CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 5, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES - BELARUS2001
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and LaborMarch 4, 2002
According to its amended Constitution, Belarus is a republic with a directly
elected President. The President, Alexander Lukashenka (elected in 1994), used
a November 1996 referendum to amend the 1994 Constitution in order to broaden
his powers, extend his term in office, and replace the unicameral Parliament
with a handpicked one, ignoring the then-Constitutional Court's ruling that the
Constitution could not be amended by referendum. Most members of the international
community criticized the flawed referendum and do not recognize the legitimacy
of the 1996 Constitution or the bicameral legislature that it introduced. On
September 9, Lukashenka renewed his term of office as President through an election
process that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) described
as neither free nor fair and as having failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic
elections. Parliamentary elections were held in October 2000, the first since
the 1996 referendum. The President and his administration manipulated the election
process to ensure an absolute minimum of antiregime candidates and opposition
members of the Parliament. The OSCE concluded that the elections were neither
free nor fair. The judiciary is not independent.
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US STATE DEPT. RELEASES REPORT ON DRUGS IN BELARUS
On March 1 the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
of the US Department of State released its regular report on the situation with
narcotics around the globe. Following comes an extract on Belarus.
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ONE OF BELARUSKALIJS DIRECTORS ARRESTED
A director of the marketing firm of the association Belaruskalij was arrested
on charges relating abuse of office, Interfax agency informs. As the BelaPAN
agency was informed by the Public Prosecutors Office, the head of the firm,
lobbying the interests of the Lithuanian firm Arvi, allegedly bought 280 tons
of oil on high prices, and caused a damage equal to USD 232 thousands. The investigation
is under way.
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STANISLAV SHUSHKEVICH ABOUT TO GET INTO GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS
Former Speaker of the Belarusian parliament Stanislav Shushkevich intends to
get his name recorded in the Guinness Book f Records. He nominated himself as
the former head of state, getting the lowest pension in the world  it has never
been recalculated since 19996 and constitutes now less than 2 dollars. Shushkevich
sues the Ministry of labor and social protection and upon the procedures termination,
intends to forward all the necessary documentation into the Guinness Book, reports
Echo of Moscow.
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POLLS FORBIDDEN IN ZHODINO
Zhodino-based organization Fellowship of the Belarusian language was banned
to hold survey in educational institutions. Such a decision was passed by the
local department of education. The organizations activists intended to find
out the town residents attitude to the situation with the national language
in the educational institutions.
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DIRECTORS DONT BELIEVE IN COMPANIES ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT
54% directors of industrial companies of Belarus believe that in the next two-three
days the economic situation of their companies wont change for the better, Around
a third of the respondents predict deterioration and only 13% - improvement.
3% of the polled residents arent so sure. These are the outcomes of the survey,
conducted in January by the scholars from the scientific research economic institute
of the Ministry of Economy, reports BelaPAN.
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CONTROL OVER INTERNATIONAL LONG-DISTANCE CARGO TRANSPORTATION INTENSIFIED
This year the Belarusian cargo transportation will undergo reformation, whereas
the international transportation companies will face stronger control, said the
Minister for transport of Belarus Mikhail Borovoi during his meeting with the
journalists, at which he drew the conclusions of 2001 and set the goals for the
year 2002. Strengthened control will be imposed on the license-issuing stage
and throughout the term of its operation. Among the first ones to be denied license
for cargo transportation are individual entrepreneurs, unable to ensure the proper
technical care of their transportation vehicles. Moreover, Borovoi stressed the
following: only mature companies may count on quotas for the international
transportation, especially those, which have been working for years at the domestic
market, writes Avtotransinfo.
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PRICES GO 2,8% UP OVER 3 WEEKS OF FEBRUARY
According to the Ministry of statistics of Belarus over the three weeks of February
the consumer prices in the country rose by 2,8% (during the first week  by 1,6%,
second  0,9%, third  0,3%), reports BelaPAN. For matters of comparison: over
the first three weeks of January the prices went 4,2% uphill; over the first
three weeks of February 2001  by 2,4%. Since the beginning of this year the
consumer prices in Belarus soared by 9,1% (over the analogous period last year
 by 7,3%).
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$10BLN SALARY DEBT IN MOGILEV REGION
By the beginning of March the salary indebtedness in the Mogilev region constituted
9bln635mln rubles. 1bln40mln of them stands for December underpayment. According
to the official statistics, reports BelaPAN, the largest indebtedness was developed
in agriculture: in this sphere the debt amounts to 3bln900mln rubles. Around
3bln are the debts in industry, 988mln  in construction business. The budget
organizations have no salary debts before their employees.
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MTS COMING TO BELARUS MAY TARRY
Dyen
On February 25 the Ministry for communications received for approval a draft
contract between the companies Mobile TeleSystems and Siemens on the supply
of equipment for building the second GSM network in Belarus. In order for the
MTS to launch the second GSM network into operation before the April deadline,
the contract has to be signed no later than on March 1. However, due to the fact
that MTS company hasnt yet passed registration (which must precede the signing
of the contract), the second cellular operators coming to Belarus may well get
delayed.
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REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS: BEING REPORTER IN BELARUS IS DANGEROUS
A visit to Belarus of the human rights organization Reporters Without Borders
started on March 4. The institute carries out monitoring of the situation in
the sphere of mass media all over the world, and the Belarusian question is
frequently mentioned in the reports of the organization. Several times the Belarusian
government denied entry visas to the representatives of the RWB, who wanted
to present in Minsk accounts on freedom of speech violations in Belarus. Many
times the organization sent statements of protests to different official institutions
on facts of pressure on independent press. They all were ignored.
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PICKET COST VLADIMIR PLESCHENKO $1200
Zheleznodorozhny court of Vitebsk finished judicial proceedings on the case of
the Vitebsk member of the Conservative-Christian party BPF Vladimir Pleschenko.
Judge Svetlana Tufan fined him for illegal picketing 2mln Belarusian rubles,
which is approximately $1200. Therefore, Vladimir Pleschenko was punished for
taking to the streets of Vitebsk with a banner We need new extra-curricular
presidential elections under the protectorate of international organizations.
The event took place on January 22, when Vitebsk was visited by the Interior
Minister Vladimir Naumov.
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PROCURACY REFUSES TO INVESTIGATE BEU BURGLARY
The Belarusian procuracy refused to investigate into the circumstances of burglary
of the office of the Belarusian entrepreneurs union. A few weeks ago some unidentified
burglars penetrated into the unions office and stole the equipment  including
two PCs with important archives. The unions president Alyaxandar Potupa deems
that the law-enforcement bodies are simply unwilling to embark on any investigation
activities. This means that our public organizations arent protected and our
police dont even bother to produce an illusion of guarding its citizens.
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VEZHA LIQUIDATION PROCESS UNDERWAY IN BREST
The Brest regional court opened deliberations on possible liquidation of the
local Center for public initiatives support Vezha. On the basis of previous
reprimands the region councils lawyers demand that they liquidate one of the
most influential organizations in all of Brest region.
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MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY INCURS LOSSES
The financial condition of the Ministry of industrys enterprises remains quite
troublesome. The Ministry sources report that over the 11 months of last year
the growth rates of expenditures exceeded the level of income rates growth from
products sales by 55,1 points and, consequently, the profitability amounted to
10,7% (as compared with the planned 16,0%).
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NEW TAX RATE ENTERS INTO FORCE APR.1
The new tariff will enter into power in Belarus on April 1 this year, said at
the session of the Capitals business club head of the department of non-tariff
measures of currency-export control of the State Committee for Control Sergei
Aleinikov. In his opinion, reports IA EKOPRESS, the new tariff rates will be
almost totally unified with the Russian ones. The only exception will be made
for a few positions. For instance, therell be differences in taxes on TV sets
(Belarusian manufacturers demand) and some other equipment.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 5, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml