CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 17, 2003
www.charter97.org
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BELARUS  INTO EUROPE
17:04 17/01/2003

60,9% Belarusians, according to the recent NISEPI poll, would vote in favor of
Belarus' accession to EU, if asked at the referendum. The overwhelming majority
of Belarusians want to see their country as part of the democratic Europe. Only
10,9% of our countrymen would vote against that.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/17/eu

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INTELLIGENTSIA MUST MOVE OVER TO REAL ACTION FROM KITCHEN CHATS!
17:02 17/01/2003, Olga Babak, Radio Ratsya

An assembly of the Belarusian intelligentsia "Independent Belarus  free and
affluent society" will be held in Minsk on February 16. This date was set yesterday
by the participants of the working group of the assembly. On Sunday, January
19, at 11 o'clock the Minsk-based Palace of arts will host the meeting of capital's
intelligentsia, which is believed to become a rehearsal before the All-Belarusian
forum. The delegates will pass a special resolution, expressing their attitude
to the recent situation developments in the country.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/17/pahonya

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BELARUS IN "HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH" REPORT
11:43 17/01/2003, Radio Svaboda

Last year the government of Belarus continued to exert pressure on opposition,
NGOs, independent mass media outlets and religious minorities, underscored "Human
Rights Watch".
The report of this human rights watchdog reads that the terrorist attack on America
on September 11, 2002 distracted the attention of the international community
from questionable presidential elections in Belarus, thus enabling Alexander
Lukashenko to intensify crackdown on civil society, not fearing international
repercussion.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/17/hrw

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YABLOKO PLEADS WITH PUTIN TO PROTECT RUSSIAN MEDIA IN BELARUS
15:51 17/01/2003, NTV

The leader of the Russian democratic party "Yabloko" Grigory Yavlinsky and the
head of the same Belarusian public association Olga Abramova wrote an open letter
to Putin, in which they raise concerns over the situation with the Russian electronic
media in Belarus, reports "Interfax" agency.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/17/yabloko

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STANISLAV SHUSHKEVICH: IF RUSSIA STRIPS BELARUS OF SOVEREIGNTY, IT WON'T BE FOR
LONG
15:49 17/01/2003

On Sunday Minsk will be visited by the Russian president Vladimir Putin, who
intends to engage in the session of the Supreme State Council of the Russian-Belarusian
union. Putin and his colleague Alexander Lukashenko will discuss the future of
integration. "Vremya Novostei" special correspondent in Minsk Natalya Viktorova
posed her questions in this regard to the former Speaker of the Belarusian parliament
Stanislav Shushkevich, one of the co-authors of the 1991 agreements, which brought
about the dissolution of the USSR.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/17/stan

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PUTIN, LUKASHENKO RENDEZVOUS TÊTE-À-TÊTE
11:49 17/01/2003

Before the meeting of the Supreme State Council, scheduled for January 20, there
will be held personal meeting in Minsk between Alexander Lukashenko and Russian
president Vladimir Putin, said at the recent briefing deputy head of the FM information
department of Belarus Andrei Savinykh. In course of the meeting, he said, the
presidents will discuss the union state problems, bilateral economic cooperation,
cooperation within the CIS framework and a range of key issues of the world politics.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/17/putin

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MOGILEV OPPOSITIONISTS DENIED ACCESS TO DISTRICT COMMISSIONS
11:47 17/01/2003

Members of democratic opposition's electoral camp of the Mogilev region claim
that none of their fellowmen was included into the district commissions' composition.
Nominees of the parties were either under various pretexts denied a right to
become commission members or simply determined to abstain from nomination, considering
it pointless anyway.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/17/local

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LUKASHENKO DEFAMATION LAWSUIT PASSED OVER TO COURT
11:45 17/01/2003

On January 16 the Central district procuracy of Minsk passed a final decision
on the case of Oksana Novikova, charged with slandering Alexander Lukashenko.
Now the case files will be forwarded to the central district court. According
to the law, the lady may be fined or sentenced to involuntary social labor.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/17/kleveta
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 17, 2003
www.charter97.org