[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 163 (Wednesday, November 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL, THE PEOPLE OF 
      BELARUS ARE STILL BEING OPPRESSED BY AUTHORITARIAN DICTATOR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SAM GEJDENSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 1999

  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a resolution on the 
gravity of the political and economic situation in Belarus. I believe 
it's time for U.S. Congress to express strong opposition to the 
continued egregious violations of human rights and the lack of progress 
toward the establishment of democracy and the rule of law in Belarus 
and call on President Alexandr Lukashenka to engage in negotiations 
with the representatives of the opposition and to restore the 
constitutional rights of the Belarusian people.
  While the U.S. and Europe are marking the 10 year anniversary of the 
fall of the Berlin Wall, President Lukashenka is building a new wall 
between Belarus and democracy and trying to isolate Belarus by using 
old Soviet and Stalinist tactics of misinformation and intimidation. 
The people of Belarus have experienced a great deal of suffering over 
the years--as the victims of the Nazis, of Stalin, and of the Chernobyl 
disaster. I visited Belarus several months ago and it is clear to see 
that the people of Belarus are still getting a bad deal--again at the 
hands of their leadership.
  In the fall of 1996, President Lukashenka used bogus tactics to 
impose a new constitution on Belarus, to abolish the existing 
parliament and replace it with a rubber-stamp legislature, and to 
illegally extend his presidential term. Although Lukashenka says that 
his government is willing to enter into negotiations with the 
opposition, his actions indicate the opposite. Lukashenka has created a 
climate of fear in Belarus, along the lines of Stalin's and Hitler's 
regimes, which he admires. He has targeted the opposition, non-
governmental organizations, and the independent media. Opposition 
figures have disappeared; independent newspapers are fighting for 
survival; and those Belarusians who are brave enough to publicly 
protest Lukashenka's rule, get thrown into prison on trumped up 
charges.
  Lukashenka is pushing his country deeper and deeper into an economic 
abyss. Prices remain under state control, and there has been no 
privatization to speak of. The average monthly wage is somewhere around 
$30 a month, and many people rely on subsistence farming in a backyard 
plot to feed their families.
  We in the U.S. Congress have a moral responsibility to promote 
democracy and support economic development in Belarus. This resolution 
condemns the current Belarusian regime and calls for immediate dialogue 
between President Lukashenka and the Consultative Council of Belarusian 
opposition and the restoration of a civilian, democratically-elected 
government in Belarus, based on the rule of law, and an independent 
judiciary. The resolution urges President Lukashenka to respect the 
human rights of all Belarusian citizens, including those members of the 
opposition who are currently being illegally detained in violation of 
their constitutional rights.
  President Lukashenka must make good on his promise to hold free 
parliamentary elections in 2000 and presidential elections in 2001. 
Please join me in supporting this resolution.

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