INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 5, No. 16
April 2002

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Police Violently Disperse Protest March In Minsk, 102 Detained
- Belarusian Authorities Expel OSCE Envoy In Political Row
- U.S. Urges Belarus To Respect Free Speech And Assembly
- U.S. Supports EU stand on OSCE Belarus Mission
- Four Kurapaty Defenders Detained By Police, Two Go On Trial
- Protesters' Tent Burned Down At Kurapaty; Activist Badly Hurt
- Czech PM Visits Minsk To Express Support For Opposition
- Czech President, NGOs Call For Free Media In Belarus
- Chronicle Of Human Rights Violations In Belarus Published In Poland
- Lukashenko Pardons Belarusian Associate Of Italian Spy
- New Opposition Organization Set Up To Win Russia's Support
- Lukashenko Calls For Closer Military Ties With Russia

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-

POLICE VIOLENTLY DISPERSE PROTEST MARCH IN MINSK, 102 DETAINED

On April 19, about 3,000 people took part in the anti-Lukashenko march titled "We Can't Live Like This!" The action was organized by Yuri Khashchevatsky, famous Belarusian filmmaker; Valery Schukin, a correspondent for Narodnaya Volya and deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet; Dmitry Bondarenko, coordinator of Charter 97; journalist Nikolai Khalezin, and Zubr activist Timofei Dranchuk. The Minsk City Executive Committee refused to authorize the action.

By 6 p.m., Yakub Kolas Square, which had been designated by the organizers as the assembly place, was surrounded by the Interior Ministry troops. Speaking through a megaphone, police officers repeatedly announced that the demonstration had not been authorized on Yakub Kolas Square and urged the protesters to move to Bangalore Square. The demonstrators unanimously decided to march through down town toward the Square. At the intersection of Skaryna Avenue and Kozlova Street, police began blocking them and beating those in the front lines, including the organizers. The protesters sat down on the pavement, unwilling to move. About a hundred of protesters and journalists were arrested and dragged into the police buses. Many were beaten with truncheons and kicked. Valery Shchukin, was thrown to the ground and mercilessly kicked. The policemen pushed him into the police vehicle and hit them on the head. When the 60-year old journalist lost consciousness, police threw him out of the bus, and he fell on the ground and hit his head. The ambulance arrived only half an hour later. Shchukin was brought to the military hospital where he remains now guarded by the police. He suffered a spinal injury and had to use a wheelchair.

All detainees, 102 in all, including the key-organizers Yury Khashchevatsky, Nikolai Khalezin, journalist, Dmitry Bondarenko, were taken to the Sovetsky District Internal Affairs Directorate police station, where the beatings continued. Two activists were hospitalized with a brain concussion and broken rib-cages

The League condemns the latest dispersal of peaceful demonstrators and the refusal of Belarusian authorities to provide permits for rallies to take place at centralized venues in the city of Minsk and to send riot police to suppress peaceful assembly. Such brutal response has been characteristic of a persistent denial to the public of the right to peaceful expression and association, and a refusal to provide civic groups with legitimate outlets for dissent under increasing repressive conditions and economic deterioration. The Belarusian government has consistently denied civic groups permits, or forced them to go to Bangalore, far from the center of the city, thereby denying citizens their legitimate right to express grievances peacefully in central locations where they can have access to government officials, the public, and the media. Especially given the broad main avenues in Minsk and large squares where rallies could take place without blocking traffic, local restrictions do not appear to be justified. Furthermore, the continued detention of demonstrators, as well as beating and intimidation, are not lawful. The League called for the immediate release of all peaceful demonstrators and the dropping of charges against them.(Charter 97/ RFE/RL/ILHR, April 19)

BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES EXPEL OSCE ENVOY IN POLITICAL ROW

The Lukashenko regime has cut off the leadership of the OSCE AMG in Minsk by refusing to accredit a designated new head of mission in Minsk, meanwhile not renewing the visa of the interim chief. Michel Rivolier, acting head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus, who was forced to leave the country on April 15 amid a growing political row. The Belarusian authorities failed to renew Rivolier's accreditation after his visa and diplomatic license expired. The democracy and human rights watchdog currently has no resident mission head in Belarus, although three diplomats -- from Moldova, Britain and the United States -- still reside there. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the diplomat's departure.

On April 12, Antonio Martins da Cruz, OSCE's chair and Portuguese Foreign Minister, expressed deep concern about information indicating that the Belarusian authorities see no grounds to extend the visa and diplomatic accreditation of Rivollier. "An untimely decision affecting the status of the Acting Head of Group would prevent the proper functioning of the Group in Belarus and could lead to a serious deterioration of the co-operation between the OSCE and Belarus and to the adoption of appropriate measures," the OSCE chair said.

On April 15, Ambassador Joao de Lima Pimentel of Portugal, held a special session of the Permanent Council to discuss developments in Belarus. "Yes to consultations ... on a new program of action," he told reporters after the session. During the meeting, Belarus was notably supported by Russia and countries from central Asia, who are themselves highly critical of OSCE missions on their own territory.

OSCE has long had difficult relations with Minsk, but tension has increased since Lukashenko's re-election in September 2001 in ballots which the OSCE slammed as flawed and undemocratic. Western diplomats say the Lukashenko government is trying to use the visa issue to negotiate a "precise written mandate" which would allow it to control the activities of the mission in Minsk. They say that the latest face-off risks setting a dangerous precedent for the OSCE's other 22 missions on the ground, which carry out a variety of tasks relating to monitoring human rights and democracy.

On March 28, Mikhail Khvostov, Belarusian Foreign Minister, threatened to expel the mission from the country. The foreign minister accused the OSCE mission of being preoccupied with a political agenda and of not respecting the terms of its presence in Belarus. "The OSCE mission is not a political organization, its role is to monitor the situation in the country and submit reports," Khvostov said.

Amb. Hans-Georg Wieck, the former head of the OSCE mission in Minsk, left Belarus last December after being repeatedly accused of supporting the opposition. The OSCE designated German diplomat Eberhard Heyken to succeed him, but the he has yet to receive accreditation by Minsk. The OSCE suspended Belarus' membership in the OSCE PA following the 2000 parliamentary vote. (Belapan/ OSCE/ AFP, April 11-17)

U.S. URGES BELARUS TO RESPECT FREE SPEECH AND ASSEMBLY

In remarks delivered to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna April 11, Stephan Minikes, U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE questioned the political will of the Belarusian government to achieve democratic progress, citing as evidence attacks against independent media, arrests of demonstrators, and the refusal to extend the visa of the acting head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group Mission in Belarus. Following are excerpts from his remarks:

"The United States shares the concern expressed by the OSCE Freedom of the Media Representative, Freimut Duve, and our Polish colleague regarding continued attacks against independent media in Belarus. The upcoming trial of two Belarusian journalists accused of slandering Lukashenko, based on statements made before last fall's presidential election, provides further proof that Belarus is becoming more, not less, restrictive with regard to independent media."

"Media freedom is a core criterion for democratic progress in Belarus. Such progress can only be achieved once harassment of journalists ends."

"The release from prison of Andrei Klimov does not clarify the questionable nature of his initial arrest and conviction. Any progress the administrative release could have registered in advancing a 'climate of peace,' which is another core criterion for the promotion of democracy, was effectively undermined by arrests of participants in a demonstration marking the 84th anniversary of the proclamation of the establishment of the Belarusian National Republic."

"Cooperation with the OSCE extends to the obligations and responsibilities Belarus assumed when it agreed in a Permanent Council decision in 1997 to host an OSCE field mission."

"In the Memorandum of Understanding the Government of Belarus signed with the OSCE at that time, Belarus agreed that it 'will host the work of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus and will provide support, assistance, and cooperation to facilitate its work.'"

Ambassador Minikes called upon the Belarusian government to demonstrate its commitment to cooperation and good relations with the OSCE and overturn its refusal to issue an extension of the OSCE AMG's acting chair visa without any further delay. The full text of the statement can be found at: http://usinfo.state.gov

U.S. SUPPORT EU STANDS ON OSCE MISSION IN BELARUS

On April 16, during a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna,
Ambassador Minikes said that the United States supports the European Union in declaring its full support for Michel Rivolier, the Acting Head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus and the other staff members of the OSCE mission in Belarus and for their work. This includes implementation of projects developed by the AMG and the regular reporting on developments. "These activities need to continue and go forward," Amb. Minikes said. He called upon the Lukashenko government to extend Rivolier's visa without delay.

Amb. Minikes stressed that the United States consider the work of the OSCE mission in Belarus essential for the promotion of democratic institutions and the implementation of OSCE commitments. "Continued obstruction of the work of the AMG not only offends the principles upon which this organization was founded, but also, most unfortunately, sets back Belarus' own desire to end its self-isolation," he reiterated.

Amb. Minikes said that the OSCE AMG in Minsk requires strong and supported OSCE's efforts to provide the mission with that kind of leadership in order to advance the prospects for cooperation between the OSCE and Belarus. He urged the OSCE leadership to take all additional steps necessary and appropriate to have the AMG be properly staffed and fully functioning and to achieve that result without delay. The statement is located at: http://usinfo.state.gov)

FOUR KURAPATY DEFENDERS DETAINED BY POLICE, TWO GO ON TRIAL

Four protesters were beaten and detained by the police on April 16 for holding a vigil at the Kurapaty grave site near Minsk, where thousands of victims of Stalinist repression are buried. Last October, several opposition parties set up a vigil camp at the site to prevent construction of a highway that would cut through the mass grave site. The press service of the Conservative Christian Party of the Belarusian Popular Front reported that eight policemen in civilian dress showed up at the site, insulted the protesters and arrested all four of them. Police also took away the banned red-and-white Belarusian national flag. Vasily Parfenkov, Ales Poklad, Vitaly Shkurinsky and Masha (last name unknown) were brought to the Minsk City Internal Affairs Directorate (police station).

On April 18, Vasily Parfenkov and Ales Poklad stood trial on charges of petty hooliganism under Art. 156 of the Administrative Offences Code. In the courtroom, Evgeny Gurenkov, deputy head of the Sovetsky District Internal Affairs Directorate, who, along with Colonel Mikhail Bugailo, supervised the detention, made everyone laugh when he said that on April 16 the policemen visited the Kurapaty "just to find out whether the grave site is physically located on the territory of the Sovetsky District of Minsk." Gurenkov claimed that the defendants used "bad language" and threatened the law-enforcers with physical reprisals. The activists pleaded not guilty and accused the policemen of giving false and contradictory testimony. Judge Ruslan Kozodoev postponed the hearing until April 22.

PROTESTERS' TENT BURNED DOWN AT KURAPATY,ACTIVIST BADLY HURT

Fire broke out at Kuropaty early in the morning on April 19, burning down a tent pitched by opposition members and severely injuring a youth. Three protesters were asleep in the tent when the fire broke out. Vasily Parfenkov said he and Irina Viatkina woke to find the tent filled with smoke. Flames raced up the walls and across the ceiling. They heard screams from another activist, Ales Poklad, and saw that his feet, hands, face and neck were scorched. Parfenkov and Viatkina pulled Poklad out of the tent and called an ambulance, which delivered him to the emergency room of a nearby hospital. The activist received a blood transfusion and is currently in the intensive care unit. "The policemen accused us of arson, but we were asleep and our candles and stove were extinguished," Parfenkov said. At approximately 3:30 a.m., somebody poured gasoline over the tent and set it on fire, he added. The fire completely destroyed the tent.

Sergei Visotski, leader of the Belarusian Freedom Party, accused the government of staging the fire. "This site and our vigil here have provoked the hatred of the authorities," he said.

"The authorities did all they could to force volunteers away from here. The regime would like society to forget about Kurapaty, so that no one would protect this site from bulldozers," commented Vyacheslav Sivchik, deputy chair of the BPF Adradzhenne, who was just released from the Okrestina detention center in Minsk after serving 15 days' imprisonment term for taking part in the March 25's Freedom March. (Belapan/ Charter 97, April 16-18)

CZECH PM VISITS MINSK TO EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR OPPOSITION

On April 18, a session of the Socialist International's Committee on Peace, Democracy and Human Rights of the Socialist International (SI) was held in Minsk to discuss the human rights violations by the Belarusian authorities. Milos Zeman, Czech Prime Minister and a leading member of the Czech Republic's Social Democratic (CSSD) party, who took part in the session in capacity of the Committee's chair, declined a one-on-one meeting with Lukashenko in protest at his abuses of political and media rights. Lukashenko's staff had telephoned Zeman to propose a meeting as he drove from Lithuania to Minsk, but the Czech premier only agreed to a meeting that would include representatives of democratic opposition.

"We are here to express solidarity with the political opposition parties that don't enjoy equal conditions in the political battle," Zeman said at a meeting with the leaders of opposition parties and trade unions. "It is possible to isolate a few politicians, but one could not isolate a whole country," he told journalists, adding that the main task is to rescue Belarus from its international isolation.

Zeman stopped in Belarus on his way home from Russia, where he was received warmly by President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and other top officials. (Belapan/ Nasha Svaboda, April 18-19)

CZECH PRESIDENT, NGOs CALL FOR FREE MEDIA IN BELARUS

On April 15, Czech President Vaclav Havel called upon the Belarusian authorities to halt the prosecution of Pahonia journalists Mikalai Markevich and Pavel Mazheika. "The latest cases of the violation of basic rights such as the right of assembly and freedom of speech, the continuing persecution of opposition activists, closure of Pahonia and charges against its journalists sharply conflict with the declared effort of the country's leadership to join European and international democratic organizations," Havel said. The Czech president believes that transformation of the Belarusian society, the development of its economy and integration into the family of European countries are only possible if human rights and democratic values such as free media are respected. (CTK news agency, April 15)

On April 16, the Belarusian Association of Journalists organized a round-table in Minsk to discuss the continuing and recently stepped-up campaign unleashed by the regime against the free press. Representatives of the Belarusian and international human rights NGOs agreed to unite their efforts in order to protect the basic principles of freedom of press in Belarus and to stop criminal prosecution of independent journalists. On April 17, editors-in-chief of major non-state newspapers left for Strasbourg to share their concern about the future of free media in Belarus with the members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. http://svaboda.org/

CHRONICLE OF RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BELARUS PUBLISHED IN POLAND

The first Polish edition of "Chronicle of the Human Rights Violations in Belarus" by Tatyana Reviaka and Paulina Stepanenko from the Viasna Human Rights Center was published by the Poland-Belarus Civic Education Center in Belastok. Earlier, the book was translated from Belarusian into Russian and English. Martin Rembich, head of the Center believes that the book will help his compatriots to better understand the struggle for democracy that is currently underway in Belarus. Prominent Belarusian human rights activists were invited to the presentation. (Viasna Human Rights Center, April 17)

LUKASHENKO PARDONS BELARUSIAN ASSOCIATE OF ITALIAN "SPY"

On April 17, Alexander Lukashenko pardoned a Belarusian national Irina Ushak, jailed last September for four years on charges of spying for Italy, the Belarusian state television reported. "My president pardoned me, and I'm grateful for it," the 27-year-old Ushak told reporters, adding that she is still very concerned about her Italian associate, businessman Angelo Antonio Piu, who was jailed with her. "Our president should pardon Antonio too," Ushak added. According to the KGB press service, Piu's plea for pardon had not yet been considered. He remains the only foreign national held in Belarus on espionage charges, after Lukashenko pardoned Christopher Lez, a German citizen, last September.

Last September, Piu was convicted of espionage and sentenced to four and a half years in a high-security prison. 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. (BBC, April 17)

-BROTHER SLAVS-

NEW OPPOSITION ORGANIZATION SET UP TO WIN RUSSIA'S SUPPORT

On April 15, the Russian-Belarusian Fund For New Belarus, a new public organization held its founding congress in Moscow. The Fund is headed by Vasily Leonov, the former Minister of Agriculture. Leonov was also the campaign manager of Vladimir Goncharik, leader of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus who challenged Lukashenko in the last year presidential elections. The organization board is chaired by Vladimir Neklyaev, a prominent Belarusian poet, and members include Mikhail Chigir, former Prime Minister and opposition leader; Stanislav Bogdankevich, former chief of the Belarusian National Bank and another prominent opposition member; Alexander Yaroshuk, leader of the Trade Union of Agro-Industrial Workers and former presidential candidate; Vladimir Hilko, ex-head of Sberbank, who is being prosecuted by the authorities; Aleksey Simonov, chair of the Moscow-based Glasnost Defense Foundation, and Valentin Gefter, a member of Memorial Society and head of the Institute for Human Rights.

The new organization will seek registration with the Russian Ministry of Justice. Its goal is to promote democracy in both, Belarus and Russia, Vasily Leonov said. He believes that many Belarusian opposition politicians rely too much on support from the West and do not cooperate enough with Russian political forces. "We allowed one person, Alexander Lukashenko, to privatize the relationship between the two states. Now he portrays everyone who is not with the current regime as Russia's enemy," Leonov said. The Russian-Belarusian Fund For New Belarus is to correct this mistake, he added.

A civil-rights movement for election of a new president called "For New Belarus," was established in May, 2001. Its registration application was denied by the Belarusian Ministry of Justice. (Belapan, April 16)

LUKASHENKO CALLS FOR CLOSER MILITARY TIES WITH RUSSIA

Continuing to press for a full-fledged union with Russia, Alexander Lukashenko warned on April 16 that it would be foolish not to expand military cooperation between the two neighbors. "We are more and more often being rebuked for strengthening our cooperation in the sphere of defense," Lukashenko said during a meeting with Sergei Ivanov, Russian Defense Minister, in Minsk. "Only a stupid person would not strengthen our cooperation in defense and security," he added. In a statement released after the meeting Lukashenko said that Minsk "will pursue cooperation with Russia in the military sphere, primarily with respect to modernization of military hardware." Ivanov, who arrived to Belarus to tour garrisons and units in the Western strategic zone, acknowledged that the creation of an integrated armed forces "has long been seen as a goal," adding that "political will" is needed. (Interfax, April 16)

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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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