INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 5, No. 3
January 2001

IN THIS ISSUE:
- Developments On Anti-Corruption Drive In Belarus
- Lukashenko Justifies Need For Strong Government
- Human Rights Abuses In 2001 Follow Familiar Pattern
- US Says OSCE Should Expand Its Support For Civil Society In Belarus
- Opposition Urges EU To Adopt New Strategy On Belarus
- KGB Offended By Russian Journalist's Comments
- Disappeared Opposition Politicians Cases Are Not Investigated
- Prosecutor Refuses To Investigate Death Of Zubr Activist
- New Decree To Fight Pernicious Influence Of West Ideology
- Local Authorities Harass Family Of Opposition Activists
- Fighting Terrorism Means Promoting Democracy Worldwide
- US Embassy Rededicates Kurapaty Memorial Bench
- Belarusian Delegation Visits Libya
- Police Thwart Illegal Radioactive Material Sale

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-

DEVELOPMENTS ON ANTICORRUPTION DRIVE IN BELARUS

On January 17, Alexei Taranov, spokesman for the Prosecutor General's Office, announced that Mikhail Leonov, head of the Minsk Tractor Factory, arrested on January 8, was officially charged with abuse of power (Art. 166, par 2, of the 1960 Penal Code); criminal negligence causing damage to the state budget of at least $4 million (Art. 428, par. 1, of the 1999 Penal Code), and large-scale bribery (Art. 430, par 2, of the 1999 Penal Code). Taranov added that Leonov would remain in custody. According to Leonov's lawyer Nikolai Shalima, his client pleaded no guilty.

The Minsk Tractor Factory staff sent an open letter to Alexander Lukashenko, urging him to release Leonov from custody because his arrest will only destabilize the situation at the plant. Leonov's co- workers believe that he did not intend to flee the country, but sought urgent medical treatment in Russia.

Last November, while visiting the presidential administration's medical clinic in Minsk, Lukashenko pledged to imprison at least 15 business leaders. The first executive was arrested within days. Leonid Kalugin, the director of the Atlant refrigerator factory in Minsk, was charged with abuse of office, illegally conducting business, forging financial documents and failing to return money brought out of the country.

Stanislav Bogdankevich, former head of the Belarusian National Bank and a prominent opposition leader, who knows Kalugin well and whose opposition colleagues vouch for Leonov, said the directors of enterprises that are considered "rare jewels" in the "crown" of the Belarusian economy could not possibly be guilty. "Two-thirds of the enterprises in our country are loss-making, but the Minsk Tractor Factory and Atlant stood on their own feet," Bogdankevich said.

On January 16, Kalugin was forcefully taken to Navinki, the national hospital for mentally ill patients on the outskirts of Minsk. Kalugin's lawyer Pylchenko, who found out about the transfer two days later, is convinced that the investigation deliberately evaded the law, which requires a special referral in order to examine the arrested person's mental health.

Seven other executives are now behind bars, facing charges in an anti-corruption drive that Alexander Lukashenko has promised to pursue untiringly. Officials have been tightlipped about the campaign and offered few details of the business people's alleged crimes.

On January 16, the Gomel Regional Committee on Organized Crime and Corruption, brought charges of abuse of office and unlawful entrepreneurial activities against several high-ranking executives of the Zhlobin Iron And Steel Factory.

Entrepreneur Vatslav Markevich and Alexander Yakovlev, former high executive of the Belavtomaz heavy construction equipment giant, have been arrested in Poland on Minsk's request and are awaiting a decision on extradition.

On January 16, Vladimir Naumov, Belarusian Interior Minister, told journalists in Minsk that a high-profile criminal prosecution campaign against industrial chieftain should not worry those directors who do not use state property for personal enrichment. "But if there are more than 15 corrupt directors out there, they all will be held responsible," Naumov said.

Analysts say that like neighboring Russia, regulations controlling the economy are not very business-friendly, and enterprises frequently are forced to bend the rules to keep afloat. Over-regulation in facts makes businesses vulnerable to bribery and other forms of corruption, on the one hand, and audits and criminal investigations, on the other. In Belarus, their situation is made more difficult by strong anti-capitalist sentiment in a population largely nostalgic for the more economically secure environment of the Soviet era. Belarusians are suffering under the nation's economic stagnation, and many are searching for scapegoats. Lukashenko has been more than happy to provide them.

Lukashenko's critics differ over the motivations behind the anti-corruption drive. Some think the government is intent on convincing the population that the business sector, not the state, is to be blamed for the country's economic troubles. Others say that the businessmen are being punished for being too passive during the president's reelection campaign, failing to organize the large, pro-Lukashenko workers' rallies and election-day turnout that were expected of them. Yet, others say the anti-corruption drive is part of the government's broader effort to merge with Russia, which they fear will simply swallow Belarus. "The main reason, to my mind, is paving the way for a mass buy-up of Belarusian enterprises by the Russians, and for that you have to remove the feistiest Belarusian directors from their posts," said Vyacheslav Sivchik, deputy chair of the BPF Adradzhenne. (Belapan/ Nasha Svaboda/ Interfax, January 16-18)

LEAGUE STATEMENT OF CONCERN ABOUT DEMONSTRATION ARRESTS

The League continues to remain concerned about the wave of arrests of business people associated with some of Belarus' top enterprises, a move that appears to be a combination of political and economic retaliation designed to eliminate any kind of challenge to Lukashenko's increasingly despotic rule. Serious concerns have been raised about the implication for Belarusian sovereignty of reported intentions of Russian investors to buy Belarusian enterprises. The League takes no position on the nature of the charges of corruption, or the evidence presented, but calls for impartial and open investigations of the cases; access to the prosecutor and courts by the independent media; the presence of foreign embassy and OSCE monitors at hearings and trials, and unrestricted access for the defendants to counsel while they are in detention. Since the arrests follow a direct presidential threat to round up scapegoats for Belarus' deteriorating economy, we urge that serious consideration be given to release of the suspects pending trial under their pledge not to flee, since no violent crimes are evidently involved. We also call for the formation of a national, independent panel of credible human rights lawyers, economists, and other public figures to examine these cases and call on the government to cooperate with such a panel. Foreign business people should draw the necessary conclusions
about the climate for commerce in Belarus from this wave of arrests, and we call on all business representatives and trade officials currently dealing with Belarus to find ways to raise queries about these investigations and the treatment of their counterparts.

LUKASHENKO JUSTIFIES NEED FOR STRONG GOVERNMENT

On January 12, during the traditional Old New Year's reception for foreign diplomats, Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus had chosen a path of gradual political and economic transformations aimed at further democratization of the Belarusian society. He told the foreign envoys that his foreign policy will remain consistent: building good relations with neighboring countries, normalization of relations with the European Union, cooperation with states of Asia and Africa, and the development of an equitable dialogue with the US. The country's direction of development, Lukashenko said, was chosen by the people, who cast their votes at the presidential elections last year. "The elected authorities are going to prove their effectiveness by action," he added. Lukashenko emphasized the importance of "strong and efficient authorities" capable of maintaining peace and order in Belarus. "By a strong state we mean protection for people from crime and terrorism, the creation of conditions for free development of the individual and guarantees for social and national justice," clarified Lukashenko. (BBC, January 13)

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN 2001 FOLLOW FAMILIAR PATTERN

Human Rights Watch released its 12th annual review of human rights practices around the globe. It addresses developments in sixty-six countries, covering the period from November 2000 through November 2001. Most chapters examine significant human rights developments in a particular country; the response of global actors, such as the European Union, Japan, the United States, the United Nations, and various regional organizations; and the freedom of local human rights defenders to conduct their work. Following are excerpts from the report regarding Belarus:

"The September 2001 presidential elections brought an unusual level of international attention to Belarus--but human rights abuses there followed familiar patterns. There were state or state-sanctioned attacks on the independent press, human rights defenders, opposition politicians, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and peaceful demonstrators. President Alexander Lukashenko was reelected, although no intergovernmental organization recognized the elections as free and fair."

"Detentions of canvassers, police raids on candidates' offices, the denial of opposition access to the state media, and unbalanced election commissions seriously compromised the integrity of the campaign and elections. The opposition united behind Vladimir Goncharik of the Independent Trade Union of Belarus, but had little chance of beating the odds. Opposition and independent NGO representatives were disqualified nearly categorically from district election commissions." The full text of the report can be found at: http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/europe4.html

US.: OSCE SHOULD EXPAND ITS SUPPORT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY IN BELARUS

On January 15, addressing Portugese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama, newly-appointed OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Amb. Stephan M. Minikes, the new Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the OSCE, reiterated that the United States approach to Belarus in the post-election period is largely guided by the conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR Report from October 4, 2001. He believes that the OSCE AMG Mission in Minsk should continue to expand its support for civil society and independent media within Belarus "In that regard, we attach special significance to a new Head of Mission taking the helm at the mission and to his enjoying the full cooperation and support of the Belarusian Government," the Ambassador said. "Only with a Head of Mission in place and having the opportunity to be informed by his on-the-ground experience and expertise, would it be possible to discuss the future functions of that mission," Amb. Minikes continued. The US diplomat once again urged the Belarusian government to take concrete steps to build democratic institutions and to address human rights concerns. (OSCE, January 15)

League representatives met with Amb. Minikes in December 2001, after his confirmation and prior to his trip abroad, in order to express ongoing concerns about the fate of the four public figures who have disappeared in Belarus; remaining political prisoners such as Andrei Klimov; harassment of youth activists jailed for peaceful expression; the need for increased support to the Belarusian democratic movement despite the setbacks of the election; and the importance of the OSCE mission validating the work of local human rights monitors through public statements. The League wishes the ambassador well in his challenging assignment in the post-September 11 world, and welcomes his first speech on human rights defenders (December 20, 2001, available at http://www.usembassy.org.uk/humrts119.html), "Human rights defenders are an integral part of any functioning democracy, helping to ensure that governments observe the human rights of their citizens." In a reference to Decree 8 in Belarus banning foreign aid to NGOs, Amb. Minikes noted the U.S. position that "any decrees existing to deliberately restrict the support given by other participating States and OSCE institutions should be lifted and any harassment of NGOs for cooperating with OSCE field missions must cease."

OPPOSITION URGES EU TO ADOPT NEW STRATEGY ON BELARUS

A group of prominent Belarusian politicians and public figures have called on the foreign ministers of the European Union member countries to develop a new strategy on Belarus.
They believe that a new strategy may be based on the following points:

- expanding contacts with Belarus' economic and political elite while undertaking joint economic, social and environment projects;

- assisting in creating legal conditions in Belarus for facilitating the development of civilized economic relations and a favorable investment climate, which will inevitably lead to the country's integration into global economic processes;

- supporting civil society institutions as major guarantors of irreversible economic reforms;

- changing electoral legislation, organizing and holding elections in compliance with European standards;

- supporting private media institutions.

The authors believe that a new strategy on Belarus could be worked out by a group of experts from the EU, Russia, the US and Belarus under the aegis of the OSCE. (Belapan, January 14)

KGB OFFENDED BY RUSSIAN JOURNALIST'S COMMENTS

On January 16, the Belarusian KGB sent a letter to the Russian Federal Security Service, saying that public statements made by Pavel Sheremet, a Belarusian who now works in Moscow for Russia's public television ORT, "damage the Belarusian constitutional system, discredit the country's leadership and harm relations between the two countries."

In numerous interviews, Sheremet said that he has no doubts about the Belarusian authorities' association with the political disappearances in the country. Sheremet testified in the Minsk Region Court, at a closed-door hearing in the case of Valery Ignatovich, former officer of the Almaz Special-Assignment Police Force, and his accomplices, accused of committing seven premeditated murders, five armed assaults, two abductions, including kidnapping of journalists Dmitry Zavadsky, who worked as an ORT cameraman in Belarus and who was Sheremet's colleague. Zavadsky disappeared on July 7, 2000 at the Minsk National Airport, while waiting to pick up Sheremet upon arrival from Moscow. When Sheremet arrived, Zavadsky was missing, but his car was found locked in the airport parking area.

Sheremet was prohibited by the authorities to divulge any information about his testimony. Citing anonymous sources in the courtroom, independent newspapers reported that Sheremet retold the court his conversation with Oleg Bozhelko, former Prosecutor General, while he was hiding in one of the Russian monasteries. During the interview, Bozhelko shared with Sheremet the details of the interrogation of Lt.-Col. Dmitry Pavlichenko, commander of the military unit # 3214 of the Interior Forces, who on November 20, 2000, was placed in the KGB's jail. According to Sheremet, after the interrogation, Bozhelko concluded that Zavadsky had been murdered and his body, along with the bodies of Viktor Gonchar, a 13th Supreme Soviet deputy chair, his business associate Anatoly Krasovsky, and Yuri Zakharenko, former Interior Minister, were buried in the Northern Cemetery in Minsk.

In July 2001, ORT aired a documentary about Zavadsky's abduction, titled "Wild Manhunt," produced by Pavel Sheremet. In the final scene of the documentary Sheremet says: "I know for sure that Sheiman, Sivakov and Lukashenko are criminals, who sooner or later will be punished." (Belapan, January 16)

DISAPPEARED OPPOSITION POLITICIANS' CASES ARE NOT INVESTIGATED

On January 16, Vladimir Naumov, Belarusian Interior Minister, told a press conference in Minsk that in 2001, more than 6,245 Belarusian citizens were still missing. More than 5,100 persons once declared missing had been found. The fate of 1,045 people, including journalist Dmitry Zavadsky, General Yuri Zakharenko, former Minister of Internal Affairs, who was last seen in May 1999, businessman Anatoly Krasovsky, who was a close friend of Victor Gonchar, 13th Supreme Soviet Deputy Chair, both of whom disappeared on September 16, 1999, remains unknown. According to Naumov, the investigation into Zavadsky's case was temporarily terminated and will be resumed after the trial of Ignatovich and his accomplices. He expressed hope that Ignatovich's guilt will be proven and promised that after the trial search for Zavadsky will continue. The cases of Zakharenko, Gonchar and Krasovsky are not under investigation, Naumov said.

Naumov said that he is not aware of the fact that Ignatovich, who had been hired by Russia to fight in Chechnya, had also collaborated with the Chechen separatists. He also "did not pay attention" to the statements by Gennady Uglyanitsa, a former officer of the Department for Constitutional System Protection and Terrorism Prevention of the KGB Office for Minsk and the Minsk Region, and Andrei Zhernosek, an activist of Krai, a small Belarusian nationalist group, who said that high-ranking government officials ordered the death squad to abduct and murder Zakharenko, Gonchar and Krasovsky, and eventually the journalist Zavadsky. (BBC, January 17)

PROSECUTOR REFUSES TO INVESTIGATE DEATH OF ZUBR ACTIVIST

Vladimir Podsekin, Prosecutor of the Sovetsky District of Gomel, refused to open an
investigation into the circumstances of the death of Andrei Zaitsev, a 24-year-old Zubr activist, who committed suicide on December 20 after being repeatedly asked by KGB to become an informer. According to Podsekin, the activist's suicide was "just an ordinary incident." (Radio Racyja, January 18)

NEW DECREE TO FIGHT PERNICIOUS INFLUENCE OF WEST'S IDEOLOGY

Ideology in Belarus is the governments main priority and "is not subject to privatization," said Alexander Lukashenko on January 11, as he signed a decree establishing a so-called "informational-consulting groups" responsible for conveying the state policy. According to the decree, the groups will have to "meet with people on a regular basis to promote the image of Belarus as that of a modern democratic state with a dynamically developing national economy, firm legitimate state power, and effective legal system, which ensure the freedom and security of its citizens." Each group will consist of 12 people, mainly representatives of the State Control Committee, the Security Council, the Council for Ideological Policy and other power institutions. "If there is a shortage of sausage in the country, you have to explain to people that meat is dangerous for their health," scoffed Nikolai Statkevich, chair of the opposition Belarusian Social Democratic Party (BSDP), or Narodnaya Hramada. Local observers believe that with independent publications are too weak to balance the pro-Lukashenko flow of information, the establishment of such groups is yet another way to manipulate the public. (Radio Racyja, January 13)

LOCAL AUTHORITIES HARASS FAMILY OF OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS

On December 22, a group of drunken assailants attacked Vasily Vaskovich and his two sons, Ales and Dmitry, all members of the BPF Adradzhenne (Popular Front) in Maryina Gorka, Minsk Region. When the Vaskovich family appealed to police for help, they were detained and taken to the local hospital, allegedly, for medical examination. The attackers were invited to the police station as witnesses. At the hospital, 19-year-old Dmitry was beaten severely by police, reportedly suffering a concussion and possible kidney injury. A physician on duty, Dr. Kudelko, refused to provide the boy with medical assistance, cynically saying that he deserved the punishment and that the policemen should have beaten him harder because he personally hates all members of the BPF Adradzhenne. After such a "medical examination," Dmitry was brought to the police station, where he spent 24 hours sitting on a bench while the officer-on-duty, Sirotka, was making insulting comments about him and other opposition activists. Only later, Dmitry's parents were allowed to take him to the regional hospital.

On December 24, a group of 10-15 people tried to break the door of the Vaskovich family apartment. They seriously damaged the door and cut the phone lines. The Vaskoviches filed a complaint with the local prosecutor office. (Viasna Human Rights Center, January 10)

OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS LOOSE THEIR JOBS

The Lukashenko regime continues to mount economic pressure on opposition members. Viasna Human Rights Center has reported new dismissals of opposition activists who took part in the presidential election campaign last year.

Nina Smirnova, who had been employed for 10 years in the Slutsk state farm in the Slutsk District, Minsk Region, was fired for organizing a campaign event that was banned by the farm management. Smirnova's husband, who lost his job after taking active part in preparation of the unofficial presidential elections conducted by the opposition in 1999, is still unemployed. The couple has two small children.

Lubov Kaverka lost her job at a catering enterprise in Shklov, Mogilev Region, for organizing an educational seminar for independent observers. Kaverka, a single mother of two children, has vainly attempted to find a new job.

Separately, Ludmila Danilchik, an independent observation coordinator in the Klichevsky District, Mogilev Region, was laid off from her job. (Viasna Human Rights Center, January 17)

FIVE ZUBR ACTIVISTS WARNED FOR HOLDING UNAUTHORIZED PICKET

On January 10, A. Bolbat, A Ezavit, R. Grinevich, V. Polulekh and N. Merafianskya, all Zubr activists, were warned by the Baranovichi, Brest Region, juvenile delinquency commission for taking part in an unauthorized opposition action "We Want to Know the Truth." The action was organized to mark International Human Rights Defenders Day and to demand investigation into the disappearances of prominent opposition leaders and journalist Dmitry Zavadsky. On December 9, 2001, nine Zubr members were arrested for marching along the central street and holding picket near local police station. When the marchers were about to disperse, about a dozen policemen ran out of the building and started arrests. The activists were accused of participation in mass actions that violated public order under Art. 167, par. 1, of the Administrative Offences Code and to stand trial. (Viasna Human Rights Center, January 14)

FIGHTING TERRORISM MEANS PROMOTING DEMOCRACY WORLDWIDE

As the Bush administration manages a broad tactical coalition to fight radical terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, it should keep in mind dictatorships are not only unreliable partners, but breed the very terrorists the US must now defeat, wrote Mark Palmer, Eric A. Witte and Kurt Bassuener in an article titled "Democracy Is Our Best Security" published in the January 11 issue of The Washington Times. Any protracted campaign against terrorism must eventually include a comprehensive strategy to help democratic forces remove all remaining dictatorships. The terror-tyranny nexus is a phenomenon that stretches far beyond the Middle East and Central Asia, the authors continued.

All seven of the governments that the State Department designates as state sponsors of terrorism are dictatorships: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, North Korea, Cuba and Sudan. American and British aircrews are at risk over Iraq from air defense systems improved through (Milosevic-era) Yugoslav, Belarusian and Chinese technical assistance and training. The authors believe that neither stability nor security can rest on autocratic, unpopular rule. Bin Laden and his ilk arose from corrupt, oppressive regimes on which the difficult campaign against terrorism must temporarily and partially rely. But the campaign's ultimate success will require not just these regimes' cooperation, but also their replacement. Democracy is ultimately our best security, the authors conclude. The article can be found through a search of the archives at: http://www.washtimes.com/

US EMBASSY REDEDICATES KURAPATY MEMORIAL BENCH

On January 15, the United States Embassy held a small service at Kurapaty to rededicate the memorial bench originally presented on this date in 1994 by President Clinton. Last summer the memorial bench was severely damaged by vandals. It was repaired by the original artist, Ales Sachernyk. U.S. Amb. Michael Kozak and Alexander Sychov, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister, extended remarks witnessed by former Supreme Soviet Chairman Stanislav Shushkevich, who was present at the original dedication on January 15, 1994. During a moment of silent prayer, Amb. Kozak lit a memorial candle for the memory of the victims while the Youth Choir of the Red Church sang "Magutny Bozhe". Members of the Belarusian Government, diplomatic community, religious, political and non-governmental organization leaders, as well as the general public attended the event.

In his remarks at the rededication, Amb. Michael Kozak highlighted that the victims at Kurapaty were killed by the ruling government and stressed the importance of open, accountable, and democratic governments that will ensure that the kinds of crimes committed there will never occur again.

The League considers rededication an important sign of support not only for the memory of the victims at Kurapaty, but today's descendents, who continue to fight oppression, especially the young people who tried to defend Kurapaty and were jailed recently when bulldozers were ordered to the site as part of a state construction project which has been challenged by those concerned not to disturb the graves. (USIS, January 15.)

As the publications of the glasnost and perestroika eras revealed, at least 110,000 victims of Stalinism were massacred at Kurapaty. Independent researchers put the figure more likely at 400,000 victims. Archeologists and human rights advocates who began to research the mass graves in the late 1980s found that people targeted by Stalin's regime in the 1930s were often so hastily arrested and executed at this site, that some victims even had coins and half-eaten chicken sandwiches wrapped in their pockets. The skulls and other evidence in the graves indicate that several persons were lined up in rows and sometimes shot with one bullet, evidently to save on ammunition, causing the last people in the row to writhe in agony, half-dead, after they were buried. (ILHR, January 16)

- INTERNATIONAL NEWS -

BELARUSIAN DELEGATION VISITS LIBYA

On January 17, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi received a Belarusian delegation headed by Mikhail Khvostov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Belarusian minister conveyed to Kadhafi an invitation from Alexander Lukashenko to visit Belarus and a letter, in which the Belarusian leader expressed his deep satisfaction with the level of cooperation between the two countries and his great appreciation for the Libyan leadership's "pioneering role in supporting peace in the whole world." Few details were released about the agenda of the meeting. Libya is one of the "rogue states" considered an important partner by the Lukashenko regime. Independent observers believe that military cooperation was discussed. (Jana news agency, January 17)

- AT HOME IN BELARUS-

POLICE THWART ILLEGAL RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL SALE

In an apparently successful sting operation, Belarusian state security agents thwarted a sale of uranium, arresting six people, officials said on January 17. The deal was worth an estimated $250,000 for 1.5 kilograms of uranium, the KGB press service reported. Authorities learned that an international criminal group - which they refused to identify - was seeking to buy the radioactive materials and had an undercover agent pose as a buyer to trap those involved. Six people were detained and metal rods confiscated that were later confirmed to contain Uranium-235 and Uranium-238. Preliminary tests showed that the rods were parts of fuel cells from a nuclear reactor.

In the second case of attempted smuggling of radioactive materials announced in two days, two men were arrested for allegedly trying to sell four containers of Strontium-90. The containers were confiscated after investigators caught the men trying to sell them at a wholesale market in northwest Minsk, Interior Ministry spokesman Oleg Slepchenko said on January 18. Investigators estimated the goods were worth $13,000 on the black market, but wouldn't say how large the containers were. The containers had radiation levels measured at 600 times the average rate. Investigators speculated that the strontium was stolen from a military facility. Experts are analyzing the apartment houses where the suspects lived and stored the strontium for radiation leaks, Slepchenko said. (Interfax/ Belapan, January 17-18)
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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.

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