CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 9, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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CSC BLAMES LEONOV FOR INFLICTING $4MLN DAMAGE ON STATE
As a result of examinations into MTPs trade transactions scheme, launched by
the Committee for state control and procuracy, they disclosed the damage of at
least $4mln, inflicted upon the state, the journalists were informed by the head
of the chief department for control over the exterior economic activities Yaroshevsky.
According to him, the monetary form of payment constituted by late last year
only 4%, while the export alone amounted to $265mln. At present, the plants
indebtedness before the national budget constituted over 50bln Belarusian rubles,
while their debtors indebtedness reached the level of $73mln. The investigation
also found out that the existing schemes of trade operations of non-monetary
payment enabled the MTPs leadership to commit power abuse for personal gain
or for some other reasons. Yaroshevsky reported that the head of company is the
one to blame for such an unfortunate state of affairs. None of the trade operations,
especially big ones, had been initiated without his consent. According to the
CSC official, one of the reasons why they embarked on the financial examination
of MTPs activities, was their problems will selling the product overseas.
Earlier today we learnt that in connection with the detention by the law-enforcement
bodies of the director general of the Minsk tractor plant Mikhail Leonov, against
whom on January 5 they instituted criminal proceedings for power abuse, resulting
in disastrous consequences, and negligence, entailing the infliction of large-scale
damage on the state, the functions of the director were handed over to the companys
technical director L.Krupets, Interfax was told in the Ministry of industry.
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HUNDREDS USED CARTRIDGE CASES UNEARTHED IN KUROPATY
Making excavations in Kuropaty in order to build an underpass there, the workers
bumped into a few hundred bullet cases, dating back to Soviet times. The shells
were found a few meters below the surface. In order to resume the construction
works the builders first have to receive archeologists conclusion on the origin
of their discovery.
Today Kuropaty was visited by the senior professor of the Institute of science
of the National Academy of Sciences archeologist Oleg Iov. Heres what the man
said in his interview to Radio Svaboda:
In Kuropaty they unearthed some two hundred Soviet cartridge-cases. There are
cases, manufactured in 1938 and 1949; some are from small-caliber guns, some
are from the rifle. But thats a preliminary data. We got to select cases from
weapons of different caliber, clean their insides well, and find out something
more concrete.
The place of the finding is located some 150 meters away from the Kuropaty mass
grave. So its quite hard for me to say whether they have anything to do with
the killings or there was some combat action here. However, nobody heard of any
battles, that had taken place here.
Oleg Iov also discovered some cartridge-cases, produced in 1960. At the moment,
he cannot explain how they appeared together with the ones, manufactured over
the war period.
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PACE DELEGATION SET OFF FOR MINSK AFTER WINTER SESSION
The delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will visit
Belarus after its winter session comes to an end  i.e. in late January and early
February, said at todays press-conference chair of the commission for international
affairs of the house of representatives Anatoly Malofeev. As you remember,
the decision to dispatch to Belarus a special PACE delegation to study the political
situation on the spot was passed last November.
It was planned that the international parliamentarians would draw their report
for the PACE Political Committee, which will consider on January 22-23 in Strasbourg
the Belarusian issue. Since then the schedule of delegations coming has thrice
been changed.
Today it finally got clear that eight deputies from the house of representatives
intend to visit Strasbourg. Five of them (Konoplev, Novosyad, Vaganov, Losev
and Lipkin) were invited by the international structures, while three others
want to go at the parliaments expense.
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BELARUSIAN PROCURACY CLUELESS TO CRIMINAL CODE
BelTAs message  with a reference to the press-center of the Belarusian procuracy
(published on the front page of the state Respublika newspaper on January 9)
confirmed that the director of the Minsk tractor plant Leonov is suspected of
committing felonies, envisaged by art.166/2 and 168 of the Criminal code. These
articles are the following: Rape and Sexual intercourse with a person under
16. Obviously, the Belarusian procuracy is unaware of the norms of the current
countrys Criminal code, having confused it with an old one.
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KGB DOESNT CALM DOWN
Another ZUBR activist was summoned to KGB for interrogation purposes  this time
it was an activist from Grodno Evgeny Klimov. The formal basis for that was his
detention on September 9. Back on that day he had been driving to Minsk in his
car. Evgeny tells that throughout that day he saw that some folks were constantly
after him. Four cars, taking shifts, would follow him everywhere he went. They
intentionally didnt hide away from his sight. Its as if they sought to threaten
him not to drive out of the town. However, ZUBR activist all the same managed
to get them off but was stopped outside of his hometown by the traffic police.
Those, who were following him, stood there too. They presented their police IDs
but delivered Evgeny to the local KGB headquarters.
There they explained to ZUBR that hes a witness in the lawsuit, opened against
the distributors of illegal flyers. The leaflets were spread out overnight September
6-7 on behalf of some Belarusian liberation army. Although Klimov was but an
eye-witness, they let him go not until he stayed in detention for a day or so.
On September 9 they also captured heads of the Grodno affiliates of the Narodnaya
Gromada, BPF and the Young Front. But now it is only Evgeny who received subpoena.
Tomorrow hes supposed to show up for interrogation.
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REPLACEMENT FOR MIKHAIL LEONOV
In connection with the detention by the law-enforcement bodies of the director
general of the Minsk tractor plant Mikhail Leonov, against whom on January 5
they instituted criminal proceedings for power abuse, resulting in disastrous
consequences, and negligence, entailing the infliction of large-scale damage
on the state, the functions of the director were handed over to the companys
technical director L.Krupets, Interfax was told in the Ministry of industry.
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MEDICS SUFFER PERSECUTION
BDG
Right before the New Year Eve the prosecutor general of Belarus Viktor Sheiman
informed the president that the Belarusian procuracy opened legal action over
the lack of action and negligence against certain representatives of the
central hospital of the presidential administration  the one where they watch
over the health condition of the countrys top officials. However, this incident
does look like a farce, rather than something serious. The persons behind this
game are the loyal law-enforcement institutions.
BDG correspondent was told in the procuracys press-service that so far they
havent yet defined the circle of official medics, suspected of having committed
some crimes. Nonetheless, even now the procuracy people have no doubt that this
wont be just one or two individuals. The law-enforcers found out numerous violations
with the purchase of medical equipment by the hospital, along with those, committed
during the salary and pension payments. Viktor Sheiman told the president that
the total damage as a result of these infringements constituted over 260mln BLR.
We learnt that the whole scenario had been concocted in the same Committee for
State Control. Some two months ago the CSC held thorough financial examination
into the hospitals documentation, discovering certain wrongs there. It was two
months ago that they first determined to open legal action under art.425 and
428 of the Criminal code.
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DISAPPEARANCE ISSUE TO BE REGULARLY RAISED IN EU SAYS ELIZABETH SHROEDTER
In the letter to Alexander Lukashenko the European Parliament demanded to launch
independent investigation into the disappearances of prominent Belarusians. The
MEPs forwarded their address to the Belarusian leader in hopes that the official
Minsk will embark on the impartial investigation into the matter, says deputy
chair of the EP group for Belarus Elizabeth Shroedter from German Greens faction.
We expect that both Lukashenko and his encirclement will responsibly work in
this direction, which would signify that theres still some rule of law in Belarus.
At the moment we see this country massively violating human rights, while the
European structures, such as the OSCE, are experiencing certain difficulty in
cooperation with Belarus,  said in an interview to Radio Svaboda Mrs.Shroedter.
Given we do not get a concomitant response from the official Minsk now, well
keep raising this issue over and over again. Human disappearances are a topic,
which cant leave anyone indifferent,  said the lady.
Well-known German EP analysts consider it to be a serious sign: no one in Europe
forgot about the previous pre-election sins of the official Minsk.
Experts believe that the EPs letter is to be viewed in light of the restricted
mandate, about to be offered to the OSCE group by the Belarusian authorities.
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LUKASHENKO RETALIATES FOR PAST FEARS
Last year the Belarusian leader pledged to incarcerate 15 heads of the Belarusian
enterprises. Seven of them were arrested before the New Year, while on January
8 police captured the eighth  director of the Minsk tractor plant. Therefore,
for the final restoration of the economy they still have to arrest seven more
representatives of the Belarusian directorate.
Monday night the law-enforcers captured director general of the Minsk tractor
plant Mikhail Leonov, who was trying to leave Belarus. Police captured him on
a train en route to Russia.
Rumors about Leonovs possible arrest appeared in early November last year. However,
later in the month the law-enforcers unleashed a thorough examination into the
MTPs financial activities.
As claimed by most Belarusian observers, the charges, to be brought against Leonov,
will be typical: financial machinations, fraud, large-scale embezzlement and
tax-evasion.
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WITNESSES ON CHIGIRS CASE DENY THEIR OWN TESTIMONY
The Leninsky court of Minsk continues proceedings on the case of Alexander Chigir,
Anton Yashin and Dmitry Yutskevich. Three young men, including Alexander Chigir
(former PMs son), are charged with a group theft  (art.205/4 of the Criminal
code). In case their guilt is proven, they may get sentenced to 7-15 years in
jail.
In particular, the young men are indicted for the alleged stealing of cars with
consequent sale. The case files contain four criminal episodes, although none
of the defendants admits his guilt. Moreover, in the courtroom Yashin and Yutskevich
denied their own testimony, which they gave during the investigation. They claimed
that the detectives exerted physical and psychological pressure on them.
Yesterday the jury cross-examined a few witnesses, including a few technicians,
working in the car mending workshop in the Tarasovka village, in the vicinity
of Minsk. At that station Alexander Chigir is said to have fixed some vehicles,
including Ford Transit, of hijacking which the men are accused. According to
the investigation, the car had been stolen from the individual entrepreneur Nikolai
Mazhytko, although Alexander Chigir insists that he purchased the vehicle from
some Russian seller. Some of the technical workers also recalled that there used
to be Russian plates on the car, while one of them even mentioned the number.
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SOLIGORSK TRADE UNIONS SET TO PROTEST
The Minsk regional committee satisfied the petition of the Soligorsk trade unions
to hold on January 11 (at 3.30-5.30p.m.) a 10 thousand-strong meeting at the
Stroitel stadium in Soligorsk. The December ruling of the Cabinet On measures
to protect trade unionists rights provoked a wave of protest among the trade
union members. One of the first organizations to publicly protest against that
decision was the trade union of the Belaruskaliy company. In the miners letter
to the heads of companies, organizations and institutions it is written: under
a false pretext of protecting trade unions rights the Cabinet passed a ruling,
which arbitrarily liquidates the possibility of cashless transfer of trade union
dues by the workers of all forms of ownership. Thats just another attempt in
disguise to suppress the trade union movement.
This document, as recognized previously, contradicts the decision of the Constitutional
court of February 21, 2001, articles 107 of the Labor and 117 of the Civil codes.
These confirm the legality of withdrawing trade unions dues from the workers
salary upon his preliminary consent, which fully complies with the Constitution
and international legal acts.
The trade union committee called on its members to stay together, prevent any
division and tell yes to the societys democratic development in Belarus.
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DIRECTORS COME UNDER FIRE
The Committee for state control of the Brest region demanded to relieve from
the occupied post the director of the Baranovichistroibyt company for the untimely
payment of salaries and distortion of facts in final reports.
At the regions 121 enterprises they havent yet paid wages for November 2001,
which is 3,6bln rubles in total. Around a hundred of agricultural companies still
have to pay their workers their October money  1,3bln rubles. 313 husbandries
owe for November 5,7bln rubles. The most complex is the state of affairs at the
Maloritsky, Ivanovsky, Gantsevichsky, Pruzhansky and Stolinsky districts. Here
the indebtedness fluctuates from 59 to 73% of the salary payment fund. In this
connection, the CSC demanded that the local executive hold the heads of companies
responsible for the salary payment delays.
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NO DEMAND FOR BELARUS STOCKS
On December 26 and 28, 2001 the state organized two contests on selling the stock
of the state-run open joint stock companies. The Ministry of economy reports
that they havent managed to sell any shares of the 18 state-owned companies
on December 26, as far as no demands had been received from potential buyers,
report IA EKOPRESS.
At the December 28 auction, at which they sought to sell shares of the Planet
Hotel enterprise, the winner was the firm ROBI ROSE GROUP Ltd. from Lebanon,
which offered the highest bid - $2,400,000 and which proposed the best conditions
 investing at least $4,000,000 in course of 2002-2004 period.
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FRUSTRATION OF FREE GAS HOPES
Poland intends to turn down the idea of laying a second branch of the gas pipeline
Yamal-Europe, crossing the territory of Belarus, said Polish Vice-Minister
of Economy Marek Kosovsky at the January 10 meeting in Moscow with the representatives
of the Russian government and Gasprom. Refusal to build the second part of
the pipeline practically means the frustration of hopes of the Belarusian side
for receiving free-of-charge gas: expenses on its purchase (given the current
price-level remains) would be compensated by transit profits.
At the same time Poland may consent to constructing a transit pipeline all along
the eastern boundary, stretching all the way from Kobrin (Belarus) to Velke-Kapushany
(Slovakia). In exchange, the country expects the prolongation of the 1995 contract
for the supply of Russian gas through the first pipe of the Yamal pipeline 
until 2029 instead of 2020, but with the preservation of the same volume of gas
(250bln cubic meters).
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MINIMAL WAGE IN UKRAINE $26, BELARUS - $6
The Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma signed an order On establishing the size
of the minimal salary for the year 2002, approved by the Parliament on December
13, 2001. This was announced by the department for information and public relations
of the presidential Administration of Ukraine. Under the law, the minimal wage
in Ukraine for the first half of 2002 was set at the level of 140 grivnas, while
for the second  165 grivnas ($26 and $31 accordingly). In Belarus the minimal
salary equals to 10 thousand rubles or $6.
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NOVEMBER WAGES UNPAID IN MOGILEV
The Mogilev region preserves salary indebtedness. On January 1 the total size
of the debts for November 2001 amounted to 745bln rubles, or 1,3% of the monthly
salary payment fund. 665mln out of this sum is owed by the agricultural enterprises,
while the rest of the money  by industrial companies.
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MOGILEV REGION FAILS PLAN
The prognosis results of industrial growth for the year 2001 in the Mogilev region
are apparently not fulfilled. According to the preliminary data, voiced at the
plenary session of the Mogilev town hall, there have been achieved the expected
results in housing construction, export, commodity turnover and utility services.
The industrial companies lack 0,7% in order to comply with the planned parameters.
Among the major reasons, which didnt let the local domestic industry to reach
the planned level are the fall in the production volume as compared with the
year 2000 of the Mogilev industrial concern Himvolokno, as well as certain
food and baking companies.
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POLAND RESTRICTS IMPORT OF EXCISED GOODS
According to the ruling of the Minister of finances of Poland Marek Belk, in
2002 his country restricted import of excised commodity for certain categories
of individuals. Among them are transport drivers, who regularly go on international
travels, those working in customs zones and residents of the frontier regions.
At the moment these people are allowed to bring tax-free to the territory of
the neighboring state no more than half-liter of alcohol, 15 cigarettes, 5 cigars,
25 milliliters of perfume, 100 milliliters of Cologne.
Persons, who arent mentioned in this list, still have the right to bring to
Poland two bottles of vodka and 200 cigarettes. However, one can enjoy his duty-free
right only once a month.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 9, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml