[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 64 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S4816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S4816]]
                    DEMOCRACY UNDER SIEGE IN BELARUS

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I wish to update my Senate colleagues on 
developments in Belarus in my capacity as Chairman of the Commission on 
Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Helsinki Commission. The 
Commission continues to pay close attention to events in Belarus 
especially as they impact democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
  May 7 marked the second anniversary of the disappearance of Yuri 
Zakharenka, the former Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs. In 
1999, General Zakharenka, who had been critical of Belarusian leader 
Alexander Lukashenka and had attempted to form a union of officers to 
support democracy, was put in a car by unidentified men and taken away. 
He has not been heard from since. His fate is probably similar to other 
prominent Belarusian opposition figures who have disappeared over the 
last few years, notably Victor Hanchar, Antaloy Krasovsky and Dmitry 
Zavadsky. The Belarusian authorities have had no success in 
investigating these disappearances; indeed, there are indications that 
the regime of Alexander Lukashenka may have been involved. Opinion 
polls in Belarus have shown that a clear majority of those who are 
aware of the disappearances believe that they are the work of the 
Lukashenka regime.
  These disappearances embody the climate of disregard for human rights 
and democracy that has persisted since the election of Mr. Lukashenka 
in 1994. That disregard has intensified following his unconstitutional 
power grab in November 1996.
  Presidential elections are planned for later this year. 
Unfortunately, recent developments in Belarus do not inspire confidence 
that these elections will meet OSCE standards for free and democratic 
elections. Despite commitments made to the OSCE, Belarusian authorities 
continue to unlawfully restrict freedom of assembly and to beat and 
detain participants in peaceful demonstrations, as illustrated by the 
April 21 protest by youth activists. On April 27, Valery Shchukin, 
deputy of the disbanded Belarusian parliament, received a three month 
sentence for the dubious charge of ``malicious hooliganism.'' And on 
May 7, police arrested opposition activists who marked the anniversary 
of Yuri Zakharenka's disappearance. The activists held placards 
reading: ``Where is Zakharanka?''; ``Who's Next?''; and ``Where are the 
Disappeared People--Zakharanka, Hanchar, Krasousky, Zavadsky?''
  Lukashenka continues his harsh assault on OSCE's efforts to develop 
democracy, characterizing domestic elections observers supported by the 
OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group (AMG) as ``an army of bandits and 
collaborationists.'' This is only the last in a series of incredible 
accusations against the international community, including far-fetched 
allegations that $500 million had been earmarked in support of the 
opposition candidates. On April 25, the OSCE Representative on Freedom 
of the Media Friemut Duve canceled his visit to Belarus to protest the 
denial of a visa to his senior advisor, a U.S. diplomat Diana Moxhay 
who had earlier served at the U.S. Embassy in Miensk. The visit was to 
have examined the difficult media environment in Belarus, especially in 
light of the forthcoming presidential elections.
  I continue to have grave concerns that Presidential Directive No. 8, 
which imposes restrictions on assistance from abroad offered to NGOs 
for democracy building and human rights including election monitoring, 
could be used to block NGO activities and important OSCE AMGroup 
projects in Belarus.
  These and numerous other recent occurrences call into question the 
Belarusian government's willingness to comply with freely undertaken 
OSCE commitments and raise doubts as to whether the Lukashenka regime 
intends to conduct the upcoming elections in a manner consistent with 
international standards.
  As Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I call upon the Belarusian 
authorities to conduct a real and public investigation of the 
disappearances. Furthermore, I urge the Belarusian Government to take 
the steps necessary in order for the presidential elections to be 
recognized as free and democratic as outlined by the March 7 Final 
Statement of the Parliamentary Troika. These are: transparency and 
democracy in the preparation and implementation of the elections, in 
particular the process of registration of the candidates, the 
composition of electoral commissions and counting of votes; equal 
access for all candidates to the mass media; refraining from harassment 
of candidates, their families and supporters; and freedom in carrying 
out their work for all those engaged in domestic election observation.

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