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INTERNATIONAL
LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
BELARUS
UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole
Vol.
4, No. 37
September 2001
BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION MOURNS TOGETHER WITH AMERICAN
PEOPLE
On
September 13, activists of Zubr, a nation-wide youth
opposition movement, formed a human chain near the U.S.
Embassy in Minsk, holding lighted candles to express
heir condolences to the American people in connection
with the terrorist acts against the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon. Amb. Michael Kozak, U.S. envoy to
Belarus, and other Embassy officials thanked the activists
for their sympathy.
LEAGUE
PROGRAMS CONTINUE
While
our city is devastated and many of our friends and neighbors
are suffering unimaginable losses in the terrorist attacks,
fortunately our immediate staff and board are safe and
we have reopened our office and continue our programs.
We will be forced to delay some foreign visitors' programs
for several weeks due to postponement of certain UN
meetings and also the logistical problems in traveling
to and within New York and Washington at this time,
yet the situation is returning to normal and we are
confident we can go on assisting our colleagues abroad.
This
week, Peter Zalmayev, the League's CIS Program Coordinator,
was able to travel to Warsaw for the opening of the
OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. The League
is sponsoring two briefings at the Hotel Victoria, venue
for the OSCE meeting, for our NGO colleagues and government
delegates, the first of which is "Unsolved Cases:
Disappearances in Belarus and Ukraine," featuring
the wives of victims of the Belarusian regime (details
below under "Calendar of Events"). We will
have a report on the meeting next week.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
-
Lukashenko Claims Victory
- US and OSCE: Belarus Elections Fail To Meet International
Standards
- U.S. Concurs With OSCE: Belarus Election "Not
Democratic"
- U.S.: Lukashenko Pursuing Course That Isolates Belarus
- OSCE Urges Belarusian Authorities To Cooperate
- OSCE Official Cancels Meeting With Government
- Opposition Web Sites Blocked On Election Day
- Bomb Explodes Near Us Embassy In Minsk
- Lukashenko Triumphant But Doomed, Say Papers
- Size Of Victory Is Measure Of Lukashenko's Fears
- Administration Shake Up Begins
- Putin, Gorbachev, Kuchma Congratulate Lukashenko
- NGOs Set Up Countrywide Network Of Independent Observers
- Chronicle Of Arrests And Harassment Of Opposition
Activists
- Italian Sentenced To Four And A Half Years For Espionage
LUKASHENKO
CLAIMS VICTORY IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Alexander
Lukashenko has been overwhelmingly re-elected in the
September 9 election, the country's official Electoral
Commission announced. Lukashenko garnered 75.65 percent
of the popular vote, with his main rival Vladimir Goncharik,
who fronted a broad coalition of opposition parties,
collecting 15.65 percent, and Sergei Gaidukevich receiving
2.48 percent, Lydia Yermoshina, chair of the Central
Electoral Commission, told a news conference. She said
83.86 percent of eligible voters turned out. She said
the final official results would be released in three
days. Buoyant with victory, Lukashenko brushed off the
criticism and said he was ready to cooperate with the
West. "The West made a mistake concerning Belarus.
It pushed itself into a corner," he said at a news
conference in Minsk. He said he was ready to allow the
Belarusian military to join NATO military exercises
and cooperate with the U.S. and European governments
and international financial institutions. Lukashenko
also promised to resolve what happened to several prominent
figures who have disappeared. "There is no taste
of blood in my elegant victory," he said. (Charter
97/Belapan/Interfax, September 9)
OSCE:
BELARUS ELECTIONS FAIL TO MEET INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
On
September 10, the International Limited Election Observation
Mission (ILEOM) for the presidential election in Belarus,
a joint effort of the OSCE - including the OSCE Office
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European
Parliament, presented its preliminary findings and conclusions
at a press conference in Minsk. The ILEOM was established
in Minsk on August 17 and shortly thereafter started
monitoring the electoral process with 27 experts and
long-term observers deployed in the capital and seven
regional centers. The ILEOM included nationals from
20 countries throughout the OSCE region -Bulgaria, Croatia,
Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland,
Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland,
Tajikistan, Ukraine, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
United Kingdom, and United States of America. On election
day, the ILEOM deployed 293, including 57 from the OSCE
PA, 12 from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe, and 10 from the European Parliament, representing
the political spectrum. The ILEOM monitored the polling
and vote count in over 1,000 precincts throughout Belarus.
Following
are excerpts from the OSCE's press release and its "Statement
of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions":
"The
2001 presidential election process in the Republic of
Belarus represented an important opportunity to assess
the development of democracy and civil society in the
country. As such, this election will influence the future
relations between Belarus and the international community,
including the European institutions."
"The
ILEOM undertook its monitoring mission on the basis
of international standards for conduct of democratic
elections as formulated by the OSCE and the Council
of Europe. The ILEOM confirmed the importance of the
four criteria established in 2000 by the Parliamentary
Troika as the benchmarks for democratic elections and
the main conditions for the ongoing democratization
process in Belarus: transparency of the election process;
access of opponents to the state-run mass media; non-discrimination
of political opponents; and meaningful functions and
powers for the parliamentary body."
"There
were fundamental flaws in the electoral process, some
of which are specific to the political situation in
Belarus, including:
-
A political regime that is not accustomed to and does
everything in its power to block the opposition;
-
Executive structures with extensive powers, including
rule by presidential decree, that are not balanced with
commensurate legislative controls, and that allow the
arbitrary changing of the electoral environment;
-
A legislative framework that still fails to ensure the
independence of election administration bodies, the
integrity of the voting results tabulation process,
free and fair campaign conditions, and imposes excessive
restrictions for campaigning and observers;
-
The legal provisions for early voting that do not guarantee
the proper control and counting of early votes;
-
An election administration system that is overly dependent
on the executive branch of government from the national
to the local community levels, and is partial;
-
A campaign environment disadvantaging opposition candidates;
-
A campaign of intimidation directed against opposition
activists, domestic observation organizations, opposition
and independent media, and a smear campaign against
international observers; and
-
Highly biased state-controlled media and censorship
against the independent print media."
"The
international community is especially concerned about
explicit threats made recently by highest government
representatives against the opposition and independent
media and activists. Developments in this area will
remain under special international scrutiny."
"On
the basis of these observations and without taking into
account the outcome of the election, the ILEOM concludes:
-
The 2001 presidential election process failed to meet
the OSCE commitments for democratic elections formulated
in the 1990 Copenhagen Document and the Council of Europe
standards.
-
The ILEOM welcomes and acknowledges the emergence of
a pluralist civil society, being the foundation for
the development of democratic political structures,
representing all segments of the population.
-
The isolation of the country is not in the best interest
of the Belarus people and is not conducive to strengthening
democratic development."
"Taking
into account that the development of civil society and
its political structures based on grass-root democracy
represents the basis of a strategy for bringing Belarus
up to European democratic standards - having its origin
within Belarus society itself, the ILEOM considers that:
-
The credit for those developments could not go to the
current presidential leadership but to the Belarus civil
society and democratic structures;
-
The Belarus authorities should overcome the deficiencies
of the electoral process and fulfil the obligations
to implement the OSCE commitments and Council of Europe
standards since these deficiencies put doubt on the
democratic character of the election outcome;
-
The strengthening of the democratization process must
continue with a view to reintegrating Belarus and its
people in the European system of standards and values."
"Furthermore,
the ILEOM regrets that the policy of the Belarus authorities
with respect to basic democratic structures and respect
for fundamental human rights and values has greatly
contributed to the current degree of isolation of the
country and its people. The international community
at its highest political level should reassess its policy
toward Belarus bearing in mind both the lack of democracy
as well as some positive trends indicating a more pluralistic
political environment in Belarus. Any step undertaken
by the international community should not result in
the isolation of the people of Belarus, but rather in
a renewed effort to help nascent democratic developments."
"According
to the preliminary findings, the problematic and fundamentally
flawed aspects of the Belarus's legislative framework
include:
"Rule
by Presidential Decree - although the Constitution (Art.
101, par. 3) generally permits the President to issue
decrees in 'instances of necessity and urgency,' as
illustrated by Decrees No. 8, 11, and 20, such decrees
fall short of the intent of the constitutional provision
when the President is also a candidate and the decrees
impact the electoral process, in particular by restricting
the rights of other participants in the process - namely
political parties, potential candidates, and public
associations."
"Insufficient
provisions to ensure the integrity of the voting and
no transparency during the tabulation of results - overly
permissive early voting provisions; absence of separate
accounting for the early and mobile voting; and the
complete absence of polling station level details to
substantiate the vote tabulation results at the territorial,
oblast, and CEC levels."
"Restrictive
provisions for observers - a prohibition to hold press
conferences before election day is over; no right to
accompany result protocols during transport to higher
level commissions; no right to approach the work area
where ballots are handed to voters, their identification
checked, the voter register marked, and no right to
periodically inspect the voting booths."
"Restrictions
on free and fair campaigning - excessive campaign regulations
that restrict candidates' ability to reach voters and
that stifle public debate during the electoral process.
Presidential Decree No 11 (May 7, 2001) introduced additional
limitations on the freedom of expression. Thus, political
parties, trade unions, and other organizations may only
organize demonstrations with an expected turnout over
1,000 with prior permission from the head of oblast
or the city of Minsk executive committee. The organizing
party or trade union may be disbanded for a violation
of this Decree."
"Limited
opportunities to challenge CEC decisions - The Electoral
Code stipulates that only a limited number of CEC decisions
may be appealed to the Supreme Court: the denial of
registration of a nominated candidate, acceptance of
the withdrawal of candidate without valid cause, and
the invalidation of elections. In addition, the time
frame for appeals is short, e.g., appeal on invalidation
of elections shall be lodged with the CEC not later
than the day following the elections."
"Independence
of electoral commissions not ensured - The Code does
not ensure sufficient institutional independence of
the CEC and lower commissions from executive bodies.
The Code provides that executive authorities should
support the election commission in their work (Article
38). The executive authorities have instead attempted
to direct the work of the electoral commissions."
"The
elections were administered through a pyramid structure
of election commissions, beginning with the CEC and
descending down through the Territorial Election Commissions
(TEC) of oblast and Minsk City level (7), then rayon
(region), city and city district level (161), and thereafter
to the Precinct Election Commission (PEC - polling station)
level (6,753). The ILEOM was not yet deployed when these
commissions were nominated and appointed. However, from
complaints filed by citizens and associations as well
as from the limited statistical data presented above,
it becomes clear that the appointment process can hardly
be described as balanced. The Electoral Code failed
to ensure the representation of various political interests
in the commissions."
"The Electoral Code provides for the independence
of the election administration from the State and local
administration (Art. 11), and for clear distinction
between the role of the election commissions and the
supporting role of the local executive… However,
instead of the prescribed supportive role, the local
executives were "supervising" the work of
the commissions. This "closeness" is always
explained with practical and operational reasons."
"The
total number of voters registered for the election was
7,221,434 (as of 4 September). They cast ballots in
6,753 polling stations throughout Belarus and 37 abroad.
The voters are nearly evenly distributed throughout
the country, with the largest region, Minsk City, only
5% greater in number of resident voters than the smallest.
The ILEOM was informed by the CEC that the number of
printed ballots exceeds the size of the electorate by
approximately 7%."
"The
rigid restrictions imposed on candidates by the existing
legal and administrative framework, together with the
Constitutional powers granted to the incumbent, made
for a skewed political contest…Supported by State
institutions and the State-owned mass media, candidate
Lukashenko dominated the election campaign."
"The ILEOM was also deeply concerned about the
level of harassment of political opposition and domestic
monitoring groups. Specific incidents of seizure of
office equipment and campaign materials, frequent tax
inspections, and detentions of those found in possession
of materials deemed slanderous of the President were
recorded. These incidents had a chilling effect on an
already minimal level of public campaigning."
"The
State-owned outlets dominate both the broadcast and
print media in Belarus... The only alternative sources
of political information were the independent print
media. However, they were handicapped with higher prices
than those charged to the State media and limited distribution,
often making them unattainable for most sections of
the public…The ILEOM has documented more than 20
incidents of violations involving the freedoms of expression
and information regarding the independent or opposition
media during the pre-election period."
"The
group 'Belarus Initiative - Independent Observation'
initiated a parallel vote tabulation (PVT) of the election
results based on a representative sample of 500 polling
stations. A widespread misunderstanding as to what a
PVT exercise entails led to open hostility on the part
of the authorities. The methodology was characterized
either as an abstract, and less than scientific experiment
with no bearing on the actual process of the count,
or, at the more extreme limits of discourse, as 'charlatanism'
and a precursor to widespread public disorder."
"Given
the concerns about the PVT, the ILEOM urged the authorities
of Belarus to render a PVT redundant by publishing not
only the total tabulated voting results, but the worksheets
used in the tabulation process to justify those total
results with polling station level details. Such transparency
could provide the level of confidence among observers
and the voters of Belarus to make a PVT unnecessary."
"Permissive
legal provisions for casting early votes open the electoral
process to possible manipulation… Early voting
could take place in all polling stations across the
country and in the presence of a minimum of only two
election commission members, though observers could
also be present. At the end of each day of early voting,
no protocols were prepared, and the ballot boxes sealed
and stored overnight. However, polling stations are
not provided with unique seals and no specific instructions
were issued by the CEC for securing the ballot boxes
overnight. At the conclusion of voting on September
9, the early, mobile and regular polling ballot boxes
are required to be opened separately, and the votes
counted and noted in a working protocol. The working
protocols are not available to observers. Only the totals
from all boxes are entered in the final and official
polling station protocols available to observers. These
final protocols include no information on the total
number of ballots found in each of the early, mobile
and regular voting boxes."
The
ILEOM observed the early voting in more than 600 polling
stations across the country where the average turnout
was 18%. In Grodno Oblast, 17 polling station observed
had a turnout of more than 30%. At the conclusion of
early voting on September 8, the CEC announced that
the turnout was 14.7%. In almost 90% of polling stations
visited by the ILEOM, the back of ballots was signed
in advance by commission members in violation of the
Electoral Code. Domestic observers were not present
in 49% of polling stations visited. In 45% of polling
stations observed, unauthorized persons were present,
in an overwhelming majority of cases (93%) police."
"The
ILEOM observed more than 1,000 polling stations…International
observers assessed the conduct of the voting "good"
or "excellent" in 70% of polling stations
visited. In 86% of polling stations visited, voters
were asked for identification documents, voters signed
the register properly in 87% of cases, and the secrecy
of the voting was respected in 79%. However, group voting
took place in 26% of polling stations visited, in 45%
of cases the ballots were pre-signed, and in 15% of
cases unauthorized persons were assisting or directing
the work of commissions. At the time of preparing this
preliminary statement, the ILEOM had not processed the
vote count reports submitted by observers."
"The
provisions of the Electoral Code for the tabulation
of the results at district, oblast and national levels
are not sufficiently transparent to allow an independent
audit by voters, candidate representatives and observers.
The CEC is obligated to publish only the accumulated
nationwide totals, without providing at each of the
district and oblast levels detailed results by polling
station to justify the totals announced. During past
elections, this lack of transparency has raised questions
about the integrity of the results announced. Regrettably,
the authorities of Belarus declined to address this
fundamental flaw in the electoral process of the country
in time for the presidential election. At the time of
preparing this preliminary statement, the ILEOM did
not have sufficient information to assess the actual
tabulation of the results countrywide."
The
statement of preliminary findings and conclusions was
issued before the final certification of the results
and before a complete analysis of the observation findings
and can be found at: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/washfile/rights.shtml.
The OSCE/ODIHR will issue a comprehensive report on
these elections approximately one month after the completion
of the process.
U.S.
CONCURS WITH OSCE: BELARUS ELECTION "NOT DEMOCRATIC"
On
September 10, the State Department said that the United
States concurs with the findings of an international
election observation mission that the electoral process
for the September 9 presidential election in Belarus
was "not democratic." Deputy Spokesman Philip
T. Reeker cited the findings of the election observation
mission that the process in Belarus "has been marked
by fundamental flaws and consistent interference by
Belarusian authorities." Following is the text
of his statement:
"According
to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe's (OSCE) international election observation mission,
the 2001 presidential election process in Belarus that
culminated in the September 9 ballot has been marked
by fundamental flaws and consistent interference by
Belarusian authorities. Today, the international observer
mission concluded that the election process "failed
to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections."
Regrettably, no part of the electoral process has been
transparent or fair. Mr. Lukashenko has merely used
the fa?ade of elections to engineer a meaningless victory
for himself."
"The
United States concurs with OSCE's findings that the
electoral process was not democratic. Elections that
are neither free nor fair cannot be internationally
recognized. Belarusian authorities have demonstrated
a clear disregard for both democracy and human rights
during this election by avoiding transparency in all
stages and engaging in a campaign of intimidation. They
delayed or hindered participation of international and
domestic observers, harassed opposition members and
independent journalists, confiscated independent electoral
materials and newspapers, and prevented a standard parallel
vote tabulation, placing the official vote count into
serious question."
"The
isolation of Belarus is a result of the policies of
the Lukashenko regime. We regret that Belarus authorities
failed to take the fundamental step, via free and fair
elections, to move away from international isolation
and toward integration in Europe and the international
community. The United States will consult with our European
partners and will pursue measures designed to promote
civil society and restore democracy to Belarus."
"President
Bush has a vision of Europe, which should be free and
peaceful. Belarus and its people can and should be a
part of that Europe, and the United States supports
Belarusians in their efforts to return to the path of
democracy and a free market economy." (USIA, September
11)
U.S.:
LUKASHENKO PURSUING COURSE THAT ISOLATES BELARUS
The
United States regrets that the Belarus government "has
not seized the opportunity to move away from isolation
and toward integration," and it concurs with findings
by the election observation mission that the September
9 presidential election "failed to meet the OSCE
commitments for democratic elections." "The
United States concurs with ODIHR's findings. We previously
have catalogued the kinds of actions taken by Belarusian
authorities to hinder the free and fair functioning
of democracy. We very much regret that Belarus has not
seized the opportunity to move away from isolation and
toward integration. In our view, the incumbent's apparent
success at the polls is meaningless," David Johnson,
U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE, told the Permanent Council
in Vienna September 13. "While it is unfortunate
that the Lukashenko regime has pursued a course that
isolates Belarus from Europe, we nevertheless remain
engaged with the Belarusian people in ways that will
promote a return to democracy, protection of human rights,
and participation in the community of Euro-Atlantic
nations," he said. A full transcript of Amb. Johnson's
statement can be found at: http://www.usia.gov
OSCE URGES BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES TO COOPERATE
On
September 10, Mircea Geoana, Romanian Foreign Minister
and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, deplored that Belarus
had failed to meet the OSCE standards in the conduct
of the presidential elections. At the same time, the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office hailed the emergence of genuine
political structures from within the growing pluralistic
civil society. "The new political coalition of
a broad spectrum of forces and the presence of election
monitors give rise to certain hopes and will serve as
a strong incentive for the OSCE to reinforce the activities
of the Advisory and Monitoring Group for the furtherance
of democratic principles, values and procedures in Belarus,"
said Geoana, adding that the disputes of the recent
months should be put aside and a new chapter of fruitful
co-operation between the authorities, the democratic
structures of civil society and the AMG with Amb. Wieck
as well as with other OSCE branches should be resumed
and advanced - to the benefit of the citizens and the
respect for their individual human rights. "Such
a new effort would help paving the way of Belarus towards
the European communities," said the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.
He shared the conclusions of the International Limited
Election Observation Mission and considers that there
is a need for consultations between the authorities
and the international community. "The isolation
of the country is not in the interest of the Belarus
people and is not conducive to strengthening democratic
development," said Geoana. "On the other hand,
there is a need to intensify the co-operation of OSCE
institutions and branches with the emerging civil society
in Belarus and their structures. This should be done
to the extent possible in co-operation with other European
institutions," he added.
On
September 7, Geoana once again urged the Belarusian
authorities to discontinue the unfounded public campaign
against the Head of the AMG in Belarus and to renew
their co-operation with the AMG on the basis of the
existing relevant documents and in the spirit of the
Istanbul Declaration, which encouraged the AMG to closely
co-operate with the authorities, the opposition parties
and the non-governmental organizations in the strengthening
of democratic institutions and compliance of Belarus
with OSCE commitments. "The activities of the Advisory
and Monitoring Group are in compliance with the mandate
and with the decisions of the OSCE Istanbul Summit Declaration
of 19 November 1999, which were signed by all the participating
States, including Belarus. The AMG has nothing to do
with any intelligence operations in connection with
the Presidential Elections," Geoana said. (OSCE,
September 7-10)
OSCE OFFICIAL CANCELS MEETING WITH GOVERNMENT
Adrian
Severin, parliamentary head of the OSCE pan-European
security body, who visited Belarus on September 7-10,
canceled his meeting, originally scheduled for September
10, with Mikhail Khvostov, Belarusian Foreign Minister,
when the Belarusian authorities refused to invite to
the meeting Amb. Hans-Georg Wieck, head the OSCE mission
in Belarus. (Belapan, September 10)
EU CRITICIZES BELARUS ELECTIONS
On
September 11, the European Union criticized Lukashenko's
re-election, arguing the election did not meet democratic
standards. "One thing is perfectly clear, the election
was not held in a democratic way," said EU Commission
spokesman Gunnar Wiegand, arguing the polls did not
meet the OSCE standards. "Belarus could run the
risk of remaining isolated," while its neighbors
were drawn ever closer in the democratic Western fold,
said Wiegand. He said current relations between the
15-nation bloc and Belarus were "practically nonexistent"
because of the political climate in Minsk. (Belapan,
September 11)
WEST'S REFUSAL TO RECOGNIZE VOTE WILL HEIGHTEN MINSK'S
ISOLATION
On
September 11, the Russian media warned that the violations
of democratic procedures observed during the election
threatened to widen the gulf between Minsk and western
capitals. "The West's refusal to recognize the
election will heighten Minsk's isolation and increase
its dependency on Russia," wrote Vremya Novostei.
The daily Vremya-MN was reminded of "the elections
of the late Soviet era, with political and administrative
orders and an 'aggressively compliant majority.'"
Izvestia noted that Lukashenko was the outright winner,
but wondered: "Where will his victory take Belarus?"
It warned: "The road to Europe is closed to such
a regime. It can turn toward the Commonwealth of Independent
States [the loose grouping of former Soviet republics]
but that road leads nowhere because the Union is inert
and disparate." Ties established by Lukashenko
with leaders in Asia and the Middle East "are precious,
but they will not save him," Izvestia added. Russia
is unlikely to agree to make concessions to Belarus
at the expense of its own reputation, the paper concluded.
"The remaining outcome is for Belarus to remain
alone with itself. There are other examples in history,
for example, North Korea." (Vremya Novostei/ Vremya-MN/
Izvestia, September 11)
OPPOSITION CANDIDATE CALLS FOR VOTE TO BE DECLARED INVALID
Vladimir
Goncharik had asked the Central Electoral Commission
to annul the election's result because of "gross
violations of Belarusian laws and international standards,"
during the poll. The election was a "monstrous
fraud," Goncharik said, accusing Lukashenko of
"doubling his score" in September 9's vote.
"Power is being handed to Lukashenko through fraud,"
Goncharik told a crowd of people on Oktyabrskaya Square
in Minsk late on September 9. The demonstrators chanted
"Freedom! Freedom!" and "Long Live Belarus!"
in believe that Lukashenko stole the elections.
"We
are calling on the international community to support
our demands for a second round," he added a little
later. "I am hoping for an objective reaction from
the European structures when they see what has gone
on in Belarus. If they want to be objective then they
cannot recognize Lukashenko as president," he added.
Goncharik said opposition estimates indicated that Lukashenko
had won 46.7 percent of the poll, rather than the 75.6
percent attributed to him by the electoral commission,
and that he himself had scored 40.8 percent, as compared
with 15.39 percent in the official announcement.
The
Belarusian Helsinki Committee and Viasna Human Rights
Center said they had lodged a complaint about the poll,
having received "credible reports that ballots
had been removed and replaced." "The results
recall the Soviet era where turnout was 100 percent
and the electors voted 100 percent for the single candidate,"
the BHC's president Tatiana Protko told a press conference,
referring to the unprecedented high turnout of 82.5
percent. (On September 14, the Central Electoral Commission
dismissed the complaints as groundless.) The composition
of the central electoral commission was "in no
way transparent" and allowed for "complete
political control" of the electoral process, the
BHC said in a statement. The campaign revealed "a
state apparatus and media acting fully in the service
of the reelection of the president," it said, noting
that early voting had been impossible to monitor. About
300 people answered a call by opposition leaders to
demonstrate in Minsk to demand that the elections go
to a second round. [Article 79 of the Electoral Code,
which was adopted in February 2000 and amended in July
of the same year, provides that a candidate is elected
if more than half of citizens included in the voter
register take part and if the candidate wins more than
half of the votes cast. Otherwise, a second round takes
place not later than within two weeks between the two
candidates with the highest votes. The same requirements
apply to the second round and the process is repeated
until the two conditions are met.-Ed.].
Lukashenko
dismissed the concerns as he turned up to vote and ruled
out any second rounds. "The accusations of fraud
are unfounded. I don't know myself what's inside those
polling urns. The opposition doesn't want to admit that
things are going smoothly for me," he said. "Our
election doesn't need to be recognized by the West,"
he added. "They need to be carried out according
to our laws, as happens in the United States, in Britain,
in France," he said.
"It
is impossible to say that the election campaign in Minsk
did not meet international standards, taking into account
the standards that exist today," commented Alexander
Veshnyakov, head of Russia's Central Electoral Commission,
in an interview to Interfax, adding that "no one
has any serious reason" not to accept the results
of the elections. He admitted that the Belarusian standards
were "unclear" and "morally outdated."
However, he defended the early voting, saying it was
part of the Belarussian "national character."
On
September 10, the opposition again took to the streets
of Minks to protest Lukashenko's landslide victory.
Hundreds of protesters, answering a call from Vladimir
Goncharik, gathered in a square in Minsk, braving cold
weather and the public threat of a KGB security force
to crackdown on any demonstration. Many carried the
white and red nationalist flags banned by the government.
Goncharik, who accused authorities of vote-rigging and
intimidation during the election, had called for a second
show of people power to defy Lukashenko. Police presence
at the demonstration was low-key. That was hardly surprising
because Minsk was inundated with international observers.
(Nasha Svaboda/ BHC, September 9-11)
OSCE OBSERVER DETAILS VOTE FRAUD CHARGES
On
September 11, Amb. Hans-Georg Wieck, head of the OSCE
AMG in Belarus, provided details of widespread violations
in disputed presidential elections won by Lukashenko.
"Whole families went into the voting booth, some
members holding a clutch of voting slips in their hand,"
Amb. Wieck said in an interview with Vremya-MN, a Russian
daily. The Ambassador told German public broadcaster
Bayerischer Rundfunk that 300 observers mandated by
the OSCE "were unable to follow the vote-count
closely." "The counting process was very strange.
Members of the electoral commission did not discuss
the process among themselves. They wrote results down
on a piece of paper, which they then handed to their
chief or deputy chief." "These people then
went into another room and announced the result some
time later -- which means the counting was not at all
transparent," he said. Moreover, the Central Electoral
Commission did not publish the results of each constituency,
which is an important element in transparency, Amb.
Wiek noted. The OSCE official said that in Minsk, for
example, Lukashenko and Goncharik likely received an
equal number of votes, despite preliminary official
results giving Lukashenko about 75 percent of the vote
in the capital. "The results are significantly
different from what the election committee has announced
until now," Amb. Wieck said. In response to a threat
by Lukashenko to throw him out of the country as a spy,
Amb. Wieck said that he had a clear mandate to be in
the country to foster development of democratic institutions.
"Lukashenko is not happy about this because he
wants to hold on to his authoritarian-oriented state
that does not uphold these standards," he said,
adding he would not leave the country voluntarily.
Many
of the international observers filed reports alleging
that state-security officials tried to intimidate voters.
Credible accounts of ballot-tampering, illegal campaigning
and polling places closed on election day were presented
as well. Others cited police raids on the offices of
opposition parties and independent newspapers. There
are many accounts of opposition party campaigners arrested
while passing out leaflets and of opposition posters
torn down by police.
There
were a lot of specific reports of voting irregularities
and harassment of international observers. One says
that two unknown men in leather jackets entered polling
station No. 23 in Minsk and tried to stuff a bunch of
ballots into the boxes. When they were caught by a poll-watcher,
the deputy-head of the electoral commission reportedly
refused to detain the men or summon the police. Another
report alleges that the head of the local Department
of Internal Affairs installed himself at polling station
No. 55 in Brest. When asked to leave by election officials,
he said that he does not care about any reproofs and
he will be where he wants to be. Other reports indicated
many illegally closed polling stations on Election Day
in Brest, Mogilev and elsewhere.
In
Baranovichi, a Precinct Electoral Commission (PEC) so
significantly restricted observation that the results
of the count at this PEC cannot be recognized as valid.
This PEC also violated Belarusian law by not publicly
displaying a copy of the protocol with voting results.
In the village of Lavrinovichi, near Baranovichi, Brest
Region, the PEC violated Belarusian law by not keeping
a tally of the number of voters who had taken part in
early voting. In Minsk, a PEC had been instructed not
to share any statistics on voting with observers. In
Dzerzhinsk, Minks Region, a PEC did not want to share
statistics on voting with domestic observers and ignored
a request by domestic observers to observe a mobile
ballot box team. In all polling stations, domestic observers
had their activities significantly limited. They were
always segregated to one end of the room and not allowed
to observe the PEC operations from close up. A case
in Baranovichi was particularly bad and case provides
clear evidence that observers could not verify the results
of the elections.
Militiamen
were present inside of all polling stations visited
with the exception of the military polling station in
Nesvizh, Minsk Region. In some cases, they were exerting
a clear influence by standing near ballot boxes, ballot
booths or examining voter lists. Men appearing to be
plainclothes KGB were present outside the polling stations
or in some cases right in them.
In
several stations there were observers from pro-Lukashenko
organizations or observers who were "spontaneously"
supported by their neighbors in petitions. Almost all
these observers took little interest in what was going
on in the polling station. The regime put them in place
so that it could point to "observers" who
found no irregularities and thereby counter the reports
of legitimate independent observers. These "Potemkin
observers" also played the role of window dressing
to create the illusion for international observers and
the public that there were genuine observers in polling
stations where there in fact were not.
In
some PECs there was an unhealthy dependent relationship
between members and the chairman that gave the chairman
the ability to exert undue influence on the commission.
For example, in Lavrinovichi, the chair of the PEC was
the director of the local collective farm. In Slonim,
Brest Region, the chair of the commission was the supervisor
of at least two of the commission members at a local
enterprise. In Baranovichi, the chairwoman was the director
of the cultural center in which the polling station
was located and at least some of the commission members
worked at the center. (Belapan/ Interfax/ ILHR, September
10-12)
OPPOSITION WEB SITES BLOCKED ON ELECTION DAY
On
the election day, several Internet sites of the opposition
NGOs and newspapers, including that of Vladimir Goncharik's,
have been blocked, apparently on the orders of Lukashenko.
"Our site was blocked since 1 p.m. There is only
one server in Belarus, Beltelecom, which is a state-owned
telecommunication monopoly, and according to my information
it got an order to shut us down," Yury Polevikov,
head of the Goncharik campaign web site, told AFP. "We
were expecting problems. We complained to Beltelecom
which gave us no explanation. I think it is a decision
of the Security Council which controls the Internet,"
he added. On election day, telephones were disconnected
not only at independent election monitoring headquarters
but even in opposition campaign offices on the district
level. There was also a power cut at the Trade Unions
Palace. (AFP/ Charter 97/ Viasna Human Rights Center/
September 10)
BOMB EXPLODES NEAR US EMBASSY IN MINSK
On
September 9, a homemade device exploded around 100 feet
from the US Information Service building in Minsk and
left a crater in the ground, but caused neither injuries
nor serious material damage. Police did not comment
on the explosion, except to say that an investigation
has been launched. (Belapan, September 10)
LUKASHENKO
TRIUMPHANT BUT DOOMED, SAY PAPERS
The
independent newspapers have accepted the defeat of opposition
candidate Vladimir Goncharik, but say Lukashenko is
politically doomed. "He did it again. An outcast.
A jester. The butt of all jokes. The president of Belarus,"
wrote Belarusskaya Delovaya Gazeta, independent socio-political
newspaper. "The government machine was tough and
omnipresent, as a result of which the independent observers'
alternative vote count virtually failed," the paper
said. "The voting procedure was so well organized
that the loyally minded among foreign observers noticed
no foul play." They blame the defeat not only on
the government' tight control of campaign resources,
but also on the lack of organization in the rival camp.
Some attribute Lukashenko's victory to the "placid"
Belarusian mentality. "Minsk is no Belgrade,"
said Belarusskaya Gazeta, an analytical weekly. "It
has a different temperament." The papers acknowledge
that the opposition failed to fire up their own supporters.
"Goncharik failed to claim the presidency,"
wrote Nasha Svaboda, an opposition newspaper. "Over
5,000 supporters came to Oktyabrskaya Square on election
night. People stood in the rain, refusing to leave.
After the Central Electoral Commission announced that
Lukashenko had won, no more than 1,000 remained,"
Nasha Svaboda said. "People waited for the leader
to tell them what to do. Instead they got silence, interrupted
only by the cracking noise of police radio," commented
Belarusskaya Delovaya Gazeta. "The opposition left
people dangling," the paper concluded.
But
despite the opposition's defeat, the independent papers
predict a grim future for Lukashenko. "Lukashenko
is not an evil genius. Nor is he a political genius.
He is an actor, an orator possessed by maniacal ideas,"
said Belarusskaya Delovaya Gazeta. "Nobody will
come to his inauguration," the paper predicts.
[It is scheduled for September 20-Ed.]. "As president,
he is living on borrowed time. Nobody is afraid of him
any more, they only laugh." The revolution against
him had not collapsed. It had been postponed.
Respublika,
newspaper of the Belarusian government, and Vecherniy
Minsk, apparently happy that the electoral turmoil is
over, preferred to devote space to a construction exhibition
and criticism of US policy in Israel. (Nasha Svaboda/
Belarusskaya Gazeta/ Belarusskaya Delovaya Gazeta/ Respublika/
Vecherniy Minsk, September 10-11)
SIZE OF VICTORY IS MEASURE OF LUKASHENKO'S FEARS
Lukashenko
is an increasingly lonely ruler, whose unpredictable
and offensive style has alienated many members of his
administration, wrote the Moscow Times in an article
titled "It's Lonely At the Top In Belarus"
published in its September 11 issue. The size of the
victory, observers said, is a measure of his fears.
"He probably could won without fraud or intimidation,
albeit with a smaller margin," said Alexander Tomkovich,
editor-in-chief of Den, an independent newspaper. "But
politically, he could not afford such a victory."
Only with the certainty of a big first-round victory
could Lukashenko be sure of keeping his hold over state
officials, he said.
During
the past seven years, the Belarusian president has developed
a peculiar style of running the country, the paper continued.
Cabinet sessions presided over by Lukashenko and aired
on national television look more like a gathering of
schoolchildren reporting to a strict principal than
a meeting of high state officials. Looking cowed and
uneasy, the ministers listen to Lukashenko's often scathing
criticism and promise to fulfill his demands. On some
of these occasions Lukashenko has sacked ministers in
front of the television cameras.
This
style has kept Lukashenko popular with the people, but
left him with almost no one he can trust, Tomkovich
wrote. "He is surrounded by the people who could
switch sides at the first occasion if given a guarantee
that they would keep their posts. A landslide first-round
victory was a must - one can never know if the bureaucracy
would change its mind in between the two rounds."
[According to a poll conducted shortly before the elections
by the Independent Institute for Social and Economical
Studies in Minsk, Lukashenko had reason to worry. Of
the state bureaucrats polled, only 28.5 percent said
they had a "positive attitude" toward Lukashenko
and as many as 60.7 percent described their attitude
as "negative."-Ed.]. The only thing Lukashenko
may feel he can count on is the presidential security
service, which he has been building up in the last couple
of years. It is the security forces who Lukashenko said
will defend him to the end." (The Moscow Times,
September 11)
ADMINISTRATION SHAKE UP BEGINS
Following
his re-election, Alexander Lukashenko immediately made
several governmental changes. On September 12, Ural
Latypov, who had served as the secretary of the State
Security Council since November 2000, was named Lukashenko's
chief of staff. Latypov replaced Mikhail Myasnikovich,
who was named a "presidential aide for special
assignments." Myasnikovich's two top aides were
also replaced "in connection with their transfer
to other work" - a usual euphemism for demotion.
Gennady Nevyglas, head of the presidential guard, was
appointed the secretary of the State Security Council.
Stanislav Knyazev, first deputy state secretary of the
Security Council, has become first deputy chief of the
Presidential administration, replacing Vladimir Zametalin.
Leonid Kozik, deputy Prime Minister, has been appointed
deputy chief of the Lukashenko Administration. Yury
Sivakov has been relieved of his duties as a deputy
chief of the Presidential Administration. He and Zametalin
will "assume other positions," Lukashenko's
press office said. (Belapan/ Interfax, September 13)
PUTIN, GORBACHEV, KUCHMA CONGRATULATE LUKASHENKO
Russian
President Vladimir Putin congratulated Alexander Lukashenko
on his re-election and called Lukashenko's success a
"convincing victory." In a phone conversation
early on September 10, Lukashenko and Putin agreed to
further strengthen the Russia-Belarus Union. While Putin
congratulated Lukashenko relatively formally, Mikhail
Gorbachev, former Soviet President, felt compelled to
defend both Lukashenko, as "a person who thinks
about the people and the country," and the fairness
of his election. On September 12, Ukrainian President
Leonid Kuchma sent his congratulations. (Interfax, September
10-12)
NGOs SET UP COUNTRYWIDE NETWORK OF INDEPENDENT OBSERVERS
In
connection with the presidential election, a nascent
civil society in Belarus showed encouraging and significant
signs of substantive engagement by citizens on democracy
issues. Non-governmental organizations cooperated closely
in order to set up a countrywide network of independent
election observers. More than 10,000 such observers
were registered by the non-governmental organizations
cooperating under the umbrella group "Belarus Initiative
- Independent Observation." Thousands more were
registered on behalf of other candidates and non-governmental
organizations. During the final stage of the pre-election
period, allegations were made by the Ministry of Justice
against Viasna Human Rights Center, one of the leading
NGOs in the "Independent Observation," regarding
alleged violations of observer nomination procedure.
Viasna and seven other NGOs received warnings about
these alleged violations. During a CEC session on September
8 to examine these cases, Ales Beliatsky, Viasna's chair,
offered to remedy the problem by the same evening, but
the offer was rejected. As a result, about 2,000 Viasna
observers' accreditation were annulled by the CEC. Nonetheless,
the Independent Trade Union and Lev Sapega Foundation
were granted time until the same evening to remedy a
similar problem. (OSCE, Viasna Human Rights Center,
September 10)
CHRONICLE OF ARRESTS AND HARASSMENT OF OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS
On
September 6, the Kobrin police searched the apartment
of Stanislav Chernitski, were a local office of Viasna
Human Rights Center is located, and confiscated 6,000
copies of Semyon Domash's appeal to the electorate.
On
September 7, Igor Krivoruchenko, an independent observer,
was forced into a police vehicle near the polling station
No. 17 in Grodno Region, and taken to an unknown location
for inquiring about the number of people who took part
in early voting.
On
September 7, Dmitry Bukatov, Nikita Radikov, Liutov,
Kaleta, Pashkevich and Pavlovich (first names are unknown),
activists of Zubr and Malady Front, who campaigned for
Vladimir Goncharik, were warned by the Mogilev Centralny
District Prosecutor's office.
On
September 8, Pavel Negursky, an independent observer,
was summoned to the Public Prosecutor's office in Shklov,
Mogilev Region, where he learned that a criminal investigation
had been launched against him for "distortion of
the election results performed by a member of the election
commission or by another person legally taking part
in the election process" under Art. 192 of the
Penal Code, an offence punishable by up to 5 year's
of imprisonment. The law-enforcers are ignoring the
fact that as an independent observer, Negursky can not
be tried under this Article. On September 9, two policemen
tried to detain Negursky's son Igor at the railway station
of Orsha.
On
September 10, ten young members of the opposition United
Civic Party were detained by the Minsk police near the
Lukashenko administration building in Minsk for distribution
of the special issue of Belaruskaya Maladzyozhnaya,
an opposition newspaper, supporting Goncharik's election,
and taken to the Minsk City Police Department for interrogation.
On
September 12, the Grodno Region Prosecutor Office seized
8, 132 copies of the latest issue of Pahonya, the non-state
Grodno-based newspaper. Nikolai Markevich, Pahonya's
editor-in-chief, believes that a reason for confiscation
was an article titled "I promised, I promise, I
will promise!" about Lukashenko's re-election.
On September 5, the 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, were launched against the newspaper.
On
September 12, Oleg Metelitsa, Zubr activist, was charged
with violating Art 167 par. 1 (organization and participation
in mass actions which violated public order) for inviting
friends to celebrate his birthday and sentenced to 15
days of imprisonment. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/
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
Natalya Brel, 27, activist of the United Civic Party.
(Viasna Human Right Center/ Charter 97/ Belapan, September
6-13)
-AT HOME IN BELARUS-
ITALIAN
SENTENCED TO FOUR AND A HALF YEARS FOR ESPIONAGE
On
September 12, Italian businessman Angelo Antonio was
convicted of espionage and sentenced to four and a half
years in a high-security prison. His Belarussian associate
Irina Ushak received a four-year jail term for high
treason in the closed-door court hearing. Piu, 50, who
is a Sardinian businessman, admitted that he was a retired
member of the Italian secret service. According to the
Belarusian KGB, Piu and Ushak were arrested in April
while obtaining military data for western secret services.
He came to Belarus in 1999 as the representative of
an Italian humanitarian organization, and allegedly
put together a network of informers on Belarusian arms
sales in military institutions and the KGB itself. Piu's
lawyer, Sergei Kozlov, said his client "is going
to appeals to Lukashenko for a pardon." (Belapan,
September 12)
- CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS -
The
briefing titled "Unsolved Cases: Belarus and Ukraine"
will be held in Warsaw on September 21, during the annual
OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting from 13:00-15:00
in the Hotel VICTORIA" (Meeting Room 1). It is
a unique opportunity to hear from the wives of prominent
men who have disappeared or died in Belarus under mysterious
circumstances or have suffered imprisonment, as well
as Myroslava Gongadze, the wife of a known Ukrainian
journalist, Georgi Gongadze, whose murder in September
2000 sparked a political firestorm in Ukraine.
If
you have any questions please contact Helsinki Foundation
for Human Rights (ask for Jacqueline Kacprzak, tel.
828-10-08, 828-69-96 or mobile 0-602/254-656 or representative
of International League for Human Rights: Peter Zalmayev
zalmayev@yahoo.com)
************************************************************************
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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