CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 18, 2003
www.charter97.org
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BELARUSIAN TRADE UNION OF AVIATION DISPATCHERS UNDER PRESSURE
16:33 18/02/2003

The State Committee for aviation constantly intervenes in the organization's
affairs, while recently the transport procuracy itself took a keen interest in
their activities, said at today's press-conference in Minsk the president of
the Belarusian trade union of air dispatchers Yuri Migulsky.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/prof

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THE SO-CALLED
15:35 18/02/2003

You know that when you were Gentiles you worshipped the voiceless idols, as though
they had led you.(1 Corinthians 12:15)
Have you ever thought that the US president George Bush is phony and doesn't
exist? Or that the Eiffel tour isn't really a tower, let alone Eiffel one. Or
may be you have been troubled to know that two plus two equals twenty seven?
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/nks

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LEONID MALAKHOV: WE'LL ACT MOST DECISIVELY
11:20 18/02/2003

One of the initiators of the People's March "For Better Life!", co-chairman of
the public association "Private Property" Leonid Malakhov received on February
15 a letter from the Minsk inspection of the Ministry of taxation with a claim
to present within the following 10 days an income and tax declaration, covering
the period of the past six years. Failure to obey the order will entail huge
fine. Malakhov was handed in this letter a few hours after the meeting of the
leaders of entrepreneurial structures, at which they consented to the coordination
of efforts in their common struggle for their rights.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/malahov

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ARRESTED FOR LOVING BELARUS
11:13 18/02/2003, photo Irex/Promedia

February 17 the Sovietsky district court of Minsk considered administrative cases
of St. Valentine's Day youth rally participants. In the aftermath of the street
action "I Love Belarus!", run by the Young Front on February 14, the law-enforcers
apprehended 6 persons, who spent the following two days in the Okrestina confinement
center. Judges of the Sovietsky district court of Minsk Ruslan Kazadaev and Oksana
Relyava considered 5 lawsuits on Monday and charged the protesters with violating
art.167/2 of the Administrative code (organizing unsanctioned assemblies). Pavel
Severinets and Artur Finkevich were sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest,
Oleg Medvedev and Dmitry Filippovich  7 days, while Petr Kevlev will serve 5
days in the confinement center.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/sever

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LUKASHENKO DISPLEASED WITH LAW-ENFORCEMENT STRUCTURES
16:41 18/02/2003

There is none nor there can be any uncontrollable bodies of power, said, according
to officially informed sources, Alexander Lukashenko at the February 18 meeting,
dedicated to the evaluation of the police work over the past year. The head of
state noted that back in the past the law-enforcement structures had been considered
untouchable. Things shouldn't be that way, though, he said.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/struktura

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FREEDOM DAY FESTIVITIES' PLAN OUTLINED
16:40 18/02/2003

This year the Freedom Day, marked on March 25, will see street actions, art exhibition,
solemn meeting of the public, concert, literature readings and scholarly conference.
The schedule of events was announced at the February 17 press-conference by professor
Anatoly Gritskevich, member of the national organizing committee for celebrating
the 85th anniversary of the Belarusian People's Republic. At the moment they
are negotiating with the political parties and official representatives. Gritskevich
underscored that 8 out of 10 parties, to which the organizing committee forwarded
the documents, already consented to uphold festive events of the jubilee year.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/plan

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TADEUSH PAVLYAK: POLITICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN BELARUS, POLAND COMPLICATED
16:39 18/02/2003

"We have always stated that the level of Belarusian-Polish relations is to a
large degree defined by the coordination between the European Union and candidate-countries,"
 said the newly appointed plenipotentiary ambassador of Poland in Belarus Tadeush
Pavlyak in an interview, published on February 18 in "Narodnaya Volya" newspaper.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/pol

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AI GROUP RINGS ALARM BELLS OVER LACK OF PROGRESS IN INVESTIGATION OF DISAPPEARANCES
16:35 18/02/2003

Amnesty International group from Nootdorp of Netherlands addressed president
Lukashenko with a regular letter, pointing out lack of investigation into the
politically-motivated disappearances in Belarus. Following you may read the original
text of the letter:
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/amnist

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REGIME'S OBLIVIOUS SAYS ALEKSEI MAROCHKIN
11:30 18/02/2003

Desecration of the Minsk military communal graveyard (1914-1918) testifies to
the vandalistic treatment by the Belarusian authorities of the nation's historic
past, said prominent Belarusian artist Aleksei Marochkin at the February 14 press-conference,
which the public held on the territory of the cemetery.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/marochkin

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PAVEL MOZHEIKO'S SENTENCE MAY BE REVIEWED
11:29 18/02/2003

The Supreme Court of Belarus required the judicial lawsuit of the shut Grodno
newspaper "Pagonya" in order to consider the complaint of the convicted journalist
Pavel Mozheiko. It isn't until the consideration of the required case that the
Supreme Court may file a protest, reports the court's administration.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/pahonia

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LUKASHENKO REFERS TO MILOSEVIC'S ARREST AS "AWFUL BLUNDER"
11:28 18/02/2003

Alexander Lukashenko called extradition to the Hague Tribunal of the former ex-president
of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic "an awful blunder". In an interview to the popular
Yugoslav actress Ivana Zhigon, preparing a series of programs on Belarus for
the Serbian TV company "BK Telecom", the head of state pinpointed that "if the
nation betrays the leader, whom they have once chosen, that nation risks not
to have any faithful leaders anymore". Once the head of state starts thinking
of his own survival, he can no longer be a true president, says Alexander Lukashenko.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/luka

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LITTLE HOPE PLACED ON OSCE OFFICE
11:26 18/02/2003

The head of the OSCE Minsk representation Eberhard Haiken called the agreements,
reached between the Belarusian authorities and OSCE, a consequence of the classic
style diplomacy. "Izvestia" reports that he voiced this statement of his at his
first every press-conference in Minsk in capacity of the OSCE office chair in
Belarus.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/osce

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BHC ALARMED OVER CANDIDATES' REGISTRATION PROCEDURE FAULTS
11:25 18/02/2003

Brest regional affiliate of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee rings alarm bells
in connection with problems, occurring in course of the registration of candidates
and printing of flyers by already registered nominees for the local councils.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/bhk

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PUTIN THE POKER PLAYER
11:17 18/02/2003, Nina L Khrushcheva, "Bangkok Post", (Thailand)

Perhaps it takes an ex-KGB spy for a Kremlin ruler to play diplomatic poker with
skill. Indeed, President Vladimir Putin shows as much mastery at international
diplomacy as he does in handling Russian domestic affairs.
Not since Gustav Stresemann, Weimar Germanys foreign minister, played the Soviet
Union and the West off against each other, has a leader with so weak a hand played
his cards so effectively. President Vladimir Putins latest moves in North Korea,
and his careful tap-dance over Iraq, are just the latest examples.

http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/18/putin
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 18, 2003
www.charter97.org