The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE January 27, 2003 www.charter97.org --------------------------------------------------------- "HE MUST GO!" CALL IN CENTRAL MINSK 17:08 27/01/2003 A few thousand flyers with "He Must Go!" calls were glued over the past weekend by the ZUBR movement's activists. The flyers appeared all across Skarina prospect and the adjacent streets. They could be seen everywhere at pillars, bus stops, buildings' walls and fences. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/zubr --------------------------------------------------------- REGIME ANNIHILATES FREE CINEMATOGRAPHER 11:46 27/01/2003 Personnel of the cinema studio "Tatiana", whose property was arrested by the officers of the Committee for state control, addressed all cultural associations, people of art, mass media and international human rights organizations. The filmmakers plead with the society and the world to save their studio from complete annihilation. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/kino --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUSIAN THEME TO BE RAISED AT WINTER PACE SESSION 11:44 27/01/2003 During the winter session of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, which will convene in Strasbourg on January 27-31, they will discuss the situation in Belarus. The Belarusian topic will be brought up at the January 28 PACE plenary within the framework of Mrs.Isohookana-Asunmaa's report (Finnish rapporteur on the freedom of press), who dedicated a special analytical rubric in her report to the situation in Belarus, mentioning such facts as "government's sway over media, detentions and incarcerations of journalists, economic and legal extortions". Another important aspect for the country will be the formation of the PACE sub-commission on disappearances in Belarus, to which they invited representatives of the Belarusian opposition Anatoly Lebedko, Vladimir Nistuk, Valentina Polevikova and Yaroslav Romanchuk. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/pace --------------------------------------------------------- PROCURACY THREATENS ZAKHARENKO FAMILY WITH RETALIATION 17:27 27/01/2003 Zakharenko family's representative, chairman of the human rights organization "Legal Assistance to the population" Oleg Volchek receives threats from the procuracy detective Vladimir Chumachenko, responsible for investigating into the disappearance of the former Interior Minister of Belarus general Yuri Zakharenko. Oleg Volchek claims that Chumachenko attempted to provoke a fight with him right in the procuracy building, threatening to "smash him, crush him and imprison" in case the layer keeps participating in Zakharenko's process. At present Volchek files a complaint on the matter to the prosecutor of Minsk, in which he mentions the psychologically inadequate conduct of investigator Chumachenko. "If previously I received anonymous phone threats than now procuracy does that in open," said at today's press-conference in the office of the Belarusian PEN-center Oleg Volchek. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/zaharenko --------------------------------------------------------- EU MARKS DEEPENING BELARUS SELF-ISOLATION 11:59 27/01/2003, Radio Svaboda The EU Committee for foreign affairs stressed the deepening isolation of Belarus, calling on the Belarusian authorities to hold political and economic reforms in order to reach a concomitant agreement with the European Union. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/izolat --------------------------------------------------------- SILENT FUNERALS 11:54 27/01/2003, Elena Daneiko, "Izvestia" Minsk procuracy halted preliminary investigation into the disappearance of the Vice-Speaker of the 13th Supreme Soviet, one of the leaders of the democratic opposition in Belarus, former government's Vice-Premier, chairman of the Central Electoral Committee Viktor Gonchar and his companion Anatoly Krasovsky "because of the failure to identify persons, due to be brought to criminal accountability". "The Belarusian authorities, suspected of implication in the political vanishings, are eager to quietly bury the disappearance cases. Up to date there remain unknown the whereabouts of the former Interior Minister Yuri Zakharenko and ORT cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky," commented Anatoly Krasovsky's spouse Irina on the document, signed by the senior investigator of the procuracy, counselor of justice Vladimir Chumachenko. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/prok --------------------------------------------------------- STATE MEDIA LACK FIRM STAND IN SOCIETY? 11:51 27/01/2003 Outcomes of the Ministry of information's work in the year 2002 were drawn at an extended meeting of the committee, which convened on January 24 with the Information Minister Mikhail Podgainy at the head. The event also attracted country's vice-speaker Vladimir Drazhin, first deputy head of the presidential Administration Stanislav Knyazev, heads of the country's mass media and other national industries. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/smi --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUSIAN PRISONS CRAMMED WITH INMATES 11:49 27/01/2003 Belarus occupies the fifth spot in the world as to the number of convicts and suspects per 100,000 residents. "Rosbalt" correspondent quotes the chief of the Committee for penalties' execution of Belarus Vladimir Kovchur as saying this at the Friday press-conference in Minsk. According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, Belarus is next only to USA, Russia, Kazakhstan and Caiman islands. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/turma --------------------------------------------------------- 5 DEATH ROW INMATES EXECUTED IN 2002 11:48 27/01/2003 The number of capital punishments in Belarus over the past years significantly contracted as compared to the 90ies. "For instance, in 1996 they would execute up to 40 prisoners a year, while last year they shot only 5 criminals," said at the Friday press-conference in Minsk the head of the Committee for penalties' execution of Belarus Vladimir Kovchur. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/27/2002 --------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE January 27, 2003 www.charter97.org -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.charter97 http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com