CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 1, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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POLAND REMINDS BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES ABOUT DISAPPEARED OPPOSITIONISTS

During consultations between representatives of Foreign Ministries of Poland
and Belarus, Poland FM representatives expressed their concern about the attitude
of Belarusian authorities towards the Polish minority, and in particular, by
recent attempts to charge taxes on humanitarian aid from Poland, and to distrain
the property of the Union of Poles in Hrodna. The attitude of the state to the
national minorities is, among other things, an indicator of the level of democracy
in the country, -- said Marec Endris, director of the European department of
the Polish FM.
more

YURI BANDAZHEUSKY WROTE TWO SCIENTIFIC BOOKS IN JAIL

Professor of Medicine Yuri Bandazheusky was visited in Minsk colony of hard labour
by his attorney Syarhey Tsurko on January 31. In his interview to BelaPAN the
lawyer said that while serving his sentence Bandazheusky had prepared two scientific
books that are to be published abroad soon. According to Tsurko, Professor has
an opportunity to work in the library, use scientific periodicals. Professor
receives hundreds of letters every day from abroad, from politicians, scientists,
and common people. He feels support of different international organizations,
but not Belarusian ones, -- the lawyer said.
more

BELARUSIAN RAILWAY UNDER STRICT AUTHORITIES CONTROL

Administration of the Belarusian state Railway is considerably reduced. The Council
of Ministers considers that the number of the deputy directors of the Belarusian
Railway should be reduced. As BelaPAN was infored by the press-center of the
Belarusian Railway, under reorganization of the Railway administration many departments
and services will be combined, that it why the number of employees and persons
in charge is reduced. You must remember that at the present a criminal action
instituted against several top heads of the Belarusian Railway is investigated.
They are charged with abuse of office. On November 22 Lukashenka discharged Viktar
Rakhmanko, former head of the BR, from his position.

POLISH VISAS TO BE INTRODUCED

Poland is to introduce visas for Belarusians no earlier than in 2003. This information
was revealed during the consultations of the Foreign Ministers of Belarus and
Poland at the level of political departments on January 30. As the press secretary
of the Belarusian FM Pavel Latushka said, the question of visa regime with Belarus
would be put forward by the Polish side at the final stage of negotiations with
the European Union by Polands joining the EU.

ZINAIDA HANCHAR ACCUSES VLADIMIR PUTIN IN COMPLICITY TO LUKASHENKAS REGIME

Zinaida Hanchar, a wife of the prominent Belarusian politician Viktar Hanchar,
abducted on September 16, 1999, addressed Russian president Vladimir Putin with
another open letter. She observes with disappointment that she received no reply
for the previous appeal to the Russian leader, from November 26, 2001. Addressing
to the President of Russia, Zinaida Hanchar writes: You cannot be uninformed
of the crimes that take place on the territory of Belarus, but at the same time
you continue to keep silent and to support Lukashenkas regime. Well-known Russian
politicians over and over again carry out noisy campaigns criticizing the policy
of the Baltic States, allegedly for pressure on Russian people living on their
territories. They explain it by concern for their fellow-countrymens destiny.
I am Russian by nationality too, my son and me were born in Russia, and my mother
is a citizen of the Russian Federation. So why does the fate of my family not
bother Russian political elite? Silence of Russian politicians is understood
by the Belarusian authorities as permission for new crimes.
more

LUKASHENKA IS STALIN-ERA FOSSIL

It was the comparison the Austrian newspaper Standart employed for Belarusian
leader. In one of the articles the newspaper posed a question what Belarusian
dictator has in common with Polish anti-democrat Leper. Analyzing the phenomenon
of the Eastern European populism and anti- democratism on the example of the
leader of the Polish movement Self-Defense Andrzej Lepper, Warsaw and Vienna
philosophers Krol and Pfawigan believe that this Polish politician has adopted
much from Belarusian dictator Lukashenka, and not from Hitler or Mussolini.
more

JACKSON-VANICK AMENDMENT NOT CANCELLED FOR BELARUS

Belarus was not covered by the list of the countries for which Jackson-Vanick
amendment is to be abolished. This amendment was adopted by the Congress in 1974,
depriving the Soviet Union (and then post-Soviet countries) of the most- favored
nation status in its trade with the United States for restricting Jewish emigration.

ALL-REPUBLICAN PROTEST SCHEDULED FOR MARCH, 5

The presidium of the Trade Union Federation addressed its members with a proposal
to carry out an all-republican protest action. The trade union of the agriculture
mechanical engineering was the initiator the protest. Its leader Alyaxandar Bukhvostau
declared at the session of the trade union Federation that further dialogue with
the authorities on the problem of trade union dues collection is pointless.
more

FORMER ATLANT DIRECTOR RETURNED FROM ASYLUM TO PRE-TRIAL DETENTION CENTER

Former director of Minsk production association Atlant Leanid Kaluhin was transferred
from the mental hospital in Navinki to the pre-trial detention center. It happened
on January 30, and again his relatives were not notified about it. In the guarded
of the mental hospital they confirmed that Kaluhin left, but they refused to
inform about his diagnose referring to Hippocratic oath.
more

HUNGRY INTRUDERS
Vecherniy Minsk

Late at night an Orsha dweller came to the police station and told that the day
before, at 11 p.m. two unknown people entered his apartment and seized two kilos
of sausage. After that the robbers slipped out. The owner of the house had not
informed police about the incident, however he locked the door. To his surprise,
few hours later the same wrongdoers appeared again. This time they made their
way into the house by breaking a window. They beat, the man, took five kilograms
of meat was disappeared. The police officers managed to find out that the crime
was committed by a 20-year-old unemployed, who had previously served a term for
theft. Now he is wanted by the police. Another housebreaker has not been identified
yet.

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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 1, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml