CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 11, 2003
www.charter97.org
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SOMETHING'S WRONG IN THE AIR TODAY
16:17 11/03/2003

"Any coincidence of the book's heroes with real persons, either living or dead,
is unintentional and totally accidental". For these people themselves are the
result of the accidental coincidence of circumstances,
Kurt Vonnegut, "Time-quake"

I always used to feel as if something went wrong in this country. Everything
in this world appears, lives in this way or another and disappears from scene
But either the country now goes the wrong way or in a wrong manner. It's really
tough to grasp it, for all attributes look just fine, but at the end it turns
out wrong anyway.

http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/nks

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TWO SIDES OF A MEDAL
12:03 11/03/2003, Ludmila Gryaznova, Charter'97 human rights coordinator

Human rights violations chronicles for February 2003
Humiliation of human dignity and nation's misery are two sides of one dictatorial
medal. The current Belarusian "order of things" is no exception, and can be equally
paralleled to the Marcos' case in the Philippines or Sukharto's in Indonesia.
Time hasn't yet come to publicize the shadow accumulation of riches, belonging
to the family of Lukashenko. For now, we can only point out the visible side
of the "order"  humiliation of human dignity and human rights violations. Unfortunately,
we can only do that in Internet.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/gryaznova

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POLICE SAYS "GO FOR IT"
16:15 11/03/2003

Applicants of the People's March "For Better Life!" Ludmila Gryaznova and Vladimir
Kobets met today with representatives of the Minsk police. At the meeting there
was also present deputy Interior Minister Alexander Schurko. As a result of the
negotiations, the law-enforcers allowed the People's March protesters to assemble
tomorrow, on March 12 at 6p.m. in the Yakub Kolas square. The further route of
the movement will be defined on the spot.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/march

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SOME CANDIDATES HAVE NO MORAL RIGHT TO BE DEPUTIES
16:13 11/03/2003

The Brest regional affiliate of the public organization "Human rights center
"Vesna" addressed the Brest town's electoral commission with an open letter,
in which they point out systematic violations of law by some candidates for the
deputies. At the same time, BelaPAN was told by the head of the department Vladimir
Velichkin, he passed over to the commission "a whole set of flyers without exit
data from candidate Ludmila Orlova".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/local

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BREST MEDIA BLATANTLY INFRINGE ON ELECTORAL LAW
16:11 11/03/2003

Candidate for the deputy from the Brest region committee, professor of the Brest
State University and head of the local Belarusian Social-Democratic Party (Narodnaya
Gromada) Anatoly Levkovich called a range of media publications ahead of the
second round of voting "an open violation of electoral law".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/smi

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BANDAZHEVSKY PROCLAIMED HONORARY PARIS CITIZEN
16:09 11/03/2003

A few days ago the city hall of Paris for the first time ruled to endow a Belarusian
national with an "honorary citizen of Paris" title  the former rector of the
Gomel State Institute of medicine professor Yuri Bandazhevsky, who's currently
serving his term in the hard labor colony #1 in Belarus.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/fr

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LUKASHENKO BLACKLISTED AS ONE OF WORLD'S TEN WORST CONTEMPORARY DICTATORS
12:20 11/03/2003, ForUM

Saparmurat Niyazov and Alexander Lukashenko were included into top ten world's
most dangerous dictators of the modern day. The rating was published by the journal
Parade. The candidates were selected on the basis of rapports of the influential
international human rights watchdogs, such as the Freedom House, Amnesty International
and Human Rights Watch.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/dictator

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JOURNALIST NIKOLAI MARKEVICH EMPLOYED AS EXPEDITOR
12:19 11/03/2003

Following his comeback to Grodno from the open-type penitentiary institution
in Osipovichi (Mogilev region) the convicted journalist Nikolai Markevich was
employed as an expeditor. Editor of the closed newspaper "Pagonya" now works
in the firm "Verasen" and will deal with the expedition of cargo in Belarus.
This kind of job will enable him, says Markevich, to "dedicate myself to the
full to the journalism and public activities".
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/markevich

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STRIKING COMMITTEE OF ENTREPRENEURS NOTIFIES GOVERNMENT, LUKASHENKO OF MARCH
12 STRIKE
12:17 11/03/2003

The Striking Committee of entrepreneurs forwarded to the government and Alexander
Lukashenko a notification about the forthcoming March 12 strike. The entrepreneurs
also claim that they intend to join the march "For Better Life!", scheduled for
March 12.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/12march

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BELARUS TO OPERATE IN LIBYAN ENERGY SECTOR
12:11 11/03/2003

Belarus and Libya register their joint venture for operating in the Libyan energy
sector, "Interfax" was told by the head of the "Belvneshenergo" company Alexander
Rogovtsov. According to him, the signing of all the necessary documentation took
place on February 19 this year. The new company's founders will be "Belvneshenergo"
joint stock and the General company for electric energy of Libya.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/libya

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BELARUSIAN NATIONALS DEPART IRAQ
12:09 11/03/2003

Around 40 Belarusians, who used to be working in Iraq under contract terms, flew
on Monday from Baghdad to Minsk. "Belavia" aircraft was freighted by the association
of the Belarusian-Iraqi friendship. The UN committee for sanctions gave green
light to the flight.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/iraq

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NEWLY APPOINTED FM PRESS-SECRETARY ANDREI SAVINYH
12:08 11/03/2003

Staff reshuffles occurred in the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, where they appointed
Andrei Savinyh (former deputy head of the FM information department) the FM's
press-secretary, BELTA correspondent was told in the press-service of the Belarusian
Foreign Ministry.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/mid

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RUSSIAN DUMA SPEAKER SETS EN ROUTE TO MINSK
12:07 11/03/2003

Another session of the joint Russian-Belarusian commission on preparing the Constitutional
act of the "union state" will take place in Minsk on March 11. For this purpose
the country will be visited by the Russian State Duma Speaker, communist Gennady
Seleznev, who is a co-chairman of the joint commission.
http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2003/03/11/russia
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CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE
March 11, 2003
www.charter97.org