CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 18, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml
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ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO: OH, MAN, WHAT A HAPPY PERSON I AM!
The unique video-records are now available for all Internet users. In the world
web there appeared a sensational video  Alexander Lukashenko sings his favorite
song, playing on accordion. The masterly musical playing wont leave the listeners
indifferent. The video-clip can be viewed at: http://www.april19.org/, about
which its anonymous makers reported at certain popular Belarusian Internet forums.
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NIKOLAI STATKEVICH SENTENCED TO 10 DAYS ARREST
Leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Gromada) Nikolai
Statkevich was sentenced minutes ago to 10 days of administrative arrest by the
Sovetsky district court of Minsk. The social democrat was found guilty of violating
art.167/2 of the Code on administrative violations (order of holding mass rallies)
for running on March 15 the street action, marking the day of constitution. The
judge ruled that the verdict is not to be appealed against and Statkevich was
escorted to the confinement center in Okrestina str.
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BAJ WANTS EXTRA COURT SESSION ON ZAVADSKY
The Belarusian Association of Journalists released a statement on the recent
decision of the Minsk regional court, which finished trial proceedings over the
Ignatovichs gang. The statement reads that the verdict against Valery Ignatovichs
criminal gang, passed on March 14, 2002 by court, has never answered the main
question: what happened on July 7, 2000 with the member of the Belarusian Association
of Journalists Dmitry Zavadsky.
The Belarusian court indicted four people over the kidnapping of an ORT cameraman
Dmitry Zavadsky and some other crimes  Valery Ignatovich and Maksim Malik (former
Almaz special units officers), former Police Academy student Aleksei Guz and
Belarusian citizen Sergei Savushkin. The court found Ignatovich and Malik guilty
of forming a criminal gang and committing murders, lootings and other heavy felonies,
sentencing both to life imprisonments. Two other suspects received long prison
terms.
Zavadskys mother Olga deems that the guilt of those, charged with abducting
her son has never been proved in court: Episode over Dimas abduction hasnt
been proved. It simply got lost among other Ignatovichs heavy crimes. Olga
Zavadskaya expressed regret that the jury never named the real organizers of
her sons abduction.
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ALEXANDER LUKASHENKOS HEAVY ROUTINE
These days Alexander Lukashenko is having an immensely intense working agenda.
On March 12 he played a tough hockey game with the local team. According to the
unverified UCP data, Lukashenko scored thrice and made two passes. On March 13
he played against the amateurs squad from Innsbruck. Lukashenko hit the net
eight times, reports his press-service. On March 14 he was expected to play against
the Austrian veterans hockey team.
Alexander Lukashenkos high spirit at the expense of the Belarusian tax-payers
is upheld by the Belarus national hockey team. All his bruises and scratches
are cured by his personal physician, head of the medical commission Irina Abelskaya.
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SYNAGOGUE BUILDING FOR SALE IN BELARUS
Borisov authorities intend to put for sale the former towns synagogue building,
the Blagovest-info quotes the president of the Jewish religious association of
Belarus Yuri Dorn as saying. In his opinion, a one-story brick-laid synagogue
of 250 square meters of space, located in the Lopatina str. 41, had been constructed
by the Borisovs Jewish community in 1906. The building is an architectural
monument and until recently was being used as a sports institution,  said Yuri
Dorn.
The local Jewish community over the past three years has numerously addressed
the town authorities with a plea to return the building to the believers. However,
all our attempts bore no fruit. As far as in this part of the town there are
no other sport clubs, while the schools sport halls are too crammed with people,
the town hall refused us the right to get back our building,  added Dorn.
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FRAGMENTS OF LOUD DISAPPEARANCES
Belorusskaya Gazeta
Case #414100 isnt the only one, featuring the convicts from the Ignatovichs
gang. Last year they formed on its basis another three criminal files. One,
over the robbery attack, is still a matter of court considerations, while two
other are instituted over human disappearances. Now, after the verdicts announcement,
one can only speak of one disappeared  Dmitry Zavadsky. The court didnt prove
Ignatovichs implication in kidnapping the technician Vladimir Kotov. However,
there exist serious evidence on his involvement in the matter.
A 64-year old Vladimir Kotov vanished early in the morning on March 9, 2000 in
Maryina Gorka. He left for the job never to return again. The disappearance was
followed on the same day by a robbery attack on his house. There disappeared
the money  around $1thsd and over 40 gold jewelry pieces. Kotovs daughter-in-law,
a 26-year old teacher of junior school Lilya Saenko was found dead in the house.
The main suspects in the case were three unidentified men. One of the neighbors
noticed three people enter the Saenkos house at around 10a.m. Two of them wore
winter camouflaged uniforms, while the third was dressed in black coat and dark
cotton hat. After the visitors shut the door behind their backs there came a
womans scream. But the neighbor, seeing police in the house, determined not
to interfere.
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LUKASHENKO GETS NO PARDON PLEAS
Narodnaya Volya
Recently Alexander Lukashenko gave an exclusive interview to the influential
American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, the fragments of which were later
re-published by the Sovetskaya Belorussiya. Lukashenko informed the international
public about the reasons for arresting the directors of the countrys leading
enterprises.
Quotation from the Sovetskaya Belorussiya with a reference to the Interfax
news agency:
Directors of a number of the Belarusian leading enterprises are placed in custody
by police for corruption and stealing millions of US dollars,  said Lukashenko.
These detentions, claims the president, have no political motives behind them.
Given some of the detainees were absolutely sure of their innocence they would
address me as the Constitution requires it. However, up until now none of the
apprehended companies directors pleaded with me to, lets say, change the detention
conditions,  explained Lukashenko.
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ANOTHER SERIES OF ARRESTS ROCK BELARUS
The law-enforcement bodies continue to investigate into the money-launderings
and extortions of credits. Recently one of the district courts of Minsk received
files against Yuri Rolev, director of the Zapad-1 ltd.. In 1994 the defendant
was getting loans in the Belarus bank under the pretext of trade and economic
transactions. Now, reports the Belorusskaya Gazeta, the man is held in a confinement
center.
Rolevs case circumstances represent great interest  the entrepreneur managed
to draw into the business of getting loans such a huge Minsk company as the Minsk
Watches Factory joint stock. The agreement with the Belarus bank was signed
upon the MWFs written guarantees.
At the moment the Department of the police investigative committee is considering
51 credit cases. In total, the suspects owe to the creditors $13.718.700, DM350thsd
and 19.323thsd rubles. 28 debtors are wanted by police. Among the accused are
also bank clerks  11 legal actions were opened against them upon illicit issue
of credits. Leaders in terms of financial losses are the following banks: Poisk,
Belpromstroibank, Belagroprombank. In 2001 the borrowers returned to these
and other banks $916.674 and 25.100.500 rubles.
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YUSCHENKO FORETELLS ELECTION FRAUD
Correpondent.net
Viktor Yuschenko underscored that election falsifications may occur on the whole
of the Ukrainian territory to smaller or greater degree. The most alarming
in his opinion is the situation with the countrys east. 50% of the election
commission members there represent the bloc For unified Ukraine. Think for
yourself what technologies can be applied there,  Interfax-Ukraine quotes him
as saying.
During the March 17 press-conference in Lvov Viktor Yuschenko noted that the
question about the forms and methods of such actions remains open.
Yuschenko stressed that it is necessary to find forms and mechanisms, which would
prevent any fabrication attempts. He also called for greater transparency in
the pre-election process. This will be, according to him, the democratic forces
surest alibi.
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BELARUSIAN NATIONS MONSTROUS IMPOVERISHMENT
According to the Ministry of statistics and analysis, in the 4th quarter 2001
an average Belarusian family spent every month almost 196thsd rubles (around
$216). So it appears that the populations combined real annual demand equals
to $5,8bln. The countrys GDP constitutes $12bln. From the African point of view
this is no misery, of course, but it is also far from being the level of internal
demand, which could guarantee the stable economic rise without the attraction
of foreign investments and business liberalization, marks the Belorusskaya Gazeta.
As usual, more than half of all the money (53,3%) is spent by the Belarusian
families on foodstuffs. In pensioners families 68,1% of consumer expenses stand
for the food purchases. Pensioners seldom visit the cafes, let alone restaurants,
have no money for tobacco but spend on alcohol more than on transport or hygiene,
and almost as much as on healthcare.
Less than 20% of the Belarusian families eat out. Under this item the Minskers
spend 9 times more money than the countryside residents. According to the statistics,
over 52% of families never buy liqueurs (fancy the scale of homemade vodka production),
70% dont buy cigarettes, while 38,5% families dont buy items of personal hygiene.
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PRICES SKYROCKET BY 10,8% SINCE EARLY 2002
The consumer prices in Belarus rose since the beginning of the year by 10,8%.
According to the Ministry of statistics and analysis, in January the prices rose
by 6,1%, February  3,6%, while in the first week of March  by 0,8%. Over the
analogous period last year the prices increased by 10,6%, reports BelaPAN.
For comparison: in Russia the prices soared in January by 3,1%, February  1,2%,
Kazakhstan  by 0,7% and 0,3% accordingly, Armenia  plus 2,2% and minus 0,7%.
In 2002 the government and the National Bank of Belarus predict a 20-27% price-growth.
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STATE FARMS UNPREPARED FOR SOWING
State-run collective farms readiness ahead of the spring sowing season leaves
much to be desired, said on March 15 the countrys Vice-Premier Alexander Popkov
in his interview to the Belarusian television.
Regrettably, today we dont have enough of the mineral fertilizers and the agricultural
equipment has yet to be fixed too. Theres a whole range of collective farms,
which dont have enough of fuel and oil reserves,  said Popkov. In this connection,
he added, the government enters into the intense regime of work, seeking to
solve all the problems within the next couple of weeks, so that the spring field
works would go on unhampered.
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VESNA OFFICE BURGLED IN BREST
Overnight March 16-17 the unidentified robbers broke into the local Vesna human
rights center office, stealing away two PCs, two displays, a printer, a phone/fax,
a modem, a scanner, tape-recorders and a camera. Police instituted criminal proceedings
under art.205/3 of the Belarusian Penal Code.
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ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO: OH, MAN, WHAT A HAPPY PERSON I AM!
The unique video-records are now available for all Internet users. In the world
web there appeared a sensational video  Alexander Lukashenko sings his favorite
song, playing on accordion. The masterly musical playing wont leave the listeners
indifferent. The video-clip can be viewed at: http://www.april19.org/, about
which its anonymous makers reported at certain popular Belarusian Internet forums.
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 18, 2002
read the details at www.charter97.org/e/index.phtml