CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 4, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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EUROPES ARSENAL FOR TERRORISM
It is a new topic in our section Loud Cases. Starting from 1996 Belarus belongs
to the top ten of worlds arms vendors. The trade in military and technical equipment
takes place regardless of the UNO sanctions, and arms are sold to the countries
sponsoring terrorism. A considerable part of the Belarusian weapons in sold to
Libya, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Pakistan, Angola, Sierra-Leone, Congo and Ethiopia.
The last dictator of Europe Lukashenka has close economical and political ties
with Iraq, Libya and other countries of the Middle East region, Cuba. Lukashenka
exchanges personal messages with the president of Iraq Saddam Hussein, waits
for Libyan leader Muammar Quaddafi to be his guest, is Fidel Castros friend.
The money for the fatal armaments are at Lukashenkas personal accounts and are
not subject to anybodys control. In the new section we bring together the materials
confirming that the Belarusian regime sponsors world terrorism.
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NAFTANS DIRECTOR APPREHENDED?
Lawsuit on power abuse by the Novopolotsk Naftans leadership is going at full
force. Radio Svaboda reports that on Friday night the law-enforcers called in
at the house of the Naftans director general Konstantin Chesnovitsky and told
him to follow them. Chesnovitsky never returned home ever after.
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PROCURACY REPRIMANDS NASHA NIVA
Editor-in-chief of the independent Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva Andrei Dynko
was summoned on Monday to the state procuracy, where he was handed in a written
reprimand. The editorial board is charged with violating art.5 of the current
Law on Press  dissemination of information on behalf of unregistered organizations,
public associations etc. The text of the reprimand makes mention of the publications
#1 and #2 from NN 2002. Radio Ratsya was told by Dynko that both publications
mentioned the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
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PACE STUNNED BY SITUATION IN UKRAINE
Gazeta.SNG
Carrying out a pre-election monitoring in Ukraine, the PACE mission was astonished
to learn about the complete absence of political dialogue, escalating tensions
and distrust between various political forces, along with the total absence of
trust towards the democratic processes. Thats how the member of the PACE pre-election
monitoring mission Hanne Severinsen characterized the general conditions, under
which the parliamentary campaign is going on in Ukraine.
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IZMERITEL PLANTS PROPERTY DISTRAINED"
By March 1 the tax indebtedness of the Novopolotsk Izmeritel factory amounted
to 554mln rubles. As claimed by the head of the inspection of the Ministry for
taxation for Novopolotsk Ekena Petrochenko, the plant hasnt donated a penny
into the budget during the past three months. We have to simply execute the law
now,  says Petrochenko: We distrained the plants assets almost to the full
size of underpayment. This is the youth center, a portion of transport equipment
and consumer goods.
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AMERICANS FEARFUL OF BELARUSIAN TANKS
vip.lenta.ru
The US Department of State spoke on February 28 about the possible application
of sanctions against Belarus in connection with accusations of arms supplies
to the countries and groups, supportive of terrorism. Last October the CIS in
Washington leaked information from its report on the weaponry sales, reading
that Belarus is the largest illicit arms supplier for the Islamic extremist organizations.
Rumors about Minsks arms deals with Arab countries, Palestinians and Muslim
extremists have been spreading for long time. Alyaxandar Lukashenka personally
mentioned the existence of a special presidents fund, where the funds from arms
sales are accumulated.
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SEARCH AT BELARUSIAN-LITHUANIAN BORDER
A customs inspection of the Belarusian journalists and politicians invited to
the international conference Prospects of cooperation with Belarus held in
Lithuania lasted more than six hours. The leader of the United Civil Party Anatol
Lyabedzka, the chair of the Belarusian womens party Nadzeja Valentina Polevikova,
one of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party (Narodaya Hramada) Uladzimer
Nistiuk, the chair of the analytical center Strategia Leanid Zaiko and others
underwent personal inspection in presence of witnesses.
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POLICE STEPS UP PREVENTIVE MEASURES AHEAD PROFESSIONAL HOLIDAY
Prior to the Police Day the Mogilev regional law-enforcement department released
an order, under which over ten ZUBRs and Young Front activists are placed on
the books in the commission for juvenile delinquency. Radio Svaboda reports that
the guys arent suspected of having committed any crimes. The young boys and
ladies were captured during street rallies or distribution of agitation flyers.
Their mere activism during the election campaign convinced the law-enforcers
to rank them among difficult adolescents.
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SIX BANKS DEPRIVED OF RIGHT TO ATTRACTING POPULATIONS DEPOSITS
For not fulfilling the regulations on the necessary size of the assets, the Council
of the directors of the National Bank has suspended the action of the licenses
on attracting the populations deposits from March 4, 2002 to January, 1, 2003,of
such banks as the Belorussky Narodny Bank, Belarussky Industrialny Bank,
Bank Poisk, RRB-Bank, Absoliut Bank and Belorussky Birzhevoi Bank from
March 4, 2002 to January, 1, 2003.
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SPORT COMPLEX OLYMPIYSKY UNDER EXAMINATION
Atdi cndieeier Irociireuiiai iecedceneiai eiecnrnr Alerdonc nicarei eiecnnct
Executive bureau of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus set up a special
commission to examine the financial activities of the sports recreation center
Olympiysky, as well as to study the course of its reconstruction. The major
reason for that was the incident, which occurred there on February 16, but which
was made public not until now. A young man, swimming in the pool, was sucked
in by the water-collecting pipe, which hadnt been properly isolated with a grid.
The medics fought to save his life but to no avail. Until the investigation procedures
are over, the bureau determined not to pass any decision on Olympiyskys leadership.
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AUTHORITIES CREATE POCKET TRADE UNIONS
An old idea of creation of yellow trade unions  structures, totally obeying
to the authorities, is topical again. As Nasha Svaboda says, such trade union
is being found in a rush at the Minsk Automobile Building plant (MAZ). According
to the information of the newspaper, a week ago the director of the MAZ Valyantsin
Hurynovich collected an initiative group to set up a trade union. The leadership
of the plant has handed out corresponding questionnaires, and the bureaucrats
were ordered to collect signatures of 10 per cent of workers of the MAZ necessary
by the law to establish a trade union.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 4, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml