Charter'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
December 14, 2001
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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LUDMILA GRYAZNOVA TURNS DOWN BSU REINSTATEMENT PROPOSAL
13th Supreme Soviet deputy Ludmila Gryaznova declined the proposal of the Belarusian
State University administration to reinstate her at her previous work. The lady
believes that at first the authorities got to cease the harassment and restore
at work all MPs, who ran the impeachment motion against Lukashenko back in 1996.
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CRIMINAL ACTION FOR GRAFFITI TO BE OPENED AGAIN
The court of the Zheleznodorozhny district of Gomel resumed on December 13 hearings
of the administrative case on the violation of presidential decree#8 (on foreign
aid use) by the chair of the youth center Gart Sergei Odinets. As it had been
reported previously, the equipment costing $4thousand was seized from Gart
by the Gomel region KGB on August 10 within the framework of the criminal case
for graffiti.
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US EMBASSY SHOW GRATITUDE TO BELARUSIAN PEOPLE FOR COMMEMORATION OF TERRORIST
ATTACKS VICTIMS
US Embassy in Belarus expressed gratitude to Belarusian people and government
for participation in a in commemoration of victims of September 11 terrorist
attacks. A minute of silence on Belarusian state TV and radio, American diplomatic
mission press release says, was a worthy sign of reverence to more than three
thousands people from more than 80 countries including Belarus, whose life ended
that day. In the press release of the diplomatic mission a hope is expressed
that the friends of America would further resist to terrorism threat in every
possible way.
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PROFESSOR HUNT CONTINUES
Hrodna Medical University Professor Kazimir Kankol, having served 4 months and
4 days term for bribery, was released. But his place in the pre-trial detention
center was occupied by vice principle of the same university Leanid Kivach. Leanid
Kivach was placed to pre-trial detention center on September 20, a month before
Kankols trial began. The charge was the same- bribe taking.
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CHURCH REPRESSIONS
Nasha Svaboda
For schismatic activities priest of a church in Klepachy village in Brest region
Ian Spasiuk was deprived of a dignity of Russian Orthodox Church priest. This
judgment was made at a common assembly of the Hrodna regional clergy.
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FARMING TOTALLY ANNIHILATED
Session of the Zhitkovichi district Council of deputies (Gomel region) declined
the protest of the prosecutor of Gomel region and the ruling of the Committee
for state control on the restoration in rights of a farmer Mikhail Shrub for
using the land he leases. BelaPAN reports that in 1998 the farmer was allowed
by the district authorities to rent 179 hectares of land, as far as he was gathering
ten times greater crops than the local collective farms. However, next year the
new head of the district Petr Savitsky cancelled this decision: they took away
land from the farmer but never abrogated the rent agreement.
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TRADE UNION PASSES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE AGAINST GOMEL RADIO PLANTS LEADERSHIP
A no-confidence vote against the administration of the Gomel radio plant will
be considered at the extracurricular trade union conference, scheduled for January
15, 2002. This decision was passed December 13 by the companys trade union committee,
which BelaPAN was told by its chair Vassily Stepantsov. The basis for that was
the spontaneous strike by some of the factorys workshops, which took place a
few days before.
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2ND CELL OPERATOR ARRIVES IN BELARUS
Vice-President of the Russian Mobile TeleSystems joint stock company Yuri Gromakov
came to Minsk. The purpose of his coming was the resumption of talks on the formation
of the joint Belarusian-Russian company, which will become second cellular GSM
operator on the territory of Belarus. According to the well-informed sources,
to which BelaPAN refers, Gromakov intends to meet with the deputy Minister for
communication of Belarus Vladimir Karpovich and director of the Intercity communications
company Konstantin Tikar.
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AMG OSCE MINSK OFFICE BUGGED BY BELARUSIAN SPECIAL SERVICES SAYS HANS-GEORG WIECK
Head of the OSCE Advisory-Monitoring Group in Belarus ambassador Hans-Georg Wieck
doubts that the missions mandate may be revised within the next two years. The
diplomat said that on Thursday in his exclusive interview to Interfax. The
ambassador underscored that the present-day OSCE Chairman-in-office and his successor
on the post, who will replace him next year, will have to react to the requests
and demands of the Belarusian side, concerning the change of the OSCE Minsk
groups mandate. However, said Wieck, he nevertheless doubts that the mandates
format can be altered before the next OSCE summit. The ambassador again refuted
any espionage accusations, voiced against him. Belarusian intelligence planted
bugging devices in OSCE offices and eavesdropped the content of all meetings,
which took place here,  said Mr.Wieck, stressing one more time that all these
meetings and discussions were totally open and had nothing to do with any reconnaissance
activities of mine.
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EPISODE OF ZAVADSKYS ABDUCTION EXAMINED IN COURT
Drawing a conclusion to the three weeks, when the episode with Zavadskys abduction
was considered in court, the lawyers stress that no credible evidence of the
accused Ignatovich and Maliks responsibility was given. The facts that investigators
call Ignatovich and Maliks responsibility proofs, no careful lawyer can consider
evidence, -- says one of the attorneys, who is to stay incognito because the
process is closed, to Radio Svaboda.
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PROCURACY ACKNOWLEDGES KUROPATY AS MASS BURIAL OF STALINIST VICTIMS
Belarusian procuracy officially confirmed the mass slaughter of the countrys
citizens by the NKVD death squads in Kuropaty. This confession is contained in
the letter, forwarded to the public initiative For Kuropaty memorials salvation,
which demanded to reveal the findings of the latest research, carried out at
the mass entombment. However, procuracy declines to make these data public in
state media.
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FIRST VICTORY OF OPPOSITION IN COURT. LUKASHENKA TURNS IN HIS OWN
Belarusian Television is obliged to publicly ask Anatol Lyabedzkas forgiveness
and is sentenced to a fine of 600 thousand BLR, while Yuri Azarionak is sentenced
to a fine of 400 thousand BLR, the ruling of the Pervamajsky district court in
Minsk reads. Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the United Civil Party, accused the
author of the political series Secret Springs of Politics, Yuri Azarionak,
of libel, insult of his honor and infliction of moral damage. The court satisfied
the petition. Azarionak, as said by him, is determined to appeal the ruling and
to lodge a petition to court of another instance.
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LIBERALIZATION AS A COMMERCIAL GIMMICK
Proclaimed liberalization of the Belarusian economy is merely a series of nice-worded
declarations, derived from the economy textbooks. They have little to do with
the real market economy, conclude the participants of the press-clubs session,
organized by the International Financial Corporation in Minsk. This is especially
clearly seen in the sphere of investment policy. Investors are being promised
a lot, but get no security guarantees for their capitals, reports Radio Ratsya.
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Charter'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
December 14, 2001
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml