[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 24, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REPRESSION SPREADING IN BELARUS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 24, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, Europe's last dictator, 
Belarus' Alyaksandr Lukashenka, appears determined to ignore the voices 
of the people of Belarus calling for basic respect for human rights and 
democratic principles a decade after that country gained its 
independence and joined the Organization for Security and Cooperation 
in Europe (OSCE).
  As Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I am disturbed by recent 
developments which demonstrate the growing repression in Belarus. There 
have been further restrictions imposed on the independent media, with 
the recent suspension of independent newspapers Navinki and Ekho. Just 
a few days ago, the publication Predprinimatelskaya Gazeta was 
suspended for three months. The offices of the trade union paper 
Solidarnost have been sealed by the authorities. Still other 
publications have received warnings that could lead to their closure. 
These actions were preceded by the three-month suspension of two 
prominent independent newspapers--Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta and BDG--
For Internal Use Only.
  The Lukashenka regime is also targeting schools. The National 
Humanities Lyceum, a highly respected high school promoting study of 
the Belarusian language and culture, is under fire, with its acting 
head to be replaced by a reportedly non-Belarusian-speaking official. 
Why? Because professors at the school support democracy and the 
Belarusian language and culture which ironically is anathema to the 
Belarusian strongman. Mr. Speaker, what kind of leader actively 
suppresses his nation's language and culture?
  Moreover, a new crackdown on Pentecostal home meetings in western 
Belarus is underway, with fines being handed down on church members who 
permit their homes to be used for prayer meetings--a result of last 
year's restrictive religion law.
  Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also facing increasing 
scrutiny, often for truly spurious reasons such as minor mistakes in 
registration documents. Several, including Ratusha, Varuta and the 
Youth Christian Social Union, are under threat of liquidation. Just a 
few days ago, the Homel regional court ordered the closure of the 
area's largest NGO, Civic Initiatives. The intensified campaign against 
NGOs and the independent media are widely regarded among domestic and 
international observers as a concerted attack on active and independent 
civil society structures.

  Repressive actions against individuals continue as well. Recently, 
18-year-old ZUBR activist Tatiana Elovaya was sentenced to 10 days 
imprisonment for manifesting her support in an April 3 demonstration 
outside the U.S. Embassy for the campaign to liberate Iraq. Several 
others, including 19-year-old Lyubov Kuchinskaya had served 10-day 
sentences earlier. Unfortunately, these are just some recent examples 
of a longstanding pattern of the Lukashenka regime's flouting of its 
OSCE commitments and continued disregard for the four OSCE criteria set 
forth three years ago by the Parliamentary Troika for Belarus.
  Despite steps by the OSCE community, including the re-opening of the 
OSCE Office in Miensk (albeit under a more limited mandate), the 
seating of the National Assembly and the lifting of a visa ban, not 
only have reciprocal steps not been taken by the Belarusian authorities 
but the situation has indeed deteriorated further.
  Earlier this year, I introduced H.R. 854, the Belarus Democracy Act, 
designed to assist the people of Belarus in regaining their freedom and 
enable them to join the European community of democracies. Key 
provisions of this Act also have been incorporated into the Foreign 
Relations Reauthorization bill. Mr. Speaker, the Lukashenka regime's 
continuing suppression of the longsuffering Belarusian people 
underscores the need for the Belarus Democracy Act and other efforts--
including within the OSCE--to restore respect for human rights and 
institutions of democratic governance.




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