Mailing List Service Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE February 21, 2002 read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml ---------------------------------------------------------------- BELARUS KNOCKS TOP SEED OUT OF GAMES, MAKES IT TO SEMIFINALS!!! At yesterday's Olympic ice hockey quarterfinals in Salt Lake City-2002 Belarus defeated the most skilled team of the tournament with a 4:3 victory, thus advancing to semifinals where it would meet Canada, which outscored Finland in a tight 2:1 win. The Charter_97 organizing committee congratulates our hockey players and particularly the goaltender Andrei Mezin with incredible performance on ice. Good job, guys! Make it gold! ---------------------------------------------------------------- BELARUS GOVERNMENT INTENSIFIES TACTICS AGAINST PRESS Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (Washington, DC--February 20, 2002) The government of Belarus is intensifying its campaign against the independent media that provided a platform for opposition candidates during last September's presidential election, according to four journalists who spoke at a recent briefing at RFE/RL's Washington office. ---------------------------------------------------------------- UCP CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY WITH POTENTIAL POLITICAL INMATES Recently the law-enforcement bodies have been displaying an incredible activism in protecting the honor and dignity of a citizen Lukashenka. Legal proceedings have been instituted against the UCP member from Rechitsa Natalya Brel, journalists Nikolai Markevich and Pavel Mozheiko of Grodno, five young ZUBR activists from Shklov. The United Civil Party considers such actions by the authorities to be the discrimination of citizens for political reasons, reads todays statement voiced by the UCP representatives. UCP also reminds that all legal actions have been opened against the regional activists and journalists, which, according to the party, can be viewed as the governments crusade around the regions ahead of the local elections. UCP urges all political parties, public associations and international organizations to manifest solidarity with the potential political prisoners and struggle shoulder to shoulder against the violation of their rights, particularly of the right for freedom. ---------------------------------------------------------------- BELARUSIAN JUDGES TO SWEAR OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO LUKASHENKA 2nd judiciary Congress of Belarus, where Alyaxandar Lukashenka himself takes part, is currently underway in Minsk. Prior to the Congress Lukashenka signed a series of documents, which are designed to contribute to the increase in the courts works efficacy. According to Lukashenkas press-secretary Natalya Petkevich, from now on all judges of general and economic courts of Belarus will have to take an oath before entering into their responsibilities. This procedure is called to underline the particular responsibility of judges, carrying out justice. Judges of the superior judicial institutions Supreme and High Economic Courts will swear their oaths to personally Alyaxandar Lukashenka. ---------------------------------------------------------------- BALTIKA GENERAL DIRECTOR WAS NOT INVITED TO MEETING WITH LUKASHENKA ABN (Agency of Business News) General director of the Brewery Baltika Taimuraz Bolloev has not received an invitation for a meeting with Lukashenka for solving a problem of future destiny of Krynitsa. As the press service of Baltika informs, the general director of Baltika found out from newspapers that a meeting of Bolloev and Lukashenka was scheduled for February 19. ---------------------------------------------------------------- LUKASHENKA FRUSTRATED OVER MINISTRY OF INDUSTRYS PERFORMANCE The Belarusian leader said this during his meeting with the chairman of the Committee for state control Anatoly Tozik. Tozik reported to Lukashenka about the course of the inspections into the Belneftehim and Ministry of healthcares activities, as well as of the outcomes of analysis of the financial-economic activities of certain leading companies, such as the Minsk Tractor Plant and the Belarusian metallurgic plant. Lukashenka pointed out the poor performance of the Ministry of industry and personally the Minister in eliminating negative tendencies in the work of the subordinate organizations. Lukashenka ordered Tozik to intensify control over his orders fulfillment. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 104 POLICE BROUGHT TO LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY In 2001 104 law-enforcers and 30 customs officers have been brought to the legal accountability, said at the 2nd Congress of judges Alyaxandar Lukashenka. The Belarusian leader declared that at present they are examining the activities of courts that belong to the countrys various districts and Minsk. Upon its outcomes Lukashenka pledged to convene a meeting of law-enforcers and judges. Dont get offended now, but we will be strict on you, promised the head of state. ---------------------------------------------------------------- CHINESE DELEGATION TO VISIT MINSK WITH WORKING MISSION On March 1-2, 2002 the delegation from China will pay an official visit to Minsk under the leadership of the deputy Foreign Minister Lee Chjasin. The visits purpose is to hold rounds of consultations between the Belarusian and Chinese FMs. It is planned to consider the condition and further perspectives of the Belarusian-Chinese relations. Also scheduled are the meetings of the Chinese deputy Minister with the first deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Vasily Pygachev, a series of meetings in the house of representatives and other officials. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 6 PARTIES, BLOCS TO GET SEATS IN UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT FOR SURE www.for-ua.com Given the elections into the Ukraines Supreme Rada took place this weekend, 6 parties and blocs would get seats in it: Viktor Yuschenkos bloc Our Ukraine and the Communist Party would win 18% votes, SDPU (O) 8,5%, the Greens 7%, bloc For united Ukraine and association Women for the future 5% each. Such data were received as a result of the sociological poll, conducted by the Sotsis firm and the Democratic initiatives foundation on February 1-7, 2002. ---------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT FOR SOWING, HARVESTING was set up upon the order of the Belarusian Prime Minister Gennady Novitsky. The stated purpose of its activities is the coordination of national and local state bodies on ensuring the preparation and normal implementation of the sowing campaign, storage of fodder, harvesting of crops and other agricultural activities. The headquarters, headed by Vice-Premier Alyaxandar Popkov, includes 15 people, among whom are the Minister of agriculture and foodstuffs Mikhail Rusy, the Minister of natural resources and environment Leonty Khoryzhnik, deputy Foreign Minister Alyaxandar Kyrlypo and chair of the Belagroprombanks directorate Alyaxandar Gavrushev. The concomitant headquarters and operative groups were created in the countrys regions and districts. ---------------------------------------------------------------- WIVES OF DISAPPEARED BELARUSIAN POLITICIANS APPEAL TO US PRESIDENT OVER REPRESSIONS A meeting between the wives of the repressed Belarusian politicians _ Irina Krasovskaya, Svetlana Zavadskaya and Tatiana Klimova _ with the deputy assistant to the US Secretary of State Steven Pifer took place in Minsk today. In course of the meeting the sides discussed the situation with the investigation into the disappearances and imprisonments, which they characterized as upsetting _ the authorities don_t even consider the political version of the kidnappings, whereas their families are subject to intense pressure, which was the reason why Gennady Karpenko_s family had to leave the country. The oppositionists_ spouses also recalled the support, which Lukashenka_s regime enjoys from Russia. Taking into account that the Russian president Vladimir Putin intends to rendezvous in the near future with George Bush, they handed over to him a letter with a request to raise the disappearance issue with Putin. Following read the full text of the letter: ---------------------------------------------------------------- BELARUS CAN SUSPEND ITS MEMBERSHIP IN OSCE The Belarusian Foreign Ministry considers he possibility to make a decision to suspend membership of Belarus in the OSCE. It was reported by the knowledgeable diplomatic sources in Minsk. But the official representatives of the FM keep away from commenting on this issue. According to the text of the statement of the permanent representative of Belarus in the OSCE Viktar Haisionak addressed to the OSCE chairman, Minsk is critical of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly activities, which leadership, in Belarus_ opinion, allows _demonstration of double standards and obvious legal nihilism, disregard of the rulings adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly itself_, -- gazeta.ru informs. ---------------------------------------------------------------- PROTESTER SENTENCED TO 10 DAYS OF ARREST An activist of the Young Front Vasil Parfiankou was sentenced to 10 days of arrest for his part in the rally on the St. Valentine_s Day. Other detained participants are to pay huge fines, making 4 million 450 thousand rubles in total. Ten days of arrest have become the last sentence in the case of the detained for St. Valentine_s Day_s march. The cases of more than twenty under aged participants will be considered in commissions on juvenile delinquency in the executive committees. Their parents will be fined too. ---------------------------------------------------------------- HOMEL REGION: EMERGENCIES EXECUTIVE ARRESTED The Homel blanch of the Committee on Organized Criminality and Corruption has arrested two executives of the Homel department of Emergency Ministry. The director of the service Alyaxei Maslkalchuk and deputy head of Buda-Kashaliova rescue team Mikalai Zalesky were incarcerated. ---------------------------------------------------------------- TARIFFS FOR PUMPING OF RUSSIAN GAS TO BELARUS RISEN Tariffs for transportation of the gas inside the country and by pumping the Russian gas to Belarus for independent manufacturers from March 1 grows by 20 percent. This decision was made on Wednesday by the Federal Energy Commission (FEC). According to the chair of the commission G. Kutovoj, on March 14 the government at its meeting to consider the investment program of _Gazprom_. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 100,000 HOMEL DWELLERS MARKED NEW YEAR WITHOUT SALARY www.praca.by As the Homel regional statistics department informs, in the beginning of February approximately every six worker received partially or had not received at all salary for the first months of 2002. Despite of the declarations that the salary was almost completely paid before the new year, the statistics proves that more than 100,000 people celebrated the holiday without money they had earned. ---------------------------------------------------------------- MINERS SET TO START COLLECTIVE LABOR DISPUTE Miners of Salihorsk are set to institute a collective labor dispute with the employer on the issue of trade union dues_ transfer through accounts departments. On February 19 a conference of the Belarusian Trade Union of the Chemical Industry and _Belaruskalij_ adopted the claims to the employer. The miners demand the leadership of the enterprise stick to the collective contract. In particular, the article about trade union dues paying through accounts departments and their transfer to the account of the trade union organization of the Belarusian Chemical Trade Union. In case of negative answer in keeping with the acting laws a procedure of the collective labor dispute will be started. ---------------------------------------------------------------- UNEMPLOYMENT LEVEL ARTIFICIALLY KEPT BACK For the first half year of 2001 the unemployment rate in Homel region was 2.4 %, and for the whole year it was equal to 2.6%. The growth his insignificant. But other indices verify that the unemployment was artificially restrained. In the first half year 21.4 thousand people worked in a schedule of part-time work, about 7 thousands were sent to unpaid leaves by administration. I the end of the year these figures still have grown: 36.5 and 26.9 thousands people respectively. ---------------------------------------------------------------- CONTAINED OF MERCURY FOUND IN BLOCK OF FLATS_ BASEMENT A container with 50 kilograms of mercury was found in the basement of a building number 105 in the Partyzansky avenue in Minsk. Rescue team who arrived at the place, took the container out of a heap of construction rubbish. Fortunately, the container was hermetic and the metal was not spilled. Otherwise the evacuation of all the inhabitants of the block of flats would be obligatory. The investigation is carried out. ---------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE February 21, 2002 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