INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BELARUS UPDATE
Edited by Victor Cole

Vol. 5, No. 17-18
May 2002

IN THIS ISSUE:

--HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION NEWS-

- Thirty Five Activists Sentenced To Jail After Rally
- Lukashenko Slams Opposition, OSCE, Media In Annual Address
- Belarus Attacks On Press, Demonstrators Concern U.S.
- Belarusian Authorities Warn Russian TV Journalist
- In 2001 Regime Continued To Stifle Independent Press
- Article 19 Publishes Recommendations To Improve Information Flow In Belarus
- OSCE Awards Belarusian And Austrian Journalists
- U.S. Calls On Belarus To Stem Violence At Kurapaty
- Opposition Party Warned By Justice Ministry
- Selling Guns To Terrorists, From The "Heart Of Europe"
- Lukashenko Criticizes Work Of His Government
- Lukashenko Approval Rating Drops To 30 Percent
- Vandals Destroy Roman Catholic Chapel
- Jewish Community Center Opens In Minsk

THIRTY FIVE ACTIVISTS SENTENCED TO JAIL AFTER RALLY

A total of 102 demonstrators were arrested after police moved in to disperse marchers at an anti-Lukashenko opposition rally titled "We Can't Live Like This!" which was held in Minsk on Friday, April 19. Marchers demanding Lukashenko's resignation spilled into traffic on Skaryna Avenue, where they encountered about 500 riot troops blocking their way. Several protestors sat on the ground with clasped hands to resist, and the police pounded them with clubs before dragging them off to buses parked nearby. About 40 people were injured in the clashes, seven were hospitalized, reported Charter 97. Amnesty International issued a statement saying that it regards everybody detained and held in police custody after the rally as prisoners of conscience. The Interior Ministry accused the protest organizers of breaking away from the planned route of the march. "The demonstrators disrupted the peace and traffic and engaged in hooliganism," Dmitry Patron, a Ministry spokesman, told Belapan.

Minors were released the same day. Sixty five activists were held in the Okrestina detention center until the following Monday, April 22 and in the morning taken to court on charges of disturbing the peace. Dmitry Bondarenko, coordinator of Charter 97; journalist Nikolai Khalezin, and Valery Shchukin, a correspondent for Narodnaya Volya and deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet, were sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest. On April 29, Khalezin was set free for health reasons but reportedly must return to complete the sentence.

Yuri Khashchevatsky, a prominent Belarusian filmmaker; and activists Roman Karpovich, Roman Kazakevich, Anatoly Askerka, Yaroslav Steshik, and Ivan Degtiarev of the youth movement Zubr (Bison) were sentenced to 10 days of administrative imprisonment each.

Vitaly Velevich, Sergei Rabkevich, both Zubr activists, were sentenced to seven days of detention. Alexandra Andrievskaya, Dmitry Golubev, Dmitry Borodko, Victor Sich, Vladimir Ignatovich, Alexander Radivushko, Oleg Metelitsa, Igor Siuld, Alexander Otroschenkov were jailed for five days.

Vasily Zhakov, Oleg Zhludko received four days of imprisonment. Lubov Kuchinskaya, Dmitry Vishnevsky, Dmitry Karpenko, Andrei Petrov Afnagel, Yury Phabishevki, Yury Buber, Veronica Kupchenko, Aleksey Yashchenko, Igor Zakrevski, Dmitry Tenunin were sentenced to three days in jail. Leonid Sadovsky received two days of administrative detention. Twelve other activists were fined. (Belapan/ Charter 97/Viasna Human Rights Center/Nasha Svaboda, April 19-26)

LUKASHENKO SLAMS OPPOSITION, OSCE, MEDIA IN ANNUAL ADDRESS

On April 23, in an annual address to the parliament, Alexander Lukashenko praised Belarus's Soviet-style economy and lashed out at critics of his autocratic rule. "I've been meeting lately with a lot of businessmen, from the East and from the West. They're struck not only by the cleanliness of our streets ... but by the number of foreign-made cars, new cars of high quality," Lukashenko said. He dismissed April 19's opposition rally titled "We Can't Live Like This!" as a publicity stunt, and accused Russia's NTV television, which covered the event, of trying to smear his name. "I must admit that the people who planned the event got what they wanted. All they wanted was a TV coverage and they got it," he said. According to the Belarusian strongman, "this provocation was staged ahead of the meeting between George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin scheduled for May 23 in Moscow."

Lukashenko once again accused the OSCE of trying to overthrow his government and defied Western critics by saying that the OSCE's mission should leave the country. Lukashenko said the OSCE had requested its Minsk office remain open in order to observe the presidential elections last fall. "Now, that the elections were over, the OSCE should withdraw," the president said. But he left the date of the OSCE's departure open. Lukashenko said he would consider reviewing his decision to close down the OSCE office if the OSCE "replace all its staff and change its stance toward Belarus." Only three European diplomats currently work in the OSCE's Minsk office along with a skeleton crew of support personnel. (Two weeks ago, Belarusian visa officials denied entrance to a French diplomat serving as acting head of mission, and had previously also denied a visa to the German diplomat who had been designated to serve as chief of mission-Ed.)

Lukashenko also criticized the World Bank saying that it too should leave Belarus for "we do not need their assistance." [The World Bank's activities in Belarus are limited to programs aimed at reducing levels of tuberculosis and AIDS--Ed.] Lukashenko also warned other Western NGOs in Belarus that they would be expelled if they "meddled in Belarusian internal affairs." (BBC, April 24)

U.S. CONCERNED ABOUT ATTACKS ON PRESS, DEMONSTRATORS
On April 25, Douglas A. Davidson, Charge d'affaires of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE in Vienna, expressed concerned about continued attacks on the independent press and peaceful demonstrations in Belarus. Following are the excerpts from his speech.

"Mr. Chairman, respect for freedom of expression and freedom of assembly represent core OSCE commitments and are central to the development of democratic institutions. In this light, we are concerned about continued attacks on the independent press and peaceful demonstrations in Belarus. These attacks contravene OSCE commitments and undermine civil society. These attacks also undermine the ability of Belarus to have normal relations with other countries."

"On April 12, the prosecution of independent journalists and the closure of the independent newspaper, Pahonya, drew the attention of the OSCE's Representative on Freedom of the Media as well as that of the Permanent Council."

"On April 19, riot police arrested approximately 100 individuals participating in a demonstration organized by the Belarusian NGOs Zubr and Charter 97 against living conditions in Belarus. Reports indicate that 33 demonstrators were sentenced to between 3 and 15 days under detention and that another 10 people were fined 200,000 to 1,700,000 rubles."

"On April 18, Secretary General Kubis articulated the Chair's right to appoint a Special Envoy as reflected in OSCE documents and long established practice."

"The Chair's appointment of Ambassador Heiken as Special Envoy in Matters of Cooperation with Belarus clearly reflects good faith and good will on the Chair's part to strengthen the relationship of the OSCE with Belarus as represented by the OSCE Mission in Belarus in a cooperative and constructive spirit."

"Belarus has stressed its commitment to continued cooperation with the OSCE, including with the Advisory and Monitoring Group (AMG). Given actions to the contrary, however, only concrete reciprocation of the Chair's good faith by Belarus can reassure the international community, not only in Vienna but elsewhere, that Belarus shares the Chair's commitment to cooperation." (U.S. Embassy in Minsk, May 2)

REGIME STIFLES INDEPENDENT PRESS

The Belarusian authorities are doing whatever they can to stifle the independent written press: seizures, the closing of printing presses, the confiscation of material, threats to shut down media, attacks and intimidation the Reporters Without Borders, Paris-based media advocacy group, said in its 2002 Report on Press Freedom released on May 1, 2002. The full text of the report is located at: http://www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=1790

ARTICLE 19: GUIDELINES TO IMPROVE INFORMATION FLOW IN BELARUS

Article 19, the Global Campaign For Free Expression name after the number of the article guaranteeing freedom of expression in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, , released a report titled "Instruments Of Control: A Collection Of Legal Analyses Of Freedom Of Expression Legislation." The report gives detailed legal analyses of the Belarusian Draft Law On Introduction of Amendments to the Law On Press and other Mass Media, which was first circulated in October 2001, and the Draft Law On Ensuring Information Security. It also highlights other minor legal acts designed to inhibit the free flow of information, which often go unnoticed. The report sets out specific recommendations to the Belarusian government on how to improve its legislation so as to meet its international obligations in the sphere of freedom of expression and information. The text of the report is available at: http://www.article19.org

BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES WARN RUSSIAN TV JOURNALIST

On April 24, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry warned Pavel Selin, a journalist of NTV, the Russian private television network, that he could lose his accreditation to work in Belarus if he continues what the Ministry called "false and insulting reports." The Foreign Ministry summoned the journalist and demanded that he issue a correction and "apologize" in connection with "tendentiously presented unproven information." A Ministry's representative said Selin had been called in once before on January 9, 2002. The reports that irked the Ministry concerned the heavy flow of emigrants leaving Belarus and a protest at Kurapaty.

The reprimand followed harsh criticism of the reporter by Alexander Lukashenko in his April 23's annual address to the National Assembly. "Take the situation in Kurapaty. ... Pavel Selin from the NTV is sure that victims of repressions in the 1930s are buried there. Our scientists have proven this is not true. Selin just tries to support the opposition," said the Belarusian leader.

Many Belarusians rely on news from Russia's NTV, which was previously owned by a Russian tycoon until it was taken over by Gazprom, a state-connected giant gas company, last year. In 1997, Lukashenko was so angered by coverage of an opposition rally during which protesters clashed with police that he banned Russian television broadcasts for several days and revoked the accreditation of NTV reporter Alexander Stupnikov. (Belapan/ Nasha Svaboda, April 24)

OSCE AWARDS BELARUSIAN AND AUSTRIAN JOURNALISTS

The OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly awarded its annual Prize for Journalism and Democracy to Friedrich Orter, an Austrian TV-journalist, and Pavel Sheremet, a Belarusian TV-journalist. "These two journalists have contributed in an outstanding way to the promotion of the OSCE principles on democracy and human rights through their impartial and reliable reporting," said Gert Weisskirchen, chair of the OSCE PA's General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. "By upholding the highest journalistic standards, Dr. Orter and Mr. Sheremet epitomize the essence of the OSCE Prize for Journalism and Democracy."

Sheremet was recognized for showing admirable courage in his independent and reliable reporting on the lack of free expression in Belarus and on violations of human rights, including disappearances of opposition politicians and journalists

The $20,000 prize is awarded to journalists who have promoted OSCE principles on human rights, democracy, and the unimpeded flow of information. It was established in 1996, on the initiative of Freimut Duve, former member of the German Bundestag and current OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. The purpose of the Prize is to promote the principles of free journalism as laid down in the OSCE Budapest
Declaration in 1994. (OSCE, April 22)

U.S. CALLS ON BELARUS TO STEM VIOLENCE AT KURAPATY

The U.S. Embassy in Minsk expressed concerns about the recent outburst of violence at Kurapaty. On April 19, unknown assailants set fire to a tent, seriously burning Ales Poklad, one of three opposition activists sleeping in the tent while keeping a vigil at the site. Poklad was rushed to intensive care and remains in critical condition in a local hospital. The U.S. Embassy called on the Belarusian authorities to conduct a credible investigation of the incident as well as of previous instances of violence and to take appropriate steps to bring the perpetrators to justice and otherwise to protect peaceful protestors.

Protesters have been camped at Kuropaty since last October in an attempt to block the construction of a highway that would cut through the mass grave site. Despite credible evidence to the contrary, the Lukashenko government insists that no more than 7,000 people are buried in the graves at Kurapaty, and that there is no evidence that they were victims of political repression. (In fact, in the glasnost era, the public prosecutor published a book indicating that there were at least 150,000 victims of mass persecution from the Stalin era in the mass graves at Kuropaty, and independent archeologists at the time put the number at 400,000 or more. Researchers have been hampered and harassed in their effort to document the events of the era.-Ed) (U.S. Embassy in Minsk, April 20)

OPPOSITION PARTY WARNED BY JUSTICE MINISTRY

The Belarusian Ministry of Justice issued a warning to the United Civil Party for publishing information that allegedly "denigrates the honor and dignity of the head of the state, and contains unconfirmed and slanderous allegations." Narodnaya Volya, an independent newspaper, carried in its April 27 issue an article titled "Return What Is Stolen!" written by Anatoly Lebedko, Party's chairman. The opposition leader accused Lukashenko of continuous defiance of the international law by supplying Iraq and other rogue states and terrorist regimes with high quality military equipment in order to obtain hard currency. The party has raised questions about where the proceeds from arms sales have gone, and has asked for a public accounting.

(According to East European intelligence sources and Jane's Defense International, the Lukashenko government has allegedly made secret deliveries of over $500 million dollars' worth of weapons, including 120 mm mortars, anti-tank rockets, mines and Katusha rockets, to Palestinian militants and countries that harbor terrorists, including Syria and Iran. The Belarusian and Russian governments deny the allegations.-Ed.) (Radio Racyja, May 1)

-AT HOME IN BELARUS-

SELLING GUNS TO TERRORISTS, FROM THE "HEART OF EUROPE"

"The time for simply talking tough about an outlaw in the heart of Europe has passed," wrote Mark Lenzi, a Fulbright scholar based in Lithuania, in an article titled "Selling Guns To Terrorists, from the 'Heart Of Europe'" published in the Wall Street Journal on April 26. According to Lenzi, "in light of the current situation in the Middle East and Iraq, the Bush administration must develop a comprehensive strategy to deal with Belarus and compel President Putin to force Belarus to cease its support for rogue states and terrorist regimes."

The problem of how to deal with Belarus represents a "unique challenge," the author continued. However, the good news is that a solution is not difficult to find -- it will only require "political will." According to Lenzi, the Kremlin influences Belarus to a "degree that cannot be overstated." The basis for the influence is "heavily subsidized energy from Russia is the only reason the Belarusian economy has not collapsed altogether." Russian President Vladimir Putin is the "only leader that Mr. Lukashenko respects because he has the necessary power and political leverage to oust the Belarusian dictator if he chose to do so." The article suggests that the Bush administration must recognize this and develop a strategy to deal with Belarus that incorporates Washington's new relationship with Russia.

During President Bush's upcoming visit to Moscow he must "initiate a constructive dialogue with the Russian leader on this issue and persuade President Putin to use the Kremlin's overwhelming leverage on Mr. Lukashenko to end covert weapons sales to rogue states and terrorist groups," wrote Lenzi. The author believes that if Moscow refuses to use its influence in the matter and Lukashenko continues his dealings with the terrorist world, then Washington should consider all options available including direct interdiction of Belarusian weapons exports.

(Local observers claim that Russian arms dealers, possibly related to the Kremlin itself, have been using Belarus as a cover to sell weapons to avoid publicity at home. Authorities have reacted by threatening any opposition leaders or newspapers that attempt to discuss the issue with imprisonment. On the day the Wall Street Journal published Lenzi's article, a Belarusian official delegation led by Leonid Kozik, deputy head of the presidential administration, concluded a three-day visit to Iraq.-Ed) (WSJ, April 26)

LUKASHENKO CRITICIZES HIS OWN BUREAUCRACY

On April 29, Alexander Lukashenko unleashed a sharp attack on his government, accusing bureaucrats of economic mismanagement. The presidential administration press service said the Belarusian leader had issued "a final warning" to 16 high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Gennady Novitsky, and sacked the heads of four public enterprises, as well as Health Minister Vladislav Ostapenko, whom he held responsible for poor hospital administration. "The head of state severely criticized the work of the government in the first quarter of 2002 and said he was dissatisfied by its economic performance -- no national recovery, a decline in corporate profits, increases in unsold stocks and falling competitiveness of the Belarusian products," the press service said. Analysts have said lingering vestiges of the Soviet economic model has hampered the economy of Belarus.(Belapan, April 30)

LUKASHENKO APPROVAL RATING DROPS TO 30 PERCENT

The Belarusian leader, who likes to say that opposition and media attacks only increase his popularity among ordinary people, now has some reasons to worry. According to a poll conducted by the Independent Institute for Social and Economical Studies in Minsk, following the presidential election last fall, Lukashenko's public approval rating dropped to 30% from 57%. The majority of respondents based their negative attitude toward the Belarusian leader on his failure to fulfill pre-election promises to improve the economic situation in the country. Over 60% of respondents have repeatedly suffered from delays of salaries and pensions. Out of 67% of respondents who plan to cast their ballots in local elections, only 29% are going to vote for pro-Lukashenko candidates and 28.5% intend to give their votes to opposition candidates. At the same time, only 16.5% of respondents think that Lukashenko's opponents will win the elections.

- RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN BELARUS-

VANDALS DESTROY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL

On April 28, unknown individuals burned down the Roman Catholic chapel in the village of Kuntsevshchina, the Minsk District. The local residents called the police and fire fighters, but they never showed up, citing lack of fuel for their cars. In an interview to Belapan, Fr. Vladimir Zavalnyuk, a Roman Catholic priest of the church of Sts. Simon and Helen in Minsk, said that it was an arson committed to intimidate the local Roman Catholic community. He added that until a new church is built, religious services will be conducted in the open air.

(The League notes that official propaganda continues to target Catholics as destructive groups that engage in fanatical rituals and pose a threat to society. They claim that Catholics and Protestants threaten Russian Orthodox priests with physical violence and present a threat to the country, its psychological health, and its security-Ed.). (Belapan, May 1)

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OPENS IN MINSK

A Jewish community center was opened in Minsk on April 24 and greeted as a major development for the country's Jews. "In every family there is such a happy day, when they can open their door to their home with their own key. Today for us is such a day," said Leonid Levin, president of the Belarusian Union of Jewish Communities, at the opening ceremony. U.S. Ambassador Michael Kozak and Turkish Ambassador Fatma Sule Soysal attended the event. The center is in a former knitting factory and provides a wide range of facilities and services, including a museum of Jewish culture, and some athletic equipment. (Belapan, April 25)

************************************************************************
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.

************************************************************************

Back