The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE January, 30, 2003 http://charter97.org/eng/news/ --------------------------------------------------------- TWO MORE SENATORS BECAME COSPONSORS OF BELARUS DEMOCRACY ACT 13:45 30/01/2004 Two more American Senators Joseph Lieberman and Thad Cochran became cosponsors of Belarus Democracy Act introduced to US Congress in 2003 by Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. The act includes US sanctions against Belarus if belarusian authorities do not cease persecution of opposition and independent media and do not investigate politically motivated disappearances. If the Act is adopted, entry to US territory will be restricted for a number of Belarusian officials, strategic export and state investments to Belarus will be prohibited, measures for cutting down financial aid from international financial institutions. Belarus Democracy Act provides for publishing information about Belarus weapon export to terrorism-supporting countries, publishing information about Lukashenkos property and property of his surrounding. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/30/act --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION STRUGGLING TO UNITE AHEAD OF POLLS 15:41 30/01/2004 Pavel Sevyarynets, one of the leaders of the Young Belarus [opposition] coalition, has accused the Five-Plus Popular Coalition of unwillingness to set up a single democratic bloc at the 2004 parliamentary elections. He said this on 29 January at a regular session of the Belarusian Think-Tanks nongovernmental organization which was held at the Minsk international education centre. According to him, "the five" is "the most intolerant" [alliance] with regard to the unification of democratic forces ahead of the election campaign which is of key importance for the country. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/30/young --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUSIAN COURT SLAPS FINE ON HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST 15:39 30/01/2004 Judge Yuliya Lukomskaya of Minsk's Frunzenski district court on 29 January imposed a fine of 3.5m roubles [approximately 1,620 dollars] on opposition activist Aksana Novikava for staging an unauthorized demonstration in front of the Supreme Court's building on 11 December 2003. The woman declared no confidence in the judge and refused to speak at her trial. Novikava, who is unemployed and has a daughter aged two years and eight months, received three fines totalling thousands of US dollars for similar offences in the past. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/30/novikova --------------------------------------------------------- THREE "ZUBR" ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN BORISOV 14:48 30/01/2004 Young people were handing out information bulletin of "Viasna" Human right center "Right for freedom". When almost all copies of the edition were distributed guys were detained by group of people dressed in civil cloths lead by vice-chief of Borisov police lieutenant colonel Vladimir Podobed. "Zubr" activists Aleksandr Kazakov, Aleksandr Perelygin and Pavel Poddubny were taken to Borisov police department. Police officers drew protocols for violating article 172-1 of Administrative Code (violating of legislation about press and other media). They will be probably fined. In about two hours they were released. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/30/zubr --------------------------------------------------------- STATEMENT OF BELARUSIAN PEN-CENTER 14:33 30/01/2004 We have found out from mass media about the facts of hindrance to edition and distribution of "Belorrusskaya Delovaya Gazeta" by state bodies and the efforts of the services, subordinate to state bodies, to liquidate the juridical address of the Republican public association "Frantsysk Skaryna Belarusian Language Society" and the newspapers "Nasha Slova" and "Novy Chas", issued with its participation. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/30/pen --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUS TO STOP ELECTRIC POWER IMPORTS 13:46 30/01/2004, www.russiajournal.com Belarus is going to switch to its own power-supply sources starting February, abandoning its traditional suppliers of electric power, Russia and Lithuania, completely. This was announced today by Belenergo concern head Sergey Bely at the meeting of the Belarusian Ministry of Energy board. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/01/30/import --------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE December, 30, 2003 http://charter97.org/eng/news/ -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.charter97&email= http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com