CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 22, 2003
www.charter97.org
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CHECHEN-BELARUSIAN TRANSIT
15:28 22/01/2003, Viktor Demidov, "Stringer"

Those, who organize transportation of the Chechen guerillas to the West, believe
that the easiest way to get them there is through Belarus.A week after the terrorist
act in the Dubrovka theatrical complex in Moscow, there occurred an incident
in the Belarusian border town Brest. A few hundred Chechen nationals  mostly
women and children  were put off a train without any explanations provided.
By the way, this was done by the Polish rather than Belarusian customs officers.
Belarusians let the Chechens cross the border without a hitch, for they need
not such people at their side. Anyway, the Chechens were returned back to Brest
and they settled down in the expectation hall of the Brest railway station. As
they later confessed to the Belarusian TV correspondents, now they would try
their best at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/transit

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CRIMINAL ACTION ON ABDUCTIONS OF GONCHAR, KRASOVSKY OVER
11:20 22/01/2003

There have been halted criminal lawsuit on the involuntary disappearance of deputy
chairman of the 13th Supreme Soviet Viktor Gonchar and businessman Anatoly Krasovsky.
Irina Krasovskaya was told this by the head of the investigation group Vladimir
Chumachenko.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/gonchar

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ARTICLE-19 UPHOLDS "MESTNOYE VREMYA"
16:11 22/01/2003

ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression, appealed to Alexander Lukashenko
raising concerns at the news that the Minsk-based independent newspaper Mestnoye
Vremya has been unable to resume activities since its licence was revoked last
year.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/article

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ANDREI SANNIKOV ANSWERS RADIO RATSYA LISTENERS" QUESTIONS
12:46 22/01/2003

Every Thursday Radio Ratsya invites VIP-persons, who answer in an interactive
on-line regime the questions, posed to them both by the radio correspondents
and ordinary listeners. Questions and answers further get published at Radio
Ratsya"s site. The next honorary guest in the studio of the rubric "Chisty Chetverg"
will be Andrei Sannikov - former deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus, international
coordinator of the Charter"97 civil initiative. You may send you questions to
rac@user.unibel.by - Pytanne Sannikavu.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/sannikov

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COLONEL PROLESKOVSKY: NOBODY APPOINTED ME A JOURNALIST
12:43 22/01/2003

In the end of last year they replaced the head of the country"s leading news
agency. The post of the BELTA director general was taken over by the high-ranking
officer from the presidential Security service  colonel Oleg Proleskovsky. The
man used to be in charge of press at his previous job. The newly appointed (personally
by Lukashenko) BELTA director, sincerely ponders that "journalistic materials
must be viewed as a means of social consensus, values and consolidation of the
Belarusian society". He told this in his interview to the newspaper "7 Days",
most exciting extracts of which you may find below.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/belta

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US CALLS ON BELARUS TO ALLOW INDEPENDENT VOICES
11:38 22/01/2003

Deputy Chief of US Mission to the OSCE Permanent Council Douglas Davidson in
his January 16 address to the organization mentioned Belarus, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan
and Azerbaijan as the CIS countries, where human rights are massively violated.
In particular, when speaking of Belarus, Mr.Davidson said the following:
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/usa

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PROFESSOR YURI BANDAZHEVSKY"S CONDITION DETERIORATES
11:33 22/01/2003

Ahead of a trip to Paris upon invitation of the international human rights organization
"Amnesty International" Galina Bandazhevskaya had a brief date with her incarcerated
husband.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/bond

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FRANCE, SWITZERLAND TO HOST ACTIONS OF SOLIDARITY WITH BANDAZHEVSKY
11:31 22/01/2003

This week will see the actions of solidarity with the Belarusian scholar Yuri
Bandazhevsky in France and Switzerland. They will be run by the western colleagues
of the Gomel professor along with the activists from the international human
rights organization "Amnesty International". Next month Basel will host a special
medical symposium, where Yuri Bandazhevsky will be named an honored participant.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/france

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ANDRUS KUBILIUS: BELARUS DESPERATELY NEEDS EU MEMBERSHIP
11:29 22/01/2003

"The only chance for Belarus to get out of the swamp is to become candidate for
the EU accession,"  assumes Andrus Kubilius, Lithuanian Sojm"s deputy, leader
of the conservative parliamentary faction, former Lithuanian Prime Minister (1997-1999).
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/eu

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LUKASHENKO TO START RELATIONS WITH WEST ANEW
11:25 22/01/2003, Alexander Rar, "Die Welt", (Germany)

West, in its NATO and EU enlargement eastwards, must pay greater attention to
the Republic of Belarus, for the collapse of Alexander Lukashenko"s regime might
be well around the corner. Belarus still dwells under the despotic yoke of dictatorship.
The Council of Europe even notes the deterioration of human rights situation
in this former Soviet republic. Lukashenko"s economic model, targeted at the
conservation of Soviet socialism, suffered a crushing defeat. The situation is
worsened by the country"s international isolation.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/22/zero

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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 22, 2003
www.charter97.org