the dignity
of a serious response. We believe that is also what
the people of Belarus deserve. We would urge the Belarusian
Ambassador to remind his authorities of these concerns
and that those concerns will not be dispelled by anything
less than a complete, public, independent investigation."
(USIA, September 7)
FOREIGN MINISTER: U.S. EXERT PRESSURE ON BELARUS AHEAD
OF ELECTIONS
On
September 3, Mikhail Khvostov, Belarusian Foreign Minister,
complained to journalists that the government experiences
"greater political pressure through various channels,
primarily on the part of the United States." He
called on U.S. Ambassador Michael Kozak to "abstain
from making various political statements during the
election period" and promised to that the Belarusian
authorities might "respond to the pressure"
and also "will draw the attention of Russia to
the pressure on its ally." The same day, Alexander
Lukashenko threatened to expel Amb. Kozak. (Interfax,
September 4)
COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S ELECTION MONITORS ARRIVE TO BELARUS
On
September 5, nine members of the Council of Europe's
parliamentary assembly arrived to Minsk to monitor the
upcoming presidential elections, the organization said.
The delegation will meet with candidates, election officials,
the foreign minister and representatives of the media
and non-governmental organizations to sound them out
on the campaign. (Interfax, September 5)
OSCE URGES BELARUS TO ENSURE FAIR CONDITIONS FOR ELECTIONS
On
September 3, during a press conference held in Bucharest,
Mircea Dan Geoana, Romanian Foreign Minister and the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office, expressed hopes that the Belarus'
elections would be conducted with full respect for the
laws of the country and for the principles guiding the
OSCE in observing elections, focusing on four principal
areas:
1)
Non-interference by the Government in the work of the
Electoral Commission;
2) Full transparency of the work of the Electoral Commission
on all levels;
3) Unimpeded access of international and domestic observers
to the election process, in particular to the vote-counting
process;
4) Non-interference in the work of the non-governmental
organizations engaged in domestic observation.
The
Chairman-in-Office welcomed the decision of the European
Parliamentary Institutions to send parliamentarians
of the three Institutions (the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
and the European Parliament) as short-term observers
and to closely co-operate with the ODIHR Limited Election
Observation Mission in Belarus. He urged the Belarusian
authorities and the Central Electoral Commission to
include observers of all candidates in the Electoral
Commission with a consultative status. This is in order
to ensure the close monitoring of the election process
and of the crucial vote-counting stages by the representatives
of all candidates and the independent observation teams.
This may enhance international and national confidence
in the proper conduct of the elections. The Chairman-in-Office
regretted that circumstances had not allowed him until
now to schedule a visit to Belarus and to meet with
Alexander Lukashenko and with the representatives of
civil society, but he looks forward to a new phase in
the development of Belarus - towards democracy, the
rule of law and the striving for a civil society. (OSCE,
September 3)
-HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-
HUMAN RIGHTS NGO HARASSED BY AUTHORITIES
On August 27-28, the Belarusian Ministry of Justice
issued two written warnings to Viasna, a prominent Belarusian
human rights NGO. According to a subsequent press-release
by the Ministry, it is considering the closing the NGO.
The Ministry has accused Viasna of printing its bulletin
"Right to Freedom" in excess of the authorized
299 copies and of failing to submit to the Ministry
lists of the election monitors that Viasna nominated.
Considering the increasingly active role Viasna has
played in the "Independent Monitoring" campaign,
which is designed to assure that the upcoming presidential
elections are free and fair, the International League
for Human Rights believes that these warnings represent
a pattern of harassment of other human rights groups
in Belarus in connection with the elections. The League
called upon Alexander Lukashenko and his government
to cease immediately the harassment of Viasna and other
NGOs in keeping with the country's international commitments
and the Belarusian leader's stated intention of legalizing
NGOs. "Belarus can never be considered part of
the democratic European community until the government
takes appropriate measures to assure that the crucial
freedoms of speech and assembly are protected and upheld,'
wrote Catherine Fitzpatrick, League's Executive Director.
(ILHR, September 4)
CHRONICLE OF ARRESTS AND HARASSMENT OF OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS
On
August 29, in a small town of Stolbtsy, Minsk Region,
a group of young opposition activists held an unauthorized
picket calling the attention to the disappearances of
several Lukashenko opponents. They were allowed to stand
in the pouring rain with portraits of the disappeared
for just five minutes before being overwhelmed by a
dozen policemen, most in plainclothes. Pushed roughly
into a minivan, the activists were rushed to the police
station and kept for eight hours before being fined
for "participation in mass actions which violated
public order." The posters and stickers inviting
the city's residents to a meeting with Vladimir Goncharik
were confiscated.
On
September 1, five police officers attempted to forcibly
enter the press office of Charter-97, Minsk-based human
rights and pro-democracy organization. They threaten
to confiscate the organization's equipment.
On
September 1, at about 2 p.m., Ales Beliatsky, chair
of Viasna Human Rights Center, was detained by a traffic
police in Minsk to "check" his driver's license.
When he refused to drive his car to the Sovetsky District
Internal Affairs Directorate, a police officer forcefully
replaced him at the wheel of his car. Belyatsky was
set free after more than five hours of illegal detention.
The
same day, four activists of the BPF Adradzhenne were
arrested as they were preparing to hand out leaflets
in support of Vladimir Goncharik during the soccer match
between Belarusian and Ukrainian national football teams
at the Dynamo stadium in Minsk. The activists were stopped
and detained by police as they drove towards the Dynamo
stadium and taken to the Sovetsky District Internal
Affairs Directorate.
On
September 1, the police detained Svetlana Kurganovich,
Vadim Boganik, and Ruslan Ustimenko for staging an unauthorized
picket in support of Vladimir Goncharik in the city
of Maryina Gorka, Minsk Region. Vasily Vaskovich and
his two sons Alexander, 23, and Dmitry, 19, who demanded
to set free all detainees, were dragged into police
station and charged with violation of Art 167 par. 1
(organization and participation in mass actions which
violated public order) and Art 166 (disobedience to
the police) of the Administrative Offenses Code.
On
September 2, Dmitry Chernitski, 13, Ivan Kirievski and
Nikolai Salei, both forth grade students, were arrested
by the police in Kobrin, Brest Region, while pasting
posters of Vladimir Goncharik. The boys were brought
to a police station and threatened with several days
of imprisonment if they do not tell the name of people
who gave them the opposition printed materials. The
kids were not allowed to call their families to notify
about their detention. Father of Dmitry Chernitski,
who learned about the detention of his son from his
friends, arrived at the station and demanded the release
of all minors.
On
September 3, at approximately 11 p.m., Vitaly Radkevich,
an activist of the BPF Adradzhenne, was detained by
the police at the crossing of Bogdanovich and Vera Khoruzhey
streets in Minsk for pasting a sticker "New President
on 09.09". The policemen pushed the activist to
the ground and twisted his arms. On the way to the Sovetsky
district Internal Affairs Directorate, he was beaten
up in a police vehicle. The next day, Radkevich stood
trial on charges of "petty hooliganism" under
Art. 156 of the Belarusian Administrative Code, but
due to police witness's failure to appear in court,
the trial was postponed until September 18.
On
September 4, Alexander Streltsov, Dmitry Kozel and two
of his friends were for staging an unauthorized picket
in support of Vladimir Goncharik on Independence Square
in Minsk. The activists were beaten and taken to the
Moskovsky District Internal Affairs Directorate for
"identification."
On
September 5, Gleb Bukhovets, Sergei Pantsikov, Alexander
Makarevich, Kiril Rybkin (minor), Valentin Bezmen (minor),
and Sergei Akvitsky were detained in Bobruisk, Mogilev
Region for distributing posters of opposition candidate
Vladimir Goncharik. Despite the fact that all materials
had official output data, the boys were charged with
"illegal distribution of the printed materials
of an unregistered outlet" under Art. 172, par.
3, of the Belarusian Administrative Offences Code, an
offence punishable by fine up to five minimal wages.
On
September 5, Sergei Daneiko and Alexey Petukhov were
arrested in Minsk for pasting stickers "Lukashenko
is Poverty!" The detainees were charged with "illegal
distribution of the printed materials of an unregistered
outlet" under Art. 172, par. 2, of the Belarusian
Administrative Code, which is punishable by fine up
to five minimal wages, and set free after about three
hours in detention. All printed materials were confiscated.
The
same day, Alexander Torash and Sergei Zhuro were detained
by police in Svetlogorsk, Mogilev Region, while distributing
opposition newspapers. The law-enforcers confiscated
all copies of independent periodicals and sent the case
for consideration to the Svetlogorsk City Executive
Committee.
On September 6, Pavel Severinets, chair of the Malady
(Youth) Front, was interrogated for eight hours by the
KGB in Minsk in connection with May 31's incident at
the Russian embassy in Minsk, when an unknown group
threw a hand grenade onto the grounds causing slight
damage to the building but no injuries. In an interview
to Belapan, Severinets said that the investigators were
more interested in the activities of Youth Front and
the organization's pre-election campaign then in the
blast.
On
September 6-7, the police surrounded Vladimir Goncharik's
headquarters in the town of Mogilev, searching all arriving
cars and confiscating independent newspapers and campaign
leaflets, reported Ivan Solonovich, the candidate's
representative in the Mogilev Region.
On
September 7, Alexander Antonyuk, a member of the Belarusian
Helsinki Committee, reported that two university students
in the Grodno region had been threatened with expulsion
if they try to monitor the elections, and a forestry
worker in the Ivyev District, Minsk Region, had already
been fired. (Charter 97/Viasna Human Rights Center/Belapan,
September 1-7)
OPPOSITION HOLDS RALLY IN MINSK
On
September 4, about 2,500 people held an unauthorized
rally near the Palace of Republic in Minsk, a few hundred
meters from the Lukashenko administration. Carrying
posters with pictures of disappeared opposition politicians
and journalist Dmitry Zavadsky, the demonstrators called
on Minsk residents to vote against the authoritarian
Belarusian ruler, as state-run television of neighboring
Russia broadcast a documentary hailing Lukashenko's
leadership. Police unsuccessfully called on the gathering
to disperse. "Only our army of normal people can
confront the squadrons of paranoiacs. Let us attend
the September 9 elections as an army of normal people
and win!" Yuri Khashchevatsky, a famous Belarusian
filmmaker, told the rally. Two days earlier, Lukashenko
told Interfax that the opposition forces could stage
provocations against him, such as finding remains and
bones presumably belonging to several missing opposition
politicians. (Charter 97/Interfax, September 5)
ATTACKS ON INDEPENDENT PRESS CONTINUE
On
August 31, Vladimir Gloushakov, deputy head of the State
Committee for Press, who had been temporarily appointed
Publishing House Magic's acting director, censored Predprinimatelskaya
Gazeta, an independent newspaper, reported Charter 97.
One of the censored articles pointed out that by running
for a third time, the current Belarusian leader violates
the Belarusian Constitution. Another piece reminded
readers that it is a criminal offense for government
officials to falsify election results. In place of the
articles, the paper ran blank spaces.
On
September 5, Narodnaya Volya, an independent newspaper,
became the latest victim of Gloushakov's censorship.
Its September 6's issue was printed only after a collage
titled "Lukashenko is the past, Goncharik is the
future" was removed from the paper's front page.
The authorities prevented the printing on grounds this
headline insulted the dignity of the incumbent. Narodnaya
Volya is also being forced to remove allegedly defamatory
phrases from an upcoming special issue before being
published.
The
same day, at approximately 11 p.m., a riot police raided
the office of Birzha Informatsyi (Information Exchange),
a Grodno-based non-state newspaper. Lieutenant Oleg
Belomazov explained their arrival by anonymous phone
call, which warned the police that the newspaper is
publishing anti-presidential leaflets. The law-enforcers
searched the premises and left when the OSCE representatives
arrived to the office.
On
September 5, criminal proceedings for slandering the
president under Art. 367, par. 1, of the Belarusian
Penal Code, which is punishable by up to five year's
imprisonment, was launched against Pahonya, the non-state
Grodno-based newspaper. Police confiscated all office
equipment and first 10,750 copies of the newspaper's
special issue dedicated to the presidential elections.
With
no independent electronic news media in Belarus, the
independent newspapers are the only source of uncensored
information. Lukashenko has made his position clear.
"The state may have relaxed its control over the
media lately and allowed them to wreak havoc. But we
should be patient. They'll answer for it after the elections,"
he said on September 5, reported the Belarussian Association
of Journalists. (Charter 97/BAJ, September 1-6)
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: AUTHORITIES VIOLATE FREEDOM OF
SPEECH
At
a time when the right to speak out should have been
unassailable, the run-up to the presidential elections
has been marred by the crude attempts of the Lukashenko
government to silence political opponents, Amnesty International
said in a statement released on September 5. "The
election trail should have been regarded as a window
of opportunity for free and fair debate and to place
Belarus' failing human rights record back on the country's
political agenda, not to increase the campaign of harassment
and intimidation against voices of opposition,"
the organization said. It called on Lukashenko to ensure
that the fundamental human rights to freedom of expression
and peaceful assembly are observed and that no one will
be tortured or ill-treated as a consequence of their
peaceful opposition activities. "It is clear that
President Lukashenko has made good use of the state
apparatus in the pre-election period in order to silence
independent thought and action…If his government
continues on this course, its risks further international
condemnation," the organization said. (AI, September
5)
CPJ URGES LUKASHENKO TO STOP PRESS FREEDOM ABUSES
On
September 5, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
sent a letter to Alexander Lukashenko urging him to
stop press freedom abuses ahead of the presidential
elections. "Without the unfettered circulation
of ideas and exchange of information, free and democratic
elections are not possible," wrote Ann Cooper,
CPJ Executive Director. "However, recent actions
against the press indicate a strong likelihood that
next week's elections will be neither free nor fair."
CPJ noted that during these last two months prior to
the election, seizures and harassment of the independent
press have intensified, denying the public access to
publications critical of the government, or to information
about Vladimir Goncharik. The text of the letter can
be found at: http://www.cpj.org/
ARTICLE 19 EXPOSES FULL-SCALE STATE-SPONSORED ASSAULT
ON FREE PRESS
On
September 6, ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression,
released "The Mechanics of Repression: Presidential
Election Update," a follow-up to their May 2001
report on freedom of expression surrounding the October
2000 parliamentary elections. The report exposes a full-scale
state-sponsored assault on independent voices in the
country in order to guarantee re-election for Alexander
Lukashenko. "The government of Belarus demonstrates
complete contempt for its own people in the way its
censors news and stifles dissent. The international
community must be united in condemning Belarus' abject
failure to adhere to basic freedom of expression norms
and must press the Belarusian government radically to
improve its record," said Andrew Puddephatt, ARTICLE
19's Executive Director. The report can be found at:
http://www.article19.by/
GAYS DENIED ENTRY VISAS TO BELARUS
Some
gay rights activists from the U.S., Germany, Latvia
and Holland have been denied entry visas to Belarus
to take part in a gay and lesbian parade scheduled for
September 2-9 in Minsk, Eduard Tarletsky, chair of the
Belarusian League for Freedom of Sexual Minorities and
the key-organizer of the Belarusian Gay Pride 2001,
told the press. "They were asked to apply for visas
after September 10, when the presidential elections
would be over," he said. (Radio Racija, September
4)
-AT HOME IN BELARUS-
HEAD
OF U.S. STUDENT EXCHANGE OFFICE SENTENCED FOR DRUGS
OFFENCES
On
September 3, Charles Perriello, the director of the
Belarusian office of American Council for Collaboration
in Education and Language Study (ACCELS), was sentenced
to five years of hard labor in a prison camp on drugs
charges. Perriello, 40, pleaded guilty to possessing
and smoking marijuana but denied charges of selling
drugs to others. The court also ordered Perriello's
property in Belarus confiscated. Defense lawyer Oleg
Dubovik said that could include his car and electronic
appliances in the Minsk apartment he had been renting.
Dubovik called the sentence excessive and said he would
appeal within 10 days. (Interfax, September 3)
KGB CHARGES ITALIAN WITH ESPIONAGE
On
September 5, Fyodor Kotov, chief KGB spokesman, told
journalists that Angelo Antonio Piu, the Italian director
of a foreign company operating in Belarus, was charged
with espionage and Irina Ushak, his Belarusian colleague,
was charged with treason. The two were arrested in April
during the transfer of documents containing Belarusian
defense data and have been held in a Minsk KGB prison
since the arrest, Kotov said. The investigation has
been completed and the materials sent to the Minsk City
Court. (Belapan, September 4)
************************************************************************
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.
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