The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE February, 16, 2003 http://charter97.org/eng/news/ --------------------------------------------------------- IRINA KRASOVSKAYA: "I WANT THE REGIME TO BE CHANGED" 12:14 16/02/2004 The issue of political kidnappings in Belarus has becme very topical lately. It is discussed in all international institutions. Harsh report "Disappeared People in Belarus" presented by Christos Purgurides, special speaker of the Parliamentarian Assembly of the European Union, has produced an enormous resonance. He demanded resignation of the high-ranking officials who were associated with disappearances of Belarusian public and political figures. Only last week a number of international leaders and institutions expressed their anxiety concerning disappearances of political opponents to Lukashenko's regime. It was done by participants of the international conference "Future of Democracies outside the Baltic Region" in Riga, deputies of the European Parliament, and representatives of the Congress of the United States of America. Press-center of Charter'97 talks to Irina Krasovskaya, whose husband disappeared in 1999, about the above-mentioned facts and other events. Today Irina Krasovskaya is the leader of civil initiative We Remember and a member of European Coalition Free Belarus. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/kras --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUS BLASTS GAS "EXTORTION" 11:23 16/02/2004, Combined Reports C Reuters, AP, photo by ByMedia.net MINSK, Belarus -- Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko fired the latest salvo in his countrys struggle with Russia over natural gas supplies Friday, accusing Moscow of using gas deliveries to gain control over a Belarussian pipeline company. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/gasprom --------------------------------------------------------- ARRESTS ON THE DAY OF LOVE 11:15 16/02/2004, photo by ByMedia.net 6 young men were detained by men in mufti on February 14 on St. Valentine's Day at the Svaboda Square in Minsk. On this day the Young Front planned an action of making a declaration of love of the Belarusian youth to the European countries, not only of sweethearts to each other. The authorities prevented the action's realization, Radio Racyja informs. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/day --------------------------------------------------------- DUTCH HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP DEMANDS INVESTIGATION OF LOUD CASES 15:51 16/02/2004 An Amnesty International group from Nootdorp (the Netherlands) sent another letter to Alyaksandar Lukashenka, where he is called for independent objective investigation of the abductions of oppositional politicians Viktar Hanchar, Yuri Zakharanka, a businessman and public figure Anatol Krasowsky and a journalist Zmitser Zavadsky. "There are many voices, for many years already, voices from abroad, voices from within your country, of the victims of all the oppressive measures of the last years, of all the people who have chosen for solidarity with those victims, of the wives and children and other beloved ones of the men who were abducted. All these voices ask for justice, no less or more than mere justice for all the people of your country We can't believe that you will refuse forever to hear those voices. So we also call again, as we did and shall do, on your sense of justice", wrote human rights activists from the Netherlands. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/prav --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUS THREATENS TO SEVER TIES WITH MOSCOW 15:23 16/02/2004, www.russiajournal.com MOSCOW - A one day suspension of Russian gas supplies to Belarus on February 11 prompted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to make another verbal attack against Moscow. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/sever --------------------------------------------------------- VACLAV HAVEL: "LUKASHENKA MUST EXPECT REACTION OF OUTSIDE WORLD" 13:05 16/02/2004 "I cannot imagine that somebody from outside could dictate another country in which way the roads are to be constructed, whether the country should have the upper chamber of the parliament or not, and so on. However, it can be expected that the foreign world would always carefully monitor and comment on everything relating basic human rights. If the authorities somewhere would suppress freedom of expression or free information circulation, if the authorities would forge elections or arrest people for their political views, they must expect reaction from outside world. In the end, this is the situation with Lukashenka's Belarus", said former Czech president Vaclal Havel in his interview to Ukrainian weekly "Zerkalo nedeli". The interview with legendary Czech leader was publicized on the eve of the international conference "Ukraine in Europe and In the World". Vaclav Havel would probably be one of its participants. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/gavel --------------------------------------------------------- BRUCE CONNAK: "BELARUS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH OSCE STANDARDS" 12:43 16/02/2004 "Belarus does not comply with the OSCE standards in the area of mass media freedom, elections and non-governmental organizations". This statement was made by the Charg dAffaires at the US Mission to the OSCE Bruce Connuck on February, 12 at the meeting of the Permanent Council of the organization in Vienna, BelaPAN agency informs. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/osce --------------------------------------------------------- HRODNA REPORTERS NOT ALLOWED TO CONSULTATION ON IDEOLOGY 12:40 16/02/2004 On February 12 Hrodna journalists were removed from the hall were the meeting of the Department of Information of Hrodna executive committee took place. Liliya Ananich, deputy minister of Information participated in it. It is the second time in Hrodna, when officials of the department interfere with the work of independent press correspondents, the Belarusian Association of Journalists' press service informs. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/journ --------------------------------------------------------- RYBAKOW'S COLLAPSE 11:11 16/02/2004, photo by ByMedia.net On February 13 Yahor Rybakow was dismissed from his position of the chairman of the National Television and Radio Company by the Decree of Belarusian president. The decree was sighed right after Alyaksandar Lukashenka met Belarusian prosecutor general Viktar Sheiman, who reported about disclosed unlawful acts committed by the chairman of the national state TV and Radio company, the press service of the president informed BELTA news agency. The dismissal of Rybakow was carried out according to the same scheme to which Halina Zhuravkova was dismissed from office recently. The next step can be detention of Rybakow. Press center of Charter'97 will inform about the situation. According to our information, the violations were disclosed also during inspections in a number of local branches of the National TV and Radio Company, the ONT Channel and editorial office of the "Sovetskaya Belorussiya" newspaper. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/16/rybakov --------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE February, 16, 2003 http://charter97.org/eng/news/ -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.charter97&email= http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com