CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 28, 2003
www.charter97.org
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SITUATION WITH FREEDOM OF PRESS IN BELARUS INADMISSIBLE
17:10 28/01/2003

"Situation with the freedom of press in Belarus is inadmissible for a democratic
country; mass media are controlled by the state, journalists get imprisoned,
while economic and legal infringement on free media rights is commonplace", reads
the report on freedom of speech in Europe, published by the PACE rapporteur for
the freedom of press Tytti Isohookana-Asunmaa. The report is being discussed
at the winter PACE session, which opened on January 28 in Strasbourg.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/tytti

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NO LEGITIMIZATION OF "PARLIAMENT" AT PACE SESSION
11:20 28/01/2003

"There will be no legitimization of "national assembly" of Belarus at the winter
PACE session,"  said in a January 27 interview to BelaPAN the leader of the
United Civil Party (UCP) Anatoly Lebedko, who visited PACE session, which opened
today in Strasbourg. According to the politician, this finally became clear after
the meeting of the sub-commission for Belarus of the PACE Political Committee.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/pace

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BELARUS  A COUNTRY FROM THE PAST
11:12 28/01/2003, RIA OREANDA

In all CIS countries Belarus enjoys the smallest economic freedom, as mentioned
in the report "2003 Index of Economic Freedom", published by the newspaper The
Wall Street Journal and foundation "Heritage Foundation". The report considers
such factors as the monetary and trade policy, taxation, state influence, bank
system, salary payment structure and right for ownership in 161 countries. Belarus
occupies the 151st spot. Its economic system is regarded as "repressive". Pundits
view Belarus as a country, which turned to the past.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/heritage

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IRINA KRASOVSKAYA FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST GOVERNMENT
10:24 28/01/2003

Wife of one of the missing Belarusian public figures Irina Krasovskaya and lawyer
Garry Pogonailo intend to sue the government of Belarus in order to find out
the implication of top governmental officials in the abduction of businessman
Anatoly Krasovsky and Vice-Speaker of the Supreme Soviet Viktor Gonchar, said
at today's press-conference in Minsk Irina Krasovskaya's representative, lawyer
Garry Pogonailo. "Such procedures are applied in the countries where the government
isn't interested in finding the true perpetrators of these crimes and people,
who stand behind them".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/krasovskaya

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IDEOLOGISTS FROM CLERGY
15:23 28/01/2003, Marianna Duntseva, Anton Plotilin, BDG

Belarus took over the relay baton from Georgia, which was the first on the ex-Soviet
space to sign concordance on cooperation between the state and the main religious
denomination. Belarusian ministries and ruling bodies have few days left to work
out cooperation plans with the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/bdg

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RUSSIA IS DRUNK ON CORRUPTION
15:20 28/01/2003, Vladimir Voinovich, Bangkok Post

As the last year has shown yet again, Thailand is far from immune from the scourge
of corruption. But there are countries such as Russia with even worse records
of this criminal behaviour.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/russ

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FINED FOR "HE MUST GO!" SLOGAN
15:18 28/01/2003

18-year old ZUBR activist Vladimir P. was apprehended by police on January 27
opposite the "Gorizont" TV manufacturing plant. The young man was delivered to
the Central district police station, where they held him in custody for 3 hours.
Then they fined him 10,000 rubles and let go. However, despite the detention
(which comes third over the past couple of days) and efforts of public utility
services, which try to remove them, the city's main streets are all covered with
the slogan.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/on

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15 DOCTORS, 35-50 PROFESSORS EMIGRATE FROM BELARUS ANNUALLY
15:17 28/01/2003

Every year 15 doctors and 35-50 professors leave the country in search of permanent
residence and employment abroad, said the first deputy chairman of the Committee
for science and technologies of the Cabinet of Ministers Vladimir Nedilko during
the January 27 press-conference in Minsk, dedicated to the Day of science, which
is marked on the last Sunday of January. "These are huge figures for Belarus,
if we bear in mind that usually the people leave the country in the most active
age,"  said Nedilko.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/nauka

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GOMEL TRADESMEN NEVER SHOW UP AT WORK
11:18 28/01/2003

The retailers didn't proclaim a strike, though most of them have to halt work
from numerous inspections and examinations. Radio "Unistar" reports that total
inspections commenced in early December. The local authorities demanded from
entrepreneurs to present their certificates on the hygiene registration of all
commodity, rather than some types of it, as used to be the case before. Last
weekend many of the market's visitors saw with their own eyes quarrels between
the controllers and traders. The luckiest ones even received free goods, which
the businessmen threw into the crowd with shouts "Better to people than to you!".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/gomel

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LUKASHENKO BLAMES PRIVATE ENTREPRENEURS OVER SABOTAGE
11:17 28/01/2003

Export-import operations with lucrative commodity don't bring enough profit to
the Belarusian manufacturers, the nation and the state in general due to the
chain of numerous intermediaries, where the majority are private entrepreneurs,
said Alexander Lukashenko at the Monday meeting, dedicated to the sophistication
of external trade activities.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/zhuravka

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TRADE UNION FEDERATION OF BELARUS TAKES SADDAM'S SIDE
11:16 28/01/2003

The head of the Federation of trade unions of Belarus Leonid Kozik disseminated
on Monday the statement, in which he called on the international trade union
movement to protest against looming US-led military invasion of Iraq. The trade
union boss proposes to "require from the heads of governments and states to prevent
further escalation of conflict in Iraq". "I'm calling on the peoples of the world
and international trade union movement  say your word against too! Voice statements,
protest and express solidarity with the Iraqi nation. Say no to war. Demand peace
for the people! Protest against war in Iraq!"  reads Leonid Kozik's statement.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/kozik

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SUMMIT OF "CONFLICTS' RESOLUTION"
11:14 28/01/2003, Alexander Orlov, GazetaSNG

Today the first informal CIS summit will open its gates in Kiev. Truly speaking,
more and more CIS leaders every year tend to ignore such informal meetings. This
time the presidents beat all records, as far as their absence at the summit is
concerned. Only eight CIS heads of states stated intention to visit the Ukrainian
capital  Russian, Belarusian, Moldavian, Georgian, Tajikistani, Armenian, Azerbaijani
and Ukrainian. Four central Asian leaders under various excuses will not engage
in the informal summit.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/01/28/sng
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
January 28, 2003
www.charter97.org