CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 10, 2003
www.charter97.org
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WOMEN TAKE OVER RELAY BATON
16:08 10/02/2003

At today's press-conference prominent Belarusian women declared their support
of the People's March "For Better Life!"  the national artist of Belarus Zinaida
Bondarenko, laureate of the state USSR award, cameraman Tatiana Loginova, 13th
Supreme Soviet deputy, professor of economy Ludmila Gryaznova, wife of the missing
Belarusian businessman and public figure Anatoly Krasovsky, professor of pedagogy
Irina Krasovskaya, student and ZUBR movement's activist Irina Tolstik. The ladies
shared their discontent over the policy of the Belarusian authorities and called
on the Belarusian nation to engage in the spring protest action. "We are opposed
to impoverishment and fall in the standard of living. Many times have we tried
to knock on the government's door but always to no avail. We no longer have access
to the parliamentary tribune, for they kicked us out of there. We enjoy no access
to radio, TV and press, which are all under state's control. The regime only
recognizes power and power we are altogether. And so, we call upon our intelligentsia,
thinking and suffering people to take to the streets of Minsk on March 12 and
stand for ourselves, our better life and finally put an end to this weirdness,
turmoil, this constant humiliation and experiment over the Belarusians, which
has been lasting for nine years now. Let's stop dying out, stop weeping in the
kitchens, stop getting poor but rather stand on our feet and go fight for our
future. We are worthy of it. We are Belarusians. We are the Europeans. And so
we want to live in a European country,"  declared deputy of the Supreme Soviet,
professor of economy Ludmila Gryaznova.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/12march

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"OPEN DOORS WORLD WATCH": CHRISTIANS UNDER FIRE IN BELARUS
16:50 10/02/2003, BDG

International Christian human rights organization "Open Doors World Watch" published
a list of countries, where Christians undergo persecutions. The country, which
tops the list, is North Korea of the "axis of evil". Belarus comes bottom of
the list on the 50ieth spot.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/odww

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UNIQUE EMISSION CENTER TO BE MOSCOW-BASED SAYS KUDRIN
11:12 10/02/2003

Russia and Belarus coordinated their positions concerning the common emission
center of the future "union state", due to be formed on the basis of Russia's
Central Bank, said Vice-Premier, Minister of finances of Russia Aleksei Kudrin.
"At the moment we coordinated our positions on the emission center. It will be
a common one, set up on the premises of the Russian Central Bank, to which Belarusians
already consented,"  underscored Kudrin, speaking on Friday in an interview
to the radio "Echo of Moscow". Meantime, he stressed that it doesn't really matter
where this emission center will be located geographically.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/kudrin

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DEAR COLLEAGUES!
11:02 10/02/2003

Today on February 10 at 11a.m. there will be held a press-conference on "Women's
condition in Belarus and their support of the People's March as the way out of
deadlock".
Participants of the press-conference:
National artist of Belarus ZINAIDA BONDARENKO
Laureate of the State USSR Award, filmmaker TATIANA LOGINOVA
Deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet of Belarus, candidate of economic sciences
LUDMILA GRYAZNOVA
Wife of the missing Belarusian businessman and public figure Anatoly Krasovsky
IRINA KRASOVSKAYA
Belarusian writer OLGA IPATOVA
Student IRINA TOLSTIK
The press-conference will be hosted in the office of the "Rabochy" newspaper's
editorial board. Address: Svobody, 23 (entrance from Engels street).
Kind regards,
Charter'97 press-center

http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/press

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MR.HAIKEN IS SAID TO ARRIVE IN MINSK ON FEBRUARY 9
16:53 10/02/2003

The OSCE office's budget and number of its personnel will remain unchanged. We'll
see whether the new OSCE mission's head will manage to combine in his work the
approaches, which will satisfy both the Belarusian and European sides.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/osce

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IVONKA SURVILLA CALLS ON BELARUSIANS TO CELEBRATE PROCLAMATION OF BPR
16:44 10/02/2003

Chairwoman of the Belarusian People's Republic's Council Ivonka Survilla urged
the Belarusian public to take part in festive celebrations on another anniversary
of the BPR's proclamation: "On March 25, 1918 BPR Council proclaimed Belarus
as an independent, democratic country. If we had an opportunity to protect our
newly gained independence, our country would now occupy its worthy place in the
family of other world's free nations. We would be living normally, not fearing
to speak out our minds and vote for those candidates, who can do a lot for our
good and the good of our homeland. Our goal then would be not fleeing abroad
in search of freedom and bread, but building life in the country, as our neighbors
now do. However, in reality everything turned out quite the opposite way."
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/bnr

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CANDIDATE'S RADIO ADDRESSES LIABLE TO CENSORSHIP
16:42 10/02/2003

Chairman of the Vitebsk regional organization of the Belarusian Social-Democratic
Party (Narodnaya Gromada) Aleksei Gavrutikov deems that radio speeches of some
of the candidates for the deputies of the local councils are exposed to censorship.
BelaPAN reports that on February 6 the radio address of the candidate from the
Vitebsk region Aleksei Gavrutikov has been removed from air. In his speech the
man addressed the region's prosecutor with a request to find out why the high-ranking
officials of the region and Vitebsk violate the "Law on citizens' appeals", not
responding to the social-democrats' inquiry for two months.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/local

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COURT RULES TO FINE MIKHAIL CHIGIR $1M
11:18 10/02/2003

The Frunzensky district court of Minsk ruled to fine former Belarusian Premier
Mikhail Chigir over 2bln Belarusian rubles ($1mln) in a lawsuit, filed against
ex-PM by the "BelagropromBank", which he headed eight years ago.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/chigir

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HE'S MAD AT HER
11:17 10/02/2003, Viktor Martinovich, "Belorusskaya Gazeta"

"Today they told me that Alexander Lukashenko is kind of angry with me,"  said
at the recent press-conference the member of OSCE PA special group in Belarus
Uta Tsapf, finishing her visit to Belarus. The president refused to host a reception
for the European deputies, although they had submitted an official request on
the audience. The group, consisting of Uta Tsapf, Urban Alin and lord Fred Ponsobi,
headed home with a feeling that no democratization is underway in Belarus, which
means that they will not reinstate Belarus' status at the forthcoming OSCE PA
March assembly in Vienna.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/luka

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GOVERNMENT'S FAILURES PUT OVER ON COMMON PEOPLE'S SHOULDERS
11:11 10/02/2003

Belarusian industrial trade unions are opposed to the idea of laying the burden
of government's mistakes on the shoulders of common workers, reads the special
statement of the country's leading industrial trade unions, forwarded to the
government over the deterioration of the social-economic state of affairs in
the country: both of the workers from industrial sector of economy and the whole
population in general.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/gov

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USA PROPOSE TO BELARUSIAN BANKS TO HALT RELATIONS WITH NAURU BANKS
11:09 10/02/2003

Belarusian Foreign Minister delivered to the knowledge of the National Bank of
Belarus the content of the official US embassy's missive to our country, in which
the States plead with the Belarusian banks to stop correspondent relations with
the banks of Nauru, for this country, as claimed by the US government, is "implicated
in money-laundering operations". The letter of such a content of 27.01.2003 was
forwarded by the National Bank to the Belarusian minor banks for the notification
purposes.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/bank

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CROSSED SIGNALS
11:04 10/02/2003, BY Andrew Stroehlein, "Time Europe"

Minsk just cant seem to make up its mind. One minute, Belarus is pushing Russian
media out of its territory; the next minute, it is declaring undying love for
its bigger Slav brother, hoping to join Russia in a single political entity.
Often criticised for human rights abuses and interference with free speech, the
Belarusian authorities are now again under fire from a wide range of critics,
including Russian Democratic Party Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky, for closing
three Russian radio stations at the start of the year. Minsk said it would replace
the closed stations  Golos Rossii, Mayak and Yunost  with domestic programming.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/10/minsk
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 10, 2003
www.charter97.org