CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 27, 2003
www.charter97.org
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OPPOSITION IN PALACE OF GOVERNMENT
17:13 27/02/2003

Despite all possible hindrances, today the Palace of Government hosted a round
table "Free Belarus unites us", initiated by the "Republic" faction. Members
of all 18 registered parties, public organizations and journalists were supposed
to walk in the doorway of the Palace for the first time since the scandalous
dissolution of the 13th Supreme Soviet six years ago. However, fifteen minutes
before the start of the meeting, the guards said they wouldn't let anyone inside.
It turned out that deputy Parfenovich, responsible for the affair, couldn't bring
as many people with him. Then they had to attract other "deputies" from the faction,
who divided the invited guests into groups among themselves. Finally, when they
all reached the office, where the meeting was to take place, they found out that
the key was gone. At last, when they failed to find the key, Parfenovich and
Frolov told everyone that the head of the presidential Administration Ural Latypov
forbade opposition members to gather in the room.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/27/house

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CAMERAMAN ZAVADSKY'S DISAPPEARANCE CASE SUSPENDED
12:47 27/02/2003

Decision to halt investigation into the disappearance of journalist Dmitry Zavadsky
was passed by the head of investigation group Ivan Branchel, who's been placed
in charge of the case ever since the ORT cameraman's vanishing in July 2000.
The notification, signed by Ivan Branchel, which has been recently received by
Zavadsky's wife Svetlana, mentions the following root-cause of that: "in connection
with the failure to locate the missing individual".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/27/delo

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UCP POINTS OUT LOCAL ELECTIONS' UNDEMOCRATIC NATURE
16:10 27/02/2003

The United Civil Party passed on February 27 a statement concerning the undemocratic
nature of local elections. "Outcomes of candidates' nomination and registration
testify to the regime's persistent aspirations to return back to the Soviet times
and elections without alternative, when only one candidate was nominated in each
voting constituency. In the countryside the authorities have already attained
their goal and are also close to doing that in the towns,"  reads the UCP statement.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/27/ucpb

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NO PRIVATIZATION OF CAR-BUILDING PLANTS IN BELARUS
13:00 27/02/2003

Car-building industry in Belarus will always exist, said Alexander Lukashenko
at the away meeting with the heads of the largest companies of the Belarusian
car-building industry, hosted by the MAZ plant. "Rosbalt" was told in the press-service
of the Belarusian leader that Alexander Lukashenko called the proposal to shut
down big plants and develop minor manufactures "unproductive". Alexander Lukashenko
said that the efficient car-building industry is a sure sign of the civilized
society.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/27/auto

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PRIVATE ENTREPRENEURS DIMINISH IN NUMBER
12:58 27/02/2003

In course of one month in 2003 the number of individual entrepreneurs in the
Brest region contracted by more than 150 people, now amounting to 28.271, as
compared to 28.424 on January 1. Specialists link this fact with the presidential
decree #4 "On common tax, levied from individual entrepreneurs and other persons
and some measures on regulating the entrepreneurial activities", which enters
into effect on March 1 this year.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/27/pred

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"NOVAYA GAZETA SMORGONI'S" NEXT ISSUE WILL NEVER SEE LIGHT
12:55 27/02/2003

The newspaper's founder Romuald Ulan was stripped of the right to conduct entrepreneurial
activities in early February by the regional economic court. The man's complaint
has never been satisfied.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/27/smorgon

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OSCE ODIHR OFFICIALS SET TO MONITOR LOCAL ELECTIONS IN MINSK
12:53 27/02/2003

Human rights experts of the OSCE ODIHR mission arrived in Minsk. On February
26 morning the organization's representatives met with the secretary of the Central
Electoral Commission Nikolai Lozovik. In his interview to BelaPAN the secretary
said that the visitors aren't entitled to be observers at elections and they
never asked the Central Electoral Commission to endow them with such a status.
The goal of the mission, said Lozovik, is to carry out monitoring of the election
campaign.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/27/local

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CIS HEADS OF STATES TO RENDEZVOUS ON MAY 30 IN SAINT-PETERSBURG
12:51 27/02/2003

Another informal meeting of the CIS heads of states is scheduled for May 30 in
Saint-Petersburg, Russian media quote Russian Vice-Premier Valentina Matvienko
as saying. This information was confirmed to BelaPAN in the CIS executive committee
in Minsk.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/02/27/sng
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
February 27, 2003
www.charter97.org