Mailing List Service Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE December 27, 2001 read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml ---------------------------------------------------------------- ZUBR HOLDS KGB ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DEATH OF THEIR MEMBER The protest against the intimidation, recruitment and blackmailing of Belarusian youths by the Committee for state security (KGB) took place in Minsk main prospect, right opposite the Belarusian KGB headquarters. Twenty activists of ZUBR resistance movement formed a living chain opposite the KGB central office, raising the portrait of their late comrade activist of the resistance movement Andrei Zaitsev, who, as reads ZUBRs statement, was led by KGB to a suicide. His demise took place on December 20 in Gomel. His burial was held on Monday at the Randovsky graveyard of Gomel. Andrei Zaitsev was 24-years old. A few days before the tragedy the bloke addressed the local Belarusian Helsinki Committee office with the request to protect his constitutional rights. The statement read that KGB is exerting pressure on Andrei, forcing him to become their informant. The statement also mentions that Andrei got into the spotlight of KGBs attention back in spring, when he faced legal action. The young man dated a fifteen year old girl, whose parents didnt like their relationships and petitioned the police. The law-enforcers opened proceedings under art.168 of the Criminal Code (sexual intercourse with a person under 16). In August this year the court acquitted Zaitsev, as far as the expertise showed that there had been no sexual contact between the two. After that the law-enforcement bodies started laying pressure on Andrei. Despite the acquittal, they again opened legal action against him in late October. In early December KGB agent Alexander Evstigneev (thats what his ID read) contacted Zaitsev. Their first meeting happened in the military conscription committee. KGB agent threatened Andrei that in case he refuses to become their informant they would deal with him most harshly. ---------------------------------------------------------------- AL QAEDA, LUKASHENKO HAVE SAME BUDDIES Since 1996 Belarus has been ranked among the worlds top ten exporters of weapons. In 2000 Belarus sold arms worth 498mln dollars, taking the sixth place among the exporters of weaponry worldwide. This year the authoritative western agencies, referring to the CIA and the European experts data, reported about the supplies of Belarusian ammunition to the countries which relate to global terrorism. According to them, a significant part of the Belarusian arms cargo is shipped to Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, Angola, Sierra-Leone, Congo and Ethiopia. Lukashenko has numerously called these regimes friendly ones. In one of its latest issues the Russian periodical Sovershenno sekretno (Strictly confidential Russian) declares that the Iraqi, Iranian, Sudanese, Libyan and Pakistani regimes had been backing Osama bin Ladens terrorist organization Al Qaeda throughout its short history. Read further on our site the material In Al Qaedas web, published by the Russian newspaper Sovershenno sekretno. ---------------------------------------------------------------- WITNESSES CONFIRM IGNATOVICHS IMPLICATION IN KILLINGS Testimonies of the secret witnesses prove that Ignatovich and his accomplices are guilty of mass murders of Belarusian nationals. As you remember, the Minsk regional court continues hearings over the former Almaz fighter Valery Ignatovich, who, among other things, is charged with abducting in July last year an ORT cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky. This episode was by the way considered by court but it remains still unclear what happened to Zavadsky and where the man is right now. However, theres plenty of proof as concerns Ignatovichs other bloody crimes and his links with the Belarusian special services. At the moment they interrogate witnesses of murders and ill-treatment of other Belarusian citizens. Among those, due to give testimony, we again find some secret individuals. These are the ones, who consented to give testimony on the condition that Ignatovich wouldnt be present in the courtroom. Yesterday one of such witnesses, who is himself placed behind bars, told the jury how the group of Ignatovich treated the captives. According to the sources, he mentioned some barbaric atrocities. The lawyers dont rule out that Zavadsky could have been exposed to similar treatment. Some assume that Ignatovich learnt the technique of handling the prisoners either in Chechnya or in some of the Russian or Belarusian secret services bases. This issue was raised by another secret witness, asserting that the criminals actions were as professional as riot polices. ---------------------------------------------------------------- HOMEL HOSPITALS IN DEBT FOR MEDICINES The indebtedness of the hospitals of Homel region for drugs is equal to 1.5 billion BLR. Despite this, pharmaceutical firms agreed to supply medications on credit. As BelaPAN was informed by the Homel executive committees health direction, hospitals addressed trade enterprises as well with a request to deliver foodstuffs on credit, but it has not been agreed yet. The rations in the hospitals deteriorated as the budget money for that has almost ended. ---------------------------------------------------------------- BREWERS PRESENT REDUCED PRICES Before the New Year and Christmas Holidays brewers from Lida have made a present for customers. Owing to reduced trade additional charges from 30% to 20% in their firm shops, the prices were reduced. And other stores that sell production of the local brewery, did the same. ---------------------------------------------------------------- INDEPENDENT KUTSEINA EDITOR DEPRIVED OF LICENSE Orsha town hall ruled to invalidate the entrepreneurial license of the editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Kutseina Viktor Andreev. The man himself states that he only learnt about the deprivation of license by sheer accident. On December 5 the meeting of the Orsha town hall passed the concomitant decision on the matter. However, Viktor Andreev received an official notification of the fact not until Christmas eve, when he personally made an inquiry to the town authorities. The text of the received message evoked lots of questions to the representatives of the local authorities, so now Andreev is hoping to settle down the dispute in court. The thing is, they pointed him at two absolutely contradictive violations of business order, used as the basis for leaving him without a license. On one hand, they claim that he hasnt been involved in any business for 6 months, which is the reason why his license is liable to automatic nullification. On the other, as reads the official response, Viktor Andreev has been deprived of his license for illicit entrepreneurial activities. ---------------------------------------------------------------- REAL MONEY ENERGY PAYMENT IN DECLINE IN BELARUS Payments in real money for the energy supplies are falling in number, reports the Belarusian state energy concern. According to the Belenergo specialists, over the eleven months of this year the consumers paid only for 35,4% of utilized energy (total sum 85,7%), while the 2000 money payment constituted 44,7%. Practically all Ministries and concerns exceed the limits on barter payments for the consumed heat and energy, established by the government last summer. The concern representatives notice that under such conditions the energy suppliers have no opportunity to finance in the amount needed their own expenses on the production of energy. Moreover, theres a growing number of delays in payments, enjoyed by some energy debtors. At present, their sum equals to 41,8bln rubles, whereas the analogous one for the natural gas users is way lower 6,9bln rubles. Belenergo reports that the companies working under the roof of the Belneftehim concern, having a high level of payment for the consumed energy, do not fully pay in real money. In November they cleared off only 28,5% of their indebtedness in money, while the minimum limit is 40%. In particular, the companies of the petroleum industry of the Mogilev region paid in November only 12,8%. ---------------------------------------------------------------- LUKASHENKO SETTLES ACCOUNTS WITH OPPOSITION FOLLOWERS NTV Alexander Lukashenko is gradually tightening pressure on opposition. Three months after the presidential elections in Belarus, the results of which could well have been disputed, opposition comes under fire again. OSCE official in Minsk Hans-Georg Wieck confirms that there are repressions: Lukashenko launched a massive cleansing, directed against the nomenclature officials, who turned out on oppositions side during the elections, reports Inopressa.ru with a reference to the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau. OSCE observers pointed out mass violations, which occurred during the ballot, with Lukashenko getting over three quarters of all votes in the first round. Provided the vote count procedure had been properly held, his challenger Vladimir Goncharik would have at least deserved the second round. Nonetheless, the international indignation over the falsification of the election results in Minsk was overshadowed by dreadful terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The terrorist acts helped Lukashenko to distract the international communitys attention from his person. Economic reforms, proclaimed by Alexander Lukashenko in November, at first made some observers hope that improving relations between the USA and Russia may push the self-excommunicated regime of Lukashenko to political regeneration. However, the proposed draft laws on liberalization are more likely to increase states interference in the affairs of the countrys few private companies, rather than diminish it. Lukashenko is seemingly using the Anti-corruption campaign in order to pay retribution to his opponents in state structures. Over 700 are now facing legal proceedings, including the well-known trade unionists and plants directors, who used to be Lukashenkos outspoken critics in the past. University rectors, whose students almost in unison voted for opposition, are also being dismissed. ---------------------------------------------------------------- PESSIMISTIC STATE OF BELARUSIAN ECONOMY A state of Belarusian economy is called extremely pessimistic by foreign experts. An expert of the World Bank Vlada Krejacic has worked in our country recently, Radio Racyja informs. He studied the situation at 625 private enterprises in different regions of the country and used official statistic information for the last several years. As said by him, on one hand, Belarusian businessmen experience difficulties because they cannot compete with Russian manufacturers, and on the other hand, the conditions they work in is worse than in other CIS countries. Mr. Krejacic said that the first conclusion of the experts was that the controlling bodies that work in the country are too expensive for it. A little group of the entrepreneurs who try to survive in such conditions could be considered heroes. According to the expert, it is necessary to carry out an immediate liberalization in the 4 branches of the economy. First of all, it is a state control over commercial contracts. In the framework of these contracts the prices, goods production, forms of payment are kept under control. Then the liberalization of the prices, and cancellation of control over profits of the enterprises are required. The third issue is alternation of the licensing and certification order. And then, rates of rent for enterprises should be reduced. From the talks with the authorities representatives the expert has found out that all these circumstances hinder not only private, but also state enterprises. ---------------------------------------------------------------- LUKASHENKA ADMITTED ITS ALL OVER FOR HIM WITHOUT RUSSIA Lenta.ru During his stay in Moscow Alyaxandar Lukashenka declared, the time has come to dot our is. He explained that he meant the necessity of either putting into practice the agreement and program of the Union state formation, or amending these documents greatly, as publicly and openly as possible. According to Lukashenka, the line of advancing Russia is his priority and inevitability for him, and leaving this track Belarusian leader called his political death. ---------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNIONS DEMAND CANCELLATION OF ILLEGAL RULING The prohibition of non-cash transfer of trade union dues is a violation of the International Labour Organization Convention #87, that establishes an universal right of a worker for free associations, -- was written in the letter to Alyaxandar Lukashenka by Ron Oswald, Secretary General of the International Union of Food and Tobacco Industry Workers, Restaurant and Hotel Service, Public Catering and linked branches. Dear Mr.President, -- the declaration reads, -- We have been informed about the latest infringement of fundamental trade union rights in Belarus by a governmental Decree # 1804 sighed on December 14. By depriving the trade union members of the possibility for non-cash transfers this decree immediately puts at risk financial independence of the trade unions to defend the labour and living conditions of the Belarusian workers effectively. The prohibition of non-cash transfer of trade union dues is an outrageous violation of the International Labour Organizations Convention # 87, that establishes an universal right of a worker for free associations. On behalf of more than 11 millions workers of the IUF, I am empowered to call upon your government to cancel this decree at once, as it violates international law and practice and international norms. IUF will support the fight of the trade unions in your country to annul this odious decree, employing all our means, and we would regularly inform our members of the progress in settling this situation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE December 27, 2001 read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.charter97 http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com