INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 4, No. 38
September 2001

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Lukashenko Denounces West In Inaugural Speech
- Regime Rolls Out Welcome Mat For Libyan Defense Minister
- U.S. Says Elections Are Sadly-Missed Opportunity To Return To Democracy
- Regime Lashes Out At U.S. Criticism Of Elections
- EU Condemns Abuses During Vote
- Opposition Party Calls For Non-Recognition Of Elections
- Opposition Weekly Closed
- Journalist Released From Jail
- Harassment Of Opposition Continues
- Lukashenko Pardons Convicted German Spy

LUKASHENKO ASSAILS WEST AT INAUGURATION FOR SECOND TERM

On September 20, Alexander Lukashenko began his second term in office following a presidential election said to be tainted by fraud by the majority of international and local observers. In his inaugural speech, the Belarusian dictator denounced the West for refusing to recognize his re-election. "I urge you to take a realistic approach," Lukashenko said after taking the presidential oath at a pompous inauguration ceremony attended by 2,000 officials and guests. "You must respect the great Belarusian people who have made their choice." Lukashenko assured that he handled the election "elegantly" and didn't have to "cheat anyone."

In his inauguration speech, Lukashenko also promised to expand the rights of parliament and promote democratic freedoms, urging his opponents "not to incite conflicts." Elaborating on the goals for his second term in office, Lukashenko promised that his compatriots would enjoy solid social services and salary hikes between 100 and 500 per cent over the next five years. He also offered his condolences to the American people for the terrorist attacks. "The disaster and the following grief must unite politicians instead of separating them. It is my sincere wish that the American nation can find the strength to unite around President Bush. I want the Americans to continue to trust their president in future. The American nation is strong and it will manage to overcome this terrible challenge. The world is so small that we should not look at each other through the scopes of fearsome weapons. We need to fight terrorists together," he said. Lukashenko also commented on possible U.S. military strikes against Afghan targets. "We are against the resolution of such problems by military methods," he said. "We are against not only terrorism but violence in general." After being sworn in, Lukashenko also took an oath of allegiance to the Belarusian military and watched a military parade.

The U.S. embassy was not represented at the ceremony, and had previously given notice to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry that Amb. Michael Kozak would not attend. Most other Western ambassadors settled for sending a deputy. In his inauguration speech, Lukashenko admonished the absent envoys. "Let me urge those who work in our country as representatives of foreign embassies to accept the facts of my re-election," he said. Russia, by contrast, offered Lukashenko full diplomatic honors at the start of this new term, with a message from President Vladimir Putin hailing the "fraternity and cooperation" between the two countries. "Continuously and firmly, our two nations are walking along the path of strengthening brotherly friendship and cooperation," Putin said in the message read out by Gennady Seleznyov, Russian State Duma speaker. "I'm convinced that together we will be able to fulfill important tasks of further integration," he said.

Several dozen opposition activists wearing T-shirts with portraits of missing opposition politicians and journalist Dmitry Zavadsky tried to picket the inauguration ceremony but were stopped by plain-clothed security agents. (Belapan/ Nasha Svaboda/ Itar-Tass, September 20)

REGIME ROLLS OUT WELCOME MAT FOR LIBYAN DEFENSE MINISTER

On September 14-17, Gen. Abu Bakr Younes Jaber, Libyan Defense Minister, officially visited Belarus to meet with the country's controversially re-elected leader, with Vladimir Ermoshin, Belarusian Prime Minister, and with other Belarusian senior officials, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Media access to the visit was sharply limited and few details were released about its agenda. Earlier, officials had said that the talks were to focus on creating a joint ExIm bank and joint ventures in petrochemicals, timber processing, machine building and electronics. On September 17, Lukashenko and Jaber condemned terrorism, while denouncing any "attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign countries," and urged the lifting of UN sanctions against Libya, according to state television and Russian news agencies. The two sides also signed an agreement between the chambers of commerce in Minsk and Tripoli. Lukashenko visited Tripoli in November 2000. Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi was due to visit Belarus later this month, but the trip has been postponed.

Despite the Belarusian government's attempts to present the Libyan general's visit as devoted solely to economic issues, independent observers believe that the Belarusian authorities' refusal to accredit independent journalists to cover the talks indicate that military cooperation was on the agenda, commented Alexander Campbell, a guest columnist at www.belarusupdate.org. Campbell notes that Belarus is ranked among the world's top ten exporters of weapons and ammunition. Lukashenko recently publicly admitted that the proceeds from these deals are kept in secret bank accounts, controlled by him alone. Libya is not the only rogue state considered an important partner by the Lukashenko regime. According to the British media, Iraq's diplomatic mission in Belarus has been tasked with negotiating arms deals. Belarus is also believed to have had a hand in upgrading Iraqi air-defense systems, and has provided training for military personnel from several Arab countries. According to the Israeli intelligence, Palestinians fight with Belarusian weapons and ammunition.

In a recent interview to Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie [Independent Military Review magazine], Maj.-Gen. Oleg Paferov, senior deputy commander of the Belarusian Antiaircraft Forces, said that the Belarusian military was considered one of the best in the Soviet Union and that a lot of foreign pilots, for example, Armenians and Chinese, received their training in Minsk. (Itar-Tass/ Interfax/ Belapan/ Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie, September 20)

U.S.: ELECTIONS ARE SADLY-MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN TO DEMOCRACY

On September 17, the United States expressed regret over the recent presidential election in Belarus, calling it a sadly-missed opportunity to return that nation to a path towards democracy and free market economy. Following is the text of the White House statement:

"President Bush believes that Belarus and its people can and should be a part of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. Unfortunately, severely flawed elections this past weekend undermined chances that Belarus will have the opportunity to be a part of this vision for Europe in the near future. Not only did Alexander Lukashenko, Europe's last dictator, steal the elections from the Belarusian people -- for the moment, he also stole their opportunity to return to a path towards
democracy and free market economy. This was a sadly-missed opportunity and a sad moment for a brave people, who suffer under a climate of fear."

"The United States stands behind the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) international election observation mission reports, outlining the fundamentally flawed 2001 presidential election process. According to the report, the Belarusian elections "failed to meet the OSCE commitments for democratic elections." Elections that are neither free nor fair cannot be internationally recognized."

"The United States will work with our European allies through our foreign assistance programs and through international organizations to promote a more hopeful future based on respect for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. We extend our friendship and support to the people of Belarus and express our hope they will soon join with the other free nations of an undivided, democratic Europe that is now emerging." (USIA, September 18)

REGIME LASHES OUT AT U.S. CRITICISM OF ELECTION

On September 18, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry lashed out at U.S. criticism of the Sept. 9 presidential elections, which official results said Alexander Lukashenko won with 75.65 percent of the vote on an 83.86 percent turnout, and accused Washington of seeking to destabilize the situation in the country. The people of Belarus made their choice, showing wisdom and maturity and European states and the United States must accept it," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the criticism "confirms the aspiration of the United States to change the state structure in the republic of Belarus by any means possible." The Ministry called on Europe to restore economic cooperation with Belarus "based on the principle of non-interference and the sacred right of people to self-determination." Anatoly Malofeev, chair of the House of Representatives' Commission of International Affairs and the Commonwealth of Independent States, said that the U.S. statement on the outcome of the Belarus' presidential elections is a "insult and a violation of all ethical norms" and a "crude interference in the internal affairs of Belarus," reported Interfax. (Belapan/ Interfax, September 18)

EU CRITIQUES ABUSES DURING VOTE

On September 14, the European Union issued in a statement that the presidential election was marred by harassment of opposition groups and a failure to respect democratic procedures.
Endorsing a report made by independent international election observers, the EU leadership said it greatly regrets that the poll was not held in conformity with OSCE rules for democratic elections. The EU particularly deplored "harassment of opposition officials, of domestic observers, independent media and non-government organizations." It also said that the future of the EU's relations with Belarus would "basically depend on its respect for human rights and the progress of democracy in the country." (Interfax, September 14)

OPPOSITION PARTY CALLS FOR NON-RECOGNITION OF ELECTIONS

On September 21, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party issued a statement maintaining that the presidential elections failed to meet the international standards for democratic, transparent and open vote and the Belarusian electoral law. The party leadership supported the findings of international election observers and appealed to the major opposition parties to strengthen the anti-Lukashenko coalition. (Belapan, September 21)

OPPOSITION WEEKLY CLOSED

Publishing of Svobodnye Novosti, an independent weekly, was suspended on September 18, 2001, as the newspaper's major shareholder contested the newspaper's support of the opposition. Svobodnye Novosti was actively involved in the opposition's election campaign, which had drawn the anger of Sergei Atroschenko. Atroschenko, who owns 60 percent of the shares in the weekly, announced plans to remake the newspaper into "a non-political, family-oriented" paper and appealed to the authorities to suspend publishing. The Svobodnye Novosti's staff accused Atroschenko of foul play, and charged him with trying to silence yet another opposition newspaper to please the Lukashenko regime. Shortly after Lukashenko's controversial victory, Atroschenko asked reporters to "repent and renounce their political allegiance," which the staff refused to do, said Alexander Ulityonok, Svobodnye Novosti's editor-in-chief. The staff plan to appeal the shareholder's decision in court on the grounds that it was illegal, as Atroschenko had to consult other shareholders before taking it, Ulityonok said. "In addition, he has never fulfilled his financial obligations to the weekly and did not even appear in the office for the past nine months," he added. (Nasha Svaboda, September 21)

JOURNALIST RELEASED FROM JAIL

On September 12, Valery Shchukin, 60, a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet and a reporter for Narodnaya Volya, an opposition newspaper, was released from jail after serving three months of imprisonment on charges of "malicious hooliganism" under Art. 339, par. 1, of the Penal Code.
Upon his release, Schukin told journalists that he spent 20 days of his term in a punishment cell for "negative influence on other inmates." According to the journalist, he merely tried to explain to other inmates their legal rights. On January 16, Shchukin was refused admission to a press conference held by Vladimir Naumov, the Belarusian Interior Minister. Despite Shchukin's press credentials and the Law On Press and Other Media, which allows free access to such press-conferences for all journalists, a police spokesman by the last name of Bykov said the event was open only to representatives of the state-run media. The police then detained Shchukin at the entrance to the building where the press conference was to take place, knocked him to the ground, and twisted his arms behind his back. While trying to subdue Shchukin, the policemen accidentally broke the glass entrance door. As a result, Shchukin sustained several deep lacerations and lost a significant amount of blood. (Belapan, June 12)

HARASSMENT OF OPPOSITION CONTINUES

On September 18, Judge Natalya Voitsekhovich of the Tsentralny District Court of Minsk,
fined Vladimir Romanovsky, an activist of the United Civic Party, 150 minimal wages (about $770) for participating in the Freedom Day rally held on March 25, 2001. That day, an estimated 5,000 people took to the streets in Minsk to mark the 83rd anniversary of the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), which was crushed within months by the Bolsheviks, and demand free and fair presidential elections (see Belarus Update Vol. 4, No. 13). (Viasna Human Rights Center, September 19)

Dmitry Bukatov, press-secretary of the Mogilev branch of the Malady (Youth) Front, was expelled from the Mogilev Polytechnic University for "systematic nonattendance." Alexander Kalita and Alexander Pavlovich, two other University students were reprimanded. Pavlovich also faces up to five year's imprisonment for slandering the president under Art 367, par. 1, of the Belarusian Penal Code.

Ivan Paniutsich and Natalya Suleimanova, both Zubr activists, stood trial for taking part in an unauthorized action "We Want to Know the Truth." Paniutsich was warned and Suleimanova was fined 20 minimal wages (about $100) for resistance to the police. http://www.zubr-belarus.com/

-AT HOME IN BELARUS-

LUKASHENKO PARDONS CONVICTED GERMAN SPY

Lukashenko marked his inauguration by pardoning Christopher Letz, a German citizen convicted of espionage. On July 23, the Belarusian military court found Letz guilty of espionage and sentenced him to seven years in a high-security prison camp. Letz was arrested last September and found guilty of "having carried out espionage activities, having gathered secret state information with a view to sending it to a foreign state, having collected and transmitted at the request of a foreign service information which was detrimental to the interests of Belarus." According to the prosecution, Letz had recruited a group of Belarusian nationals who worked as agents under his guidance. Col. Fyodor Kotov, head of the Belarusian KGB press service, said
that Lukashenko had accepted Letz's plea for a pardon. Letz was freed from the KGB jail in Minsk and put on a plane bound for Germany, Kotov said. (Belapan, September 20)

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

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The Belarus Update is a regular news bulletin of the Belarus Human Rights Support Project of the International League for Human Rights. The League, now in its 60th year, is New York-based human rights NGO in consultative status with the United Nations.

The Belarus project was established to support Belarusian citizens in making their cases before the U.S. government and public and international fora and intergovernmental organizations regarding Alexander Lukashenko's wholesale assault on human rights and the rule of law in Belarus.

ILHR
823 UN Plaza Suite 717
New York, NY 10017
tel. 212-661-0480
fax 212-661-0416
belarus@ilhr.org
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