CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 03, 2003
www.charter97.org
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GOVERNMENT SET TO ANNUAL "PROPERTY" VOUCHERS
16:08 03/03/2003

The government initiates a procedure on nullifying the "Property" vouchers without
paying off compensation to the citizens, who failed to properly use them in good
time. The Ministry of economy proposes to the "house of representatives" to insert
the concomitant amendments into the Law "On individual privatization vouchers
of the Republic of Belarus".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/check

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VATSLAV GAVEL CHEERS UP INCARCERATED BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS
16:04 03/03/2003

On March 2 the delegation of Czech journalists visited the editor-in-chief of
the newspaper "Rabochy" Viktor Ivashkevich, who's currently serving his term
in the Baranovichi open-type penitentiary for an attempted slandering of the
head of state. The Czech journalists passed over to their Belarusian colleague
a letter from ex-president of the Czech republic Vatslav Gavel. The politician
shared his solidarity with Viktor Ivashkevich, calling him "a representative
of a group of people, which aspire to democratize the authoritarian regime".
 "I'm deeply convinced,"  writes Gavel: "that transformation of the Belarusian
society, economic development and the country's accession to the family of European
democracies is only possible with the respect for the human rights and democratic
values, such as the independent media, for example".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/havel

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CONSTITUTIONAL COURT LEAVES MEDICINE FREE
14:58 03/03/2003

The Constitutional court of Belarus halted consideration of the case on the compliance
of certain legislative acts on healthcare to the state Constitution, especially
those provisions that directly relate to the paid medical services, rendered
to the populace by state healthcare institutions.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/medic2

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CONSTITUTIONAL COURT SET TO CONSIDER LAWFULNESS OF PAID MEDICINE
11:42 03/03/2003

The Constitutional court of Belarus will consider at its March 3 open hearing
the issue, linked with the paid medical services to the population, rendered
in the country's state-run healthcare institutions. BELTA correspondent was told
by the head of the Constitutional court's press-service Ludmila Murashko that
the jury will analyze the provisions of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On
Healthcare", as well as the government's ruling of August 27, 1996 "On paid types
of medical aid and services, rendered in the state healthcare institutions".
As you know, the case had been initiated by the parliamentary faction "Republic"
in connection with numerous citizens' complaints.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/medic

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WHAT WAS THAT?
11:41 03/03/2003

Local elections in Belarus were held on March 2. The Central Electoral Commission
reports that in total 72,96% of voters cast their votes. Did any of you, who
is reading these lines right now, engage in the yesterday's ballot? However,
it is in no wise the first case when the regime adds extra figures to the turnout.
Several days ago, for instance, they announced that 20,7% of electorate voted
beforehand. That figure even exceeded the 2001 presidential race statistics,
when "only" 14% had been said to vote ahead of time. Under international standards,
the elections can't be regarded as democratic given the early voting exceeded
three percent.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/elections

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FIVE UCP MEMBERS WON DEPUTIES' MANDATES
16:43 03/03/2003

Only 5 members of the United Civil Party became deputies of the local councils
as a result of the first round of voting: Sergei Klimenok (Vileika), Mileschenko
Zinaida (Kruglyany), Kekelev Igor (Uvarovichi), Valukevich Evgeny (Pruzhany),
Galaktionov Alexander (Mstislavl). 14 other nominees will contend for the office
in the second round of voting. The rest of the UCP candidates are no longer in
the race.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/ucpb

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NIKOLAI STATKEVICH: UNPRECEDENTED FALSIFICATION
16:13 03/03/2003

Unprecedented level of falsification was witnessed at first round of local elections
by the monitors and candidates from the Belarusian Social-Democratic Party (Narodnaya
Gromada). A huge turnout at early voting with over 20% voters driven to the polling
stations under different threats, pre-conditioned to a large degree the final
outcomes of yesterday's ballot. Orsha observers intercepted a message, on which
one of the voters wrote "Forgive us, they are forcing us to cast votes beforehand
almost at gun's point".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/gramada

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UNITED SOCIAL-DEMOCRATS UPHOLD PEOPLE'S MARCH
16:09 03/03/2003

At their last session the executive committee of the Belarusian United Social-Democratic
Party ruled to uphold the People's March "For Better Life!", due to take place
in Belarus on March 12.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/korol

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INDEPENDENT "VECHERNY STOLIN" SUSPENDED FROM PUBLISHING FOR 3 MONTHS
16:07 03/03/2003

Under the order#29 of the Minister of information Mikhail Podgainy of February
26, 2003 they halted for three months the issue of the independent newspaper
"Vecherny Stolin". The reason for that move were "blatant violations of the Law
on press", reads the text of the order.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/stolin

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PRAGUE TO SUPPORT PEOPLE'S MARCH ON MARCH 12
14:56 03/03/2003

The Union of Belarusians in immigration declared its support to the People's
March "For Better Life!", which is scheduled for March 12. "March 12 Minsk will
host an action of protest against the dictatorial regime of Alexander Lukashenko,
who has led the country to misery. The Belarusian nation lives as if in one common
jail  without elementary freedoms, right for decent work, medicine, recreation
and normal civilized life. They invented a Belarusian jail for the whole nation
in the midst of Europe,"  reads the text of the statement. On March 12 the organization's
members will walk around the offices of international organizations, headquartered
in Prague, in order to circulate the concomitant statement.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/praga

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NEW BELARUSIAN AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM HAS NO ANALOGIES WORLDWIDE
14:40 03/03/2003

The new Belarusian air defense system, developed by specialists from the "Tetraedr"
company, is a totally new technology and has no analogies in the globe, said
the company's director Andrei Vahovsky.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/pvo

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PARTY LEADERS CALL ELECTIONS "UNDEMOCRATIC"
11:52 03/03/2003

Minsk, March 2. Opposition politicians, commenting to BelaPAN on the course of
local elections, note that conditions for preparing and conducting the ballot
testify to their undemocratic nature. Nonetheless, opposition parties engaged
in the voting campaign. 201 candidates were registered from the United Civil
Party (only 120 reached the finals though), BPF  113 (111), Party of communists
of Belarus  262 (220), Liberal-Democratic Party  190 (186). The main methods
of their removal from the race, say the parties' representatives, were "unjustified
registration denials by electoral commissions, as well as exertion of pressure
and threats on part of the authorities".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/party

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LUKASHENKO NEVER CAST VOTE FOR HIS CANDIDATE
11:52 03/03/2003

The very fact that during the election date the head of the country is resting
at a mountain ski resort outside of the country, is regarded by opposition leaders
as a sure proof of the fact that "local elections have little if any significance
for the ruling regime".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/luka

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FOREIGN JOURNALIST DENIED ACCREDITATION TO MONITOR BALLOT
11:50 03/03/2003

The Foreign Ministry of Belarus denied accreditation to the journalist of the
Slovak newspaper "SME" Lubomir Gombosh, who was supposed to visit Belarus to
highlight the elections into the local councils. The journalist was notified
about that decision on Friday, January 28 in a phone conversation with the representative
of the Foreign Ministry's press-service.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/local

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SOLIGORSK RESIDENTS CALL ON POLITICIANS TO UNITE AHEAD OF PEOPLE'S MARCH
11:46 03/03/2003

Nina Yarmolinskaya of Soligorsk sent to the Radio Svaboda a letter, signed by
the town's 24 residents. All of them in unison ring alarm bells over the way
the People's March "For Better Life!" is being prepared. The text of the Soligorsk
residents' address first sounded aloud in the TV program "Mailbox 111": "Not
all of the political parties' leaders consented to engage in the March. Meantime,
the social-economic situation in the country keeps deteriorating each day. Low
wages, miserable pensions, starving kids  all this leads to the nation's ultimate
extinction. And so we called on every true politician, who feels respect for
himself and loves Belarus and Belarusians to invite their members to the People's
March and take an active part in it themselves".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/nm

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US DEFENSE MINISTER CONFIRMS WPROST'S INFORMATION
11:45 03/03/2003

US Defense Ministry plans to deploy their German, British and Italian military
bases in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria  drawing them closer to the Middle
East and Asian disputed territories.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/wprost

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BELARUS SIGNS DEALS WITH "THIRD WORLD" COUNTRIES
11:44 03/03/2003

In the year 2002 Belarus signed 43 bilateral international agreements with 28
countries of the globe and one international organization UNESCO. "Rosbalt" correspondent
reports that such outcomes of the foreign policy in the sphere of normative-legal
base of the international cooperation were publicized by the Belarusian Foreign
Ministry.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/03/dogovor
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 03, 2003
www.charter97.org